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Texas Master Gardener 🌱
Texas Master Beekeeper 🐝
Eating fresh from the garden 365/year 👩‍🌾
Landscaping with Texas natives 🏵

It was 78* here today. In February! And I am not

It was 78* here today. In February!

And I am not complaining.

I picked up what I thought was enough red geraniums from @altmanplants the other day, and today I planted them in the front yard. I think I need about 4 more to finish my "a splash of red in every bed" vibe.

I think our major MAJOR freezing nights are over, but we'll have plenty more nights that get down to 32*, or at least close to that, before spring is officially here.

The nice thing is, is that geraniums can easily take 32* nights. And that makes my spring-craving heart very happy!

Now, go get yourself some geraniums and put them in your yard or on your kitchen windowsill and watch how spring-y you feel.

#geraniums #geranium #asplashofred #wintergardens #springgardening #wintergardening

If you're a wanna be farmer, a hobbiest, or a pro,

If you're a wanna be farmer, a hobbiest, or a pro, the @texasorganicfarmers conference is the place to be! Thank you, TOFGA, for the invitation to speak on my favorite topic!

Bumblebees are one of my favorite visitors in the

Bumblebees are one of my favorite visitors in the garden! I love that they're loud and clumsy and that they don't care to sting very often.

Did you know that the only way a big ole' round bumblebee can fly with its tiny wings is to flap them back and forth, instead of up and down? If you could watch in slow-motion they would kind of look like a helicopter propeller.

Isn't that amazing?

#bumblebee #bees #summerinsects #insects #beekeepers #zinnias #gomphrena #atxinsects

August. When the garden is tired and almost every

August.

When the garden is tired and almost everything you planted in the spring is dead. This is what I cleared out just today!

When the thermometer in the greenhouse reads at 120*

When you've gotta get the weeding done by noon or the heatstroke sets in.

Dear August, please hurry up and get me to September, because I have big plans for this space in the fall!

#summergarden #summerchores #summercleanup #weeding #atxweeds #atxgarden #atxgardening #atxgardener #texasgardening

Want some big bang for your gardening buck? Let's

Want some big bang for your gardening buck? Let's chat about the humble Echinacea plant, aka coneflower.

I mean, come on, look at how stunning they are!

Echinacea is a perennial in all 50 states, even in Alaska, which means it comes back year after year. I have some echinacea that's 4 years old! You seriously can't beat that for a $2 transplant or a packet of seeds.

Echinacea will die back at your first hard freeze, but watch out spring, here she comes again!

She makes the most gorgeous, long lasting cut flowers, and she blooms alllllllll summer long, making her a stunner both in the garden and on your windowsill.

Did you know echinacea and coneflowers are the same plant?

#echinacea #coneflower #summergarden #cutflowergarden #atxflowers #perennial #perennialgarden

I grew my own honeydew! Honeydew are my absolute

I grew my own honeydew!

Honeydew are my absolute favorite melon, so waiting all these months for them to be ready to pick had been hard!

My excitement got the best of me this morning; I should have left it on the vine a few more weeks. This one has amazing honeydew flavor, but it's not as sweet as it could be.

Gardening is all about trial and error, so I'll consider this a lesson learned.

I'm so glad I have 3 more in the garden, so stay tuned for the perfect melon.

What's the best tasting melon you've ever had?

#melonsofinstagram #honeydew #honeydewmelon #howtogrowhoneydew #summergarden #atxgarden #raisedgardenbeds #texasgardening

Cardinal basil and zinnias are making Fleur feel l

Cardinal basil and zinnias are making Fleur feel like fire today.

She's one of my most used and loved antique store finds.

Isn't she fancy?

#cardinalbasil #basil #zinnias #flowervase #herbbouquet #flowerboquet #pinkzinnia

Just look at all of those plump seeds! This dried

Just look at all of those plump seeds!

This dried up beauty is for the birds!

Most years I toast all of my sunflower seeds for snacking on, but this year I let most of them dry on the stem so the birds could have their own feast.

Encouraging birds into your garden has its pros and cons, and I'm here for both of them.

Pro: They eat the bugs! There's nothing better than teaming up with your local birds to keep those nasty caterpillars at bay. I've seen a bird swoop in and snatch a tomato hornworm right off the vine. Sweet justice! They're the cheapest pest control you'll ever find.

Con: They'll take it upon themselves to snack on your fruits and vegetables. I've found birds nibbling on my lettuce and strawberries, and I've seen them snatch a micro tomato and fly away with it. Sneaky little buggers!

For me, the pros outweigh the cons, and I'm happy to share a little harvest as a payback for their organic pest services.

If you'd like to encourage birds into your garden, but you dont plan on growing sunflowers, you can put out a birdfeeder or a birdbath and they'll show up in no time.

#gardenpests #birds #atxgardening #atxgarden #raisedgardenbeds #pestcontrol #organicgarden #organicgardening #organicpestcontrol

Here are 3 things you need to know before you plan

Here are 3 things you need to know before you plant your first seed.

Come take a look at the products and chemicals I k

Come take a look at the products and chemicals I keep on hand for my organic garden.

It doesn't take a lot, but here are my must-haves.

Do you use any of these? What products do you use that you think I should try?

