What do your garden and paper shredder have in common?

Many of you are aware of the practice of using cardboard and newspaper as organic mulch or an organic additive to your compost pile but did you know that shredded paper makes a great mulch around many of your vegetables. The purpose of mulch is threefold: to deter...

How To Grow & Prepare Herbal Tea

This time of year, there are few things more enjoyable than cozying up by the fire with a cup of herbal tea. However, it gets even better when you use homegrown herbs from your own backyard. With some practice, you’ll find that it’s very easy to grow and prepare herbs...

Blackberries are biennials!

One of our favorite seasons at the BELL is blackberry season. You may have heard about it from your neighbors. We have scores of families arriving to pick their own blackberries often with the kids clutching their Halloween baskets ready to be filled with healthy...

Chimichurri Sauce

It’s a great time in the garden to use your fresh herbs. This recipe uses parsley, oregano and cilantro. Traditionally, chimichurri is served with grilled meats as part of the Argentinian asado (or barbecue). It is absolutely delicious with grilled steaks and...

How much water do my vegetables need?

This is a question I get asked a lot. A LOT! Here in Nashville we average approximately 50-52 inches of rain annually, using 52 inches a year makes the math easier – 1” per week. May is traditionally our wettest month with an average of 5.5”, followed by November with...

Avocado Pesto Pasta

It’s too early to harvest much of what has been planted but many herbs are ready to be used!  This recipe uses fresh basil, flat leaf parsley and chives.  It is quick and easy and is also gluten free!  We’ve expanded our herb selection thanks to a recent...

Best 9 Herbs to Grow in Pots

If you are gardening mainly for culinary reasons, there’s nothing better than having access to lots of fresh herbs. If you’re just getting your feet wet with gardening and plan to start off with a simple container garden where you can grow fresh herbs to cook with,...

Top Tips for Families Fighting Nature-Deficit Disorder

Article Courtesy of Stop Nature Deficit Disorder   Now more than ever, our culture spends a lot of time inside. As a result, Nature-Deficit Disorder is getting in the way of our health and happiness—and that is true for people of all ages, but kids are especially...

How To Grow Garlic At Home

Growing garlic yourself is astoundingly simple; there are just a few rules you have to follow to ensure a healthy crop. Also it should be mentioned that there are two different groups of garlic: softneck and hardneck varieties. Today, we are talking about hardneck...

Making Garden Beds with Hand Tools

Spring is right around the corner, which means it’s time to start prepping our garden beds for this years first plantings! At the BELL Garden we grow in several types of garden beds including raised beds, but today we are going to learn how to start a garden with...

What is an indeterminate tomato?

If you have heard the terms “determinate” and “indeterminate” in regard to tomatoes, what does that mean? In general, an indeterminate tomato plant is one that will produce fruit (the edible tomato) over an extended period of time.  This allows the gardener to harvest...

A Short Lesson on Seed Starting

We are nearing that time of year to start our seeds indoors. Today we are going to talk about what a seed needs to sprout so that we can have healthy plants to set out in spring. Germination Before you start seeds at home, there are a few things you should know about...