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The Most Fun You Can Have With Your Bibs On!

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Home » Miniature Donkeys

The Donkey Chronicles. Mike McGroarty and his miniature donkeys.

Updated : November 16, 2021

6 Comments

Many of our subscribers love the donkeys, some I’m sure think it’s dumb and waste of time.   But for those of you who love them, this page is for you.     Mike McGroarty and Finnegan Swapping Spit?  View the page here. The donkeys running for president?  View that page here.

Mike McGroarty Swapping Spit with a Donkey.

Updated : April 4, 2017

10 Comments

Mike and Finn

See the video below. I know that we have people who really, really love Finnegan and Fergus so we try and include them in our shenanigans as often as possible.  Once a day I grab a five gallon bucket to sit on and and I take a few moments to feed them crackers. Fergus is… Click here to read more…

We are Giving Away Two Memberships to The Backyard Growers Business Center!

Updated : October 6, 2016
Backyard Growers Shindig 2016 at Mike's Plant Farm, Perry, Ohio

Each membership is a $610 value! Be sure to throw your name in the hat. Entering this contest is easy, simply post a comment below.  On October 5th, 2016 we will randomly pick two people from those that posted a comment and you will be given a permanent, membership free of charge. What is the… Click here to read more…

Mike’s Miniature Donkeys Running for President

Updated : October 2, 2020

202 Comments

Finnegan McGroarty practicing his stump speech.

Mike’s Plant Farm 4850 North Ridge Road Perry, Ohio 44081 These two nut cases have been driving me crazy ever since they found out that this is a presidential election year.  They want to run for president!  Together.  On the equine ticket. At first I paid them no attention, then the other night I saw… Click here to read more…

Proper Nursery Plant Tagging.

Updated : April 4, 2018

31 Comments

Hand written aluminum plant tags.

Even Fergus knows how important proper plant tagging is.  Lately we’ve been sticking thousands of hardwood cuttings right along the Donkey Fence and let’s face it, right now they all look like sticks so making sure they are properly tagged is extremely important. There are a couple of things you need to know about tagging… Click here to read more…

Growing, Buying and Selling Thousands of Plants

Updated : April 24, 2015

2 Comments

In my previous video I showed you my grow bed full of Japanese maples. I had to grow those for a couple of years for them to get to that size, then I had to dig, ball and burlap the tree. A lot of work for one tree.Now I’m going to show you my container… Click here to read more…

Building a Warm Shelter for Miniature Donkeys or Goats.

Updated : January 14, 2015

40 Comments

Building a warm donkey house.

Last year, 2013, I built this shelter house for our miniature donkeys.  And wouldn’t you know it, the very first year we have miniature donkeys on the farm we get hit with the worst winter in years and years.  Temperatures as low as 15 degrees below zero! Finnegan and Fergus did fine with lots and… Click here to read more…

How to water small pots and other plants in the yard, garden or nursery.

Updated : September 25, 2014

10 Comments

Welcome to this issue of “Mondays with Mike”.  We do this series for our backyard growers but are happy to share them with anybody that has an interest.  Lots and lots of things for you to pay attention to in this video. 1.  Our New Potting Area I reconfigured our potting area to take advantage… Click here to read more…

Homemade Mobile Potting Bench. It has Removable Wheels!

Updated : November 10, 2014

22 Comments

The legless potting bench with wheels added.

Let’s see if I can put this photo in perspective for you.  Our potting soil pile is off to the left, over there by the Donkey Barn.  Many of our container grown plants are way out back by that beige building you see way in the background.  But we’ve also got a smaller container area… Click here to read more…

Mike and Pam McGroarty with their Miniature Donkeys Finnegan and Fergus.

Updated : April 20, 2021

167 Comments

Mike & Pam McGroarty with the donkeys and their little yellow dog.

Mike’s Plant Farm4850 North Ridge RoadPerry, Ohio 44081 I have to thank my daughter-in-law Lorelei  for taking these photos for us. The rest is pretty self-explanatory.  The solid dark brown donkey is Fergus, the white and light brown one is Finnegan.  My subscribers helped us pick the Irish names in honor of my Irish father…. Click here to read more…

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Mike’s Big Perennial Bed by the Month.

Posted On April 27, 2023 By Mike

$180.00 per Square Foot? Is it really possible?

Posted On March 28, 2023 By Mike

Rooted cuttings of variegated weigela in bunches to harden off.

Over Wintering Rooted Cuttings.

Posted On January 8, 2023 By Mike

Mike's Big Perennial Bed.

Mike’s Big Perennial Garden

Posted On January 8, 2023 By Mike

A Profound Thank You from Mike.

Posted On September 1, 2022 By Mike

Finnegan keeping the sun off his head.

An Old Guy, Two Donkeys, a Puppy and a Hammock. What could possibly go wrong?

Posted On July 17, 2022 By Mike

This upside down donkey is a hoot!

An Upside Down Donkey and Cute Puppy.

Posted On July 14, 2022 By Mike

'Rockin Raspberry' Bee Balm.

‘Rockin Raspberry’ Bee Balm.

Posted On June 26, 2022 By Mike

'Bubblegum Blast' Bee Balm.

‘Bubblegum Blast’ Bee Balm

Posted On June 26, 2022 By Mike

Blue Angel Hosta.

‘Blue Angel’ Hosta.

Posted On June 25, 2022 By Mike

Complete Guides

Growing, Rooting and Propagating Dappled Willow in Tree Form from Cuttings.

Growing Seeds, Winter Sowing, in Milk Jugs and Kitty Litter Jugs.

The Correct Way to Pot Rooted Cuttings, Nursery Stock Liners and other Plants.

Training Arborvitae and other Conical Evergreens to Grow with a Single Leader.

How to Propagate, Root Cuttings, of Dwarf Alberta Spruce.

Recent Posts

'Rockin Raspberry' Bee Balm.

‘Rockin Raspberry’ Bee Balm.

Wow! I planted four of these 'Rockin Raspberry' Bee Balm in the perennial garden at the nursery last summer and look at them now. They are in bloom right now, end of June here in northern, Ohio and every person that sees them asks about them. This beauty … Read Full Article

'Bubblegum Blast' Bee Balm.

‘Bubblegum Blast’ Bee Balm

This beautiful Bee Balm is part of the 'Sugar Buzz' series. I planted these in my perennial bed last summer and this year they are beautiful and blooming like crazy! They grow from 16" to 24" tall, are hardy from zone 4 through zone 8. They love full sun … Read Full Article

Blue Angel Hosta.

‘Blue Angel’ Hosta.

'Blue Angel'hosta is by far one of my favorite blue hostas. A big hosta like this in a perennial bed covers a lot of area and that keeps a ton of weeds at bay! These giant heart shaped leaves are very slug resistant. We have this plant in full sun. With … Read Full Article

Big Daddy Hosta.

‘Big Daddy’ Hosta

'Big Daddy' hosta is one of my favorite big hostas, mostly because it's big, it's blue and it has very interested leaves that are a bit dimpled. Big Daddy hosta gets about 24" tall and 36" wide. It's hardy in zones 3 through 9, the flowers are blends of … Read Full Article

'Humpback Whale' hosta.

‘Humpback Whale’ Hosta.

We sold out of 'Humpback Whale' hosta pretty early this year. Humpback Whale is pretty impressive hosta and this one really hasn't matured yet because they can get three feet high and 7 feet wide. I've also seen photos of them that show them to be a lot … Read Full Article

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