Blessings.  I have many of them.  I wish I had time to count them all, but I’m a bit too busy right now to accomplish that.  Not that I’m complaining, mind you.  I like busy.  Maybe that’s why I continue to add things to my to-do list at a much faster rate than I can [...]

I’m not sure how it happened, but I ended up with more tomato plants than I actually planted.  Maybe my seed count was off?  Maybe a neighbors tomato seeds blew over and landed right in the path of mine?  I tend to believe that the tomato fairy, knowing how very much I love tomatoes, crept [...]

The heat is on here in the Ozarks and that, combined with the copious amounts of rain this year, have brought in the best crops ever! Cucumbers abound and we have already canned, brined and pickled more than we intended.  Still, they keep coming and we keep picking!  We have two varieties to choose from, [...]

Around here, we think it is a really big deal that we are growing Heirloom plants.  Most people, though, just look at us blankly and ask, “What difference does that make?”.   To answer that question, you have to consider several things. First, what is an Heirloom plant?  There is a bit of debate on that [...]

Well, we survived the ice, snow and frigid temps of winter and the deluge of spring rains that held us captive back here in the middle of nowhere on several occasions.  Now, we find ourselves in the middle of sweltering hot weather and we haven’t even made it to the summer season.  What a crazy [...]

Spring is off to a perfect start here at Tranquil Haven Hollow!  Mother Nature has smiled on us all and blessed us with an abundance of gorgeous, sunny weather over the last few weeks.  It has totally made up for the unbelievable amounts of snow, ice and rain that hammered us through the winter. We [...]

Well, it’s been a long cold winter and I’m pretty sure it ain’t over yet!  Fortunately, our greenhouse gives us  a bit of an advantage this time of year that we are looking forward to sharing with you.  Now is the time to get a head start on your spring garden by pre-ordering your live [...]

It is with mixed emotions that I let you all know ~ the tomatoes are dead.  I’m sad, of course, because…well…it is always a little sad to experience death.  Even if it is just a plant. I’m grateful, too, though.  My beautiful tomato plants taught me so much and they helped me prove that it [...]

January in Missouri.  Think cold.  Wet.  Miserable.  Sleet, snow, rain, icy winds and sub-freezing temperatures.  The furthest thing from most folks mind right now is their vegetable garden, unless it is to wish that it was warm enough to have one. I like to be different.  I usually succeed, much to the mortification of my [...]

It’s amazing how quickly winter has arrived! I had nearly forgotten what it was like out here when the seasons change. Brilliant oranges, golds, reds, browns and greens color the hillsides for a few short days, then suddenly you wake up to find all the color faded away. It is beautiful and sad and reassuring. [...]