Who’s Got the Best Strawberries?

Monday, March 26th, 2012 by P. Allen Smith, 57 comments

Congratulations to Fran Danner! You're the winner of The Best Strawberry Giveaway. Your cautionary tale of eating strawberries that you should be saving for shortcake made me laugh. I'm sending you a copy of The Fruit Gardener's Bible.

Thank you for all your comments. It was a joy to read each of them. There's something comforting in the fact that so many of you can remember the taste of an exceptional strawberry from 20, 30 and even 60 years ago!

It's so close to strawberry season I can almost taste the strawberry shortcake. I'm a little biased but I think the best strawberries are grown right here in Arkansas. Care to challenge me on that? Tell me about the best strawberries you've ever eaten for a change to win a copy of The Fruit Gardener's Bible by Lewis Hill and Leonard Perry. If you're interested in growing fruits of any type this is a handy reference to have around.

Strawberry Tip from The Fruit Gardener's Bible

• Everbearing and day neutral strawberries are the best choice for growing in hanging baskets.
• Plant strawberries with the crown sitting at soil level. Too deep encourages disease; too high and they'll dry out.
• Alpine strawberries, Fragaria vesca, produce small, intensely flavorful berries all summer. They spread by seed and don't produce runners. Great for partial shade.

Arley Hall Comes to Arkansas

Monday, March 26th, 2012 by P. Allen Smith, 8 comments

After years of hospitality from the Ashbrook family at Arley Hall I'm excited to welcome Lord Michael Ashbrook to my home. I can only hope that it's half as inspiring to him as my visits to Arley have been to me.

I stumbled upon Arley when I was a graduate student at the University of Manchester. While exploring the grounds I struck up a conversation with an elderly gentleman who turned out to be the 10th Viscount Desmond Ashbrook. He introduced me to his wife Elizabeth and we became fast friends. Over the years I've developed quite an attachment to the people and gardens at Arley.

So I'm excited to welcome Lord Ashbrook to Arkansas. He'll be here to give a lecture about the estate and gardens that have been in the family for more than 500 years. If you are going to be in Little Rock that day I encourage you to plan to attend. Here are the details.

When: Wednesday, March 28, 2012
12:00 p.m. - 1:00 p.m. (Bring your lunch! Drinks will be provided.)

Where: Clinton School of Public Service, Sturgis Hall

How: It's a free lecture, but you do need to reserve a seat. Email the school at publicprograms@clintonschool.uasys.edu or call 501-683-5239.

Say Yellow to Spring

Monday, March 19th, 2012 by Tobi Fairley, 79 comments

Congratulations to Alice McMillan and Christine Czarnecki! Your comments are my picks for the book giveaway. Alice I loved all the ways your grandmother used yellow in the garden, especially the traces of yellow on the river rock. Christine, your blue and yellow toile dining rooms sounds so lovely. Hope your search for forsythia was a success!

There were so many amazing comments! Thank you to everyone for participating and for all the fab ideas for using yellow.

A recent visit with The Collected Tabletop author Kathryn Greeley inspired me to get reacquainted with my tableware collection. I'm hopelessly addicted to collecting cream ware, porcelain and transferware. An ardent collector herself, Kathryn showed me some clever ways to set a table with my pieces. With spring's official arrival tomorrow I'm eager to use some of her tips to create a new tablescape to celebrate the season.

And since it is spring what better color to work with than yellow! Now I'll admit, yellow isn't the easiest color for me to work with so I went to designer Tobi Fairley for advice. She sent along this post with a few ideas for incorporating it into a tabletop.

Thanks so much to my good friend Allen for inviting me to be his guest today! Allen is always so kind to share his wisdom on my blog, and it's such a treat to be here to share with you today!

Speaking of treats, this early summer weather has certainly brought us a few -- like lush green landscapes and early blooms. Allen's beautiful daffodils are always one of the highlights of an Arkansas spring and this year is no different.

The rolling hills of yellow have inspired me to share a few ideas for bringing this vibrant hue to a table setting indoors.
Here are a few of my favorite finds inspired by the daffodils at Moss Mountain Farm.

Aegean Dinner Plate /Yellow and White "Firenze" Fabric for a Tablecloth / White & Yellow Cake Stand /Lacquered Box / Linen Cocktail Napkins / Glass Decanter Set

Choose one of these or mix a few together to create a look that's fresh as a daffodil!

Happy Decorating!

–Tobi

Soil Prep for Edibles

Monday, March 12th, 2012 by P. Allen Smith, 31 comments

The first week of March definitely came in like a lamb this year with temperatures in the 60s and 70s. It was beautiful weather for working in the staff garden at the City Garden Home.

The soil needed some TLC after working hard all fall and winter. Vegetables are needy when it comes to soil. They require fertile, well draining ground for optimal growth. I like to refresh the soil after each growing season to replenish nutrients. Gardening is raised beds makes it easy. I take the existing soil and mix in well rotted manure and compost or humus. A good ratio is 2 parts soil to 1 part manure and 1 part compost.

As a final step Jobe’s Organics All Purpose fertilizer was added. This stuff is powerfully good at breaking down nutrients in the soil for plants to absorb.

This year is going to be the best yet for the staff garden.

The Chicks are Hanging Out

Monday, March 5th, 2012 by P. Allen Smith, 21 comments

Spring is the season of adorable out at the farm. This week the chicks get first prize for cuteness. They are about 4 days old and starting to show some sass. Jersey Giant, Buff Orpington, Dorking, Wyandotte and New Hampshire are the breeds we’ve hatched.

These pictures beg for captions don't you think? Well, the folks in the office sure thought so and spent a good deal of time emailing choice chick words; some with visual aids. Check out their suggestions on our Purina Chicken Chat Facebook page.

Fruit or Vegetable?

Monday, February 27th, 2012 by P. Allen Smith, 263 comments

From a gardener's perspective a tomato is a fruit. It forms from the ovary of a flower and contains seeds. Therefore it is a fruit.

Now a cook might tell you different because tomatoes are not often used to sweeten a dish. They are served as vegetables so they are vegetables. Right?

Tell me your opinion for a chance to win an awesome Garden Patch Grow Box™ and a packet of 'Jelly Bean' and Roma tomato seeds from my Bountiful Best collection from Ferry-Morse Seed Company.

The winner will be announced Wednesday March 7, 2012.*

Congrats to Debbie Chen! She's the winner of a Garden Patch Grow Box™. We suggest planting it with tomatoes!

*Winner will be selected by P. Allen Smith and his staff based on the merit of their comment. Click here to read the official rules and legal mumbo jumbo.

Introducing My Bountiful Best

Monday, February 20th, 2012 by P. Allen Smith, 23 comments

This year I teamed up with Ferry-Morse Seed Company to offer my top 10 seed varieties that I'm calling my "Bountiful Best." You can find these seeds at any garden center. Just look for the display with my picture. I selected these based on their easy care nature and abundant production. Many are suited to small spaces and even containers.

Give these varieties a try and you'll be in fine fettle for serving dishes made with homegrown ingredients.

1. Basil 'Genovese' – If you only grow one herb, make it basil. This variety has large leaves that are full of flavor. Summer garden.

2. Cucumber 'Lemon' – Unusual round, yellow cucumbers. Their sweet flavor makes them good raw, but you can pickle them too. Good for small spaces. Summer garden.

3. Cucumber 'Spacemaster' – Large 7 to 8 inch fruits are borne on compact plants. All you need is a 12-inch pot to grow 'Spacemaster'. Summer garden.

4. Peas 'Cascadia Sugar Snap' – This pea has multiple personalities. Harvest early to use as a snow pea or matured pods are delicious snap peas. Spring garden.

5. Radish 'French Breakfast' – A scarlet and white radish that is as beautiful as it is flavorful. Spring garden.

6. Arugula 'Roquette' – One of my favorite salad greens and so, so easy to grow. Spring and fall garden.

7. Squash (Zucchini) 'Black Beauty' – Every garden needs at least one zucchini plant! Dark green fruits are tasty sautéed or used in baked goods. Summer garden.

8. Swiss Chard 'Bright Lights' – The vegetable garden isn't always the most colorful spot, unless you grow 'Bright Lights.' Neon pink, orange and red stems. Spring and fall garden.

9. Tomato 'Jelly Bean Hybrid' – This indeterminate, grape tomato produces abundant fruits with delicious flavor. Summer garden.

10. Tomato 'Roma VF' – These are meaty tomatoes with few seeds. Perfect for sauces, salads and salsa. I selected this variety because it is resistant to both verticilium and fusarium wilt. Summer garden.

Wordless Wednesday: Sunshine for a Rainy Day

Wednesday, February 15th, 2012 by P. Allen Smith, 1 comment

Three Ways to Prolong Valentine’s Day Roses

Tuesday, February 14th, 2012 by P. Allen Smith, 0 comments

Did you receive roses for Valentine's Day? Lucky you! Prolong the love with these three ideas.

When Your Roses Arrive
If your roses came prearranged, simply place the vase in a spot out of direct sun and away from heat sources.

For unarranged roses fill a vase with lukewarm water and add a floral preservative along with one teaspoon of bleach to keep the water clean. Remove any leaves from the stems below water line. Under running water, re-cut the ends of the stems at a slight angle. Place the flowers immediately into the vase.

Every few days replace with water and recut the ends of the stems.

Giving Your Roses a Second Life
Pull the freshest flowers from the bouquet and reuse them in a new arrangement. Buy flowers from a local florist or market to complement the colors of your roses. For red roses try purple, orange, and golden yellow flowers. If you receive salmon roses, add chartreuse, blue, and cream. Pink roses look great with burgundy, lavender, and cream blooms.

Cut the rose and flower stems to about 8 inches long. Grab the entire bouquet as close to the base of the blooms as possible. Wrap a rubber band around the stems to hold the arrangement together tightly. Place the bouquet in a low vase filled with fresh water, floral preservative and a few drops of bleach.

Preserve your Memory
As your roses fade, remove the petals and place them in an open weave basket to dry. Purchase other ingredients from hobby or craft stores to create your own personalized potpourri. I start with a base of pre-packaged dried flowers or potpourri to create a colorful mixture. With an eyedropper add some rose oil to the potpourri and toss gently to refresh the fragrance of the flowers. Place the mixture a bowl or basket where the aroma can be enjoyed.

Season XI P. Allen Smith’s Garden Home

Saturday, February 11th, 2012 by P. Allen Smith, 29 comments

It wasn't too long ago that Garden Home was just an idea kicking around in my head. It's amazing what can happen in 11 years. The concept has since blossomed into 6 books, a half hour show on public television and the Moss Mountain Farm Garden Home. Going from concept to reality seemed pretty slow going while I was in the thick of it, but when I look back now I wonder how it all went by so quickly.

So here we are a decade and countless cups of coffee later ready to kick off Season XI of the P. Allen Smith's Garden Home television series. While I'm puzzled over the speed of passing time, I am thrilled that we are celebrating the second decade of the show.

To mark the occasion I'd like to share a little photo montage I call "Where's Brent?" Our videographer Brent has been with the company for 7 of the 11 seasons. A quiet but constant presence, Brent is the man behind all the captivating imagery in the shows. As you can see by some of these photos, he'll do anything to get a good shot.