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How to Build a Bat House

Updated : September 25, 2020

23 Comments

How to Build a Bat House

Bats are typically underrated and not given the credit they are due. Besides being the only mammal that can fly, the majority of North American bats are also nocturnal insectivores. This means that they feed on the insects of night, including mosquitoes. Actually, a small bat can eat more than 600 mosquitoes in just one… Click here to read more…

How to Ship Plants by U.S. Mail, UPS or Fed Ex.

Updated : June 17, 2024

181 Comments

How to Ship Plants.

This is a tutorial about the correct way to ship plants to friends or customers. First, watch this video I made about shipping plants. It shows how to properly package plants for shipment. There are few things to take notice of in the above photo.  The shipper recycled an old fan box to ship these… Click here to read more…

Top 20 Homeschooling Blogs Of 2013

Updated : October 23, 2014

4 Comments

If you have chosen to homeschool your child, you know how vital the online community is to both the parent and the child. Traditional schooling makes it easy for your child to get out there and interact with his or her peers. If you have chosen to homeschool, you will learn quickly that you will… Click here to read more…

5 Homemade Mosquito Repellents

Updated : June 17, 2024

16 Comments

Witch Hazel - Homemade Mosquito Repellent

Have you ever went to the store, shopped for just the right mosquito repelling product, asked questions from the staff, just to get home and find out you could not stand the product because of the smell or chemicals that it contained? Using mosquito repellents bought at local stores can be costly, smell terrible, and… Click here to read more…

How To Attract Bees

Updated : October 15, 2014

43 Comments

In most scenarios, we would do all we could to steer bees in the opposite direction. However if your goal is to grow a beautiful and productive vegetable garden, you’ll want to bring on the bees. Knowing how to attract bees is essential to the growth of a healthy and productive vegetable garden. Bees play… Click here to read more…

How to Make Maple Syrup

Updated : October 23, 2014

8 Comments

You make a batch of fluffy pancakes only to find that you have run out of maple syrup. Your breakfast is ruined. By the time you go to the supermarket, the pancakes will be cold. What are pancakes without maple syrup? Maple syrup is very popular in Canada and United States. It is a luxury… Click here to read more…

15 Mouth-Watering Edible Weeds

Updated : October 28, 2014

11 Comments

If you take a good look at your yard, you will find many different edible weeds that can be eaten in salads, made into tea or used for health purposes. Amaranth Found on most continents, Amaranth is an edible weed and Native to the Americas. The whole Amaranth plant can be eaten but if the… Click here to read more…

Pruning Small Plants as You Grow them to Make them Nice and Full, not Lanky.

Updated : June 17, 2024

57 Comments

Mike McGroarty and Two Donkeys Teach You about Pruning Small Plants. This video is really important about pruning small plants as they need it. In this video I am really late getting these plants pruned, I would have been much better off to have pruned most of them at least four weeks ago. That’s how… Click here to read more…

5 Uses For Chickens In the Garden

Updated : June 25, 2019

64 Comments

If you are looking for a devoted helper in your backyard garden, the humble chicken would like to apply for the job. We all know that there is no egg fresher than that which was laid by one of your own chickens. However, the benefits of welcoming a few chickens to roost on your turf… Click here to read more…

How to Grow Herbs at Home

Updated : December 12, 2014

48 Comments

Herbs are the cornerstone of any delectable dish. The right herbs, complimenting the right meal, are often what make the difference between good cooks and great cooks. Knowing what herbs to use, and when, is half the battle; using the best herbs possible is the other half. While a lot of companies will advertise themselves… Click here to read more…

21 Container Vegetable Gardening Tips

Updated : November 11, 2014

19 Comments

If you’ve chosen to try your hand at container vegetable gardening, there are a few things to consider that normally don’t apply to ordinary gardening projects. In this piece, we’ll discuss some trouble-shooting tactics and ideas for first-time container gardeners that will help get you on your way to enjoying the produce of your labors…. Click here to read more…

My Very First Customer Placed a $500.00 Order over the Phone!

Updated : June 17, 2024

9 Comments

I love getting notes like this! ************************************************ Mike, I made my first sale of plants and it was a $500.00 order! One person, my very first customer, placed a $500.00 order over the phone. I had started a bunch of seeds back in May, I love seeds!  I had over 100 xxxx plants in 4… Click here to read more…

How to Get Rid of and or Control Weeds.