Not all melons give off the same signs when they'r

Not all melons give off the same signs when they're at their peak.

In fact, honeydews don't share any of the signs that watermelons or cantaloupes give us.

The best thing about these honeydew secret signs is that you can use them at the grocery store, too!

1. The rind will change from a light green, to a creamy, buttery yellow.

2. The rind will go from dusty and dull looking, to waxy and a little "squeaky" when you rub it.

3. The blossom end, the end opposite of the stem should give a little when you push on it

Tell me one of your family's secret melon picking tips in the comments below.

#honeydew #summergarden #atxgarden #pickingamelon #melontips #growinghoneydew

This summer I grew 9 types of peppers, and I haven

This summer I grew 9 types of peppers, and I haven't even scratched the surface.

Whether you like spicy or sweet, small or large, peppers have something for everyone!

Currently I'm growing:
Sriracha
Bell
Jalapeño
Poblano
Serano
Melrose
Longhorn
Cubanelle
and Banana

Peppers are as easy to grow, too! I plant mine in some well composted soil, water a few times a week, and that's it. Peppers galore!

Do you have a favorite pepper? Have you ever tried to grow it?

#peppers #serano #jalapao #sriracha #bellpeppers #melrosepeppers #longhornpeppers #poblano #cubanelle #atxgarden #raisedgardenbeds #summergarden

Just look at this! Beeswax is seriously a work of

Just look at this! Beeswax is seriously a work of art.

I'm harvesting some honey today. I didn't take a drop from the bees last year, hoping this year's weather would be better for the bees. It's not.

I have a hive with lots of stores, so I feel confident in taking a few frames from them today.

Love your pollinators, please, they're having a rough year in the southwest due to the drought. Here are a few things you can do to help.

1. Please stop using pesticides around your yard.

2. Plant things that bloom and are native to your area.

3. Plant things that will bloom at different times throughout the year. Pollinators need to eat all year round.

4. Provide a water source. A dish, a bird bath, etc.

Every little bit helps!

#honey #honeybees #whg #texasbees
#atxbeekeeper #pollinatorgarden #pollinators

Planting flowers alongside my vegetables makes me,

Planting flowers alongside my vegetables makes me, the pollinators, and the veggies happy!

What flower makes you happy?

#pollinatorgarden #pollinatorweek #pollinators #atxgarden #raisedgardenbeds #vegetablegarden #summergarden #summerflowers

Ever walk through a cantaloupe tunnel? If you wan

Ever walk through a cantaloupe tunnel?

If you want to add super fun and impressive detail to your garden, trellis your melons!
Once I made this archway between 2 of my raised beds, using cattle fencing, I've been trellising everything I can!
This summer it was the cantaloupes.

We've been eating cantaloupe for a month now, and they just keep coming!

I got this variety from @parkseedco It's called the Hybrid Parks Whopper and it's prolific!

#parkseed #parkseedco #cantaloupeseeds #cantaloupe #melons #atxgarden #raisedgardenbeds #summergarden #mastergardener #texasgardening #trellis #trellingfood #trellisgarden

Our family's 2022 Oaxamosa Hot Sauce is fire! Lit

It's too hot for me, but these Blue Disc African D

It's too hot for me, but these Blue Disc African Daisies don't seem to mind the heat.

I've never grown these daisies before, but they're a new favorite, and I'll be growing a patch of them every year from now on.

I got the seeds from @bakercreekseeds, put them in the ground in late March, and they're still going strong with a month of 100+* weather.

Isn't thier blue center stunning?

#daisy #Daisies #atxgarden #texasgardening #bakercreekseeds #rareseeds #summergarden #cutflowergarden

My little sunflower patch has been attacked by dee

My little sunflower patch has been attacked by deer and squash bugs. Grrrrrr.
The fence had to go up, and about a third of the flowers got eaten, but she's still standing, and I sure do love her!!

There's no edit on this photo, the black seeds are

There's no edit on this photo, the black seeds are really that tightly packed and really that shiny!

I don't even care of this sunflower blooms, it's stunning just the way it is.

#sunflowers
#texassunflower #sunflowerseeds #atxgarden #texasgardening #summergarden #summerflowers

This is the first year I've trellised my cantaloup

This is the first year I've trellised my cantaloupes, and now I'll never go back!

They are totally the centerpiece of the garden this summer, and (a major bonus,) by keeping them off the ground it makes it so much easier to keep an eye out for pests.

It's going to be 102* all week, so they're drinking a lot of water, close to 3 inches already!

I literally can't wait to try this new-to-me variety @burpeegardening Hales Best Jumbo Cantaloupe

#cantaloupe #cantaloupeseeds #atxgarden #raisedgardenbeds #summergarden

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What's going on in the hive?

A
little
about
me

(Photo by Lynda Dyches)

Hello! I’m Jennifer, founder and owner of Wild Honey Gardens. I’m a Gardening Coach and Texas Master Beekeeper, and this website is where those two worlds collide.

Through years of trial and error my family is able to eat fresh from the garden 365 days a year, and I can teach you how to do it, too! Follow along here and on social media for daily updates from the garden and the hive.

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Wild Honey Gardens

email: wildhoneygardens@gmail.com

Liberty Hill, TX

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