Updated : November 4, 2014

172 Comments

Weeds out of control.

Weeds are by far one of the biggest challenges that gardeners face.  But it doesn’t have to be that way and I promise to show you how to get a handle on weeds and keep them under control forever with a few simple steps. What it takes to make a weed happy. Mike!  Are you… Click here to read more…

17 Must Have Gardening Apps

Updated : June 17, 2024

30 Comments

Nowadays, there is an app for everything; from games and quirky gizmos to useful tools like dictionaries and study tools. When is comes to gardening, you got it, there’s an app for that too. In fact, there are a whole host of interesting and useful gardening apps to have on your phone. Organic Gardening Planting… Click here to read more…

Plants in Pots Verses Plants in Beds or in the Field.

Updated : June 17, 2024

9 Comments

Beds verses pots? Good question.  If you have really nice soil plants in the ground will out grow plants in pots most of the time, unless of course your potting soil is perfect.  If the potting soil is less than perfect, the plants in pots will be slower growing.  (My Potting Soil Recipe) For years… Click here to read more…

How to Plant Raspberries

Updated : June 17, 2024

13 Comments

How to Plant Raspberries

Are you ready for a raspberry patch? Are you considering creating a raspberry patch in your back yard? If so, you’re probably having visions of stepping out into the summer morning sunshine and grabbing a handful of fresh berries to stir into your breakfast cereal, picking buckets full of ripe berries to bake into scrumptious… Click here to read more…

How to Plant Roses

Updated : December 18, 2014

13 Comments

How to Plant Roses

For those who love the beauty and fragrance of roses but lack a green thumb, fear not! Armed with a few tools and a little knowledge, you learn how to plant roses like a pro. To plant your roses you will need… rose plants, a pair of gloves, compost or peat moss, bone meal, shovel, small… Click here to read more…

How to Turn $50 into $1,000 Growing Ornamental Grasses.

Updated : July 29, 2025

42 Comments

Ornamental Grass Plugs.

A few days ago I purchased about 600 Ornamental Grasses wholesale. I paid $1.50 each.  As I was unpacking these plants I thought to myself; “What a great business this is!”  I bought these for $1.50 each and I will be able to sell them next spring for $4.97. But that’s just the beginning. I… Click here to read more…

Nikko Blue Hydrangea. Growing, Propagating and Making them Bloom.

Updated : March 8, 2025

59 Comments

Nikko Blue Hydrangea,

Nikko Blue Hydrangea.  What is the secret to making them bloom? I think I’ve discovered the secret to making Nikko Blue Hydrangea bloom like crazy. Up to $93.60 in One Square Foot in your Backyard.  Amazing! Leave them alone!  Really.  Quit tinkering with your plants trying to give them every little thing they need.  What… Click here to read more…

Mike McGroarty Gets Slammed by a Subscriber.

Updated : June 17, 2024

178 Comments

A despondent Mike McGroarty.

Recently one of my long time subscribers unsubscribed from my FREE gardening newsletter because he said I’ve lost focus on plants.  He’s not interested in Donkeys, or Goats. So for those of you who are wondering why we are posting about Donkeys and Goats or Bee Keeping and other things that interest people who live,… Click here to read more…

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new three bin compost bin

Composting Your Way To Beautiful Gardens

Posted On October 19, 2025 By Duston

Young trees planted in organized rows, sunny landscape.

15 Fast-Growing Trees to Transform Your Yard Quickly

Posted On March 23, 2025 By Duston

The Donkey Bucket Challenge (Watch Video)

Posted On December 6, 2024 By Duston

How to Make Money Growing and Selling Mums (Chrysanthemums)

Posted On September 28, 2024 By Duston

Hydrangea cuttings stuck close together.

My Month-By-Month Plant Propagation Guide

Posted On August 24, 2024 By Duston

Mike’s Plant Farm Spring Ad

Posted On May 15, 2024 By Mike

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

Recent Posts

A Profound Thank You from Mike.

Later this month, September 2022, I have invited our members to my place for an event that we call The Backyard Growers Shindig. We've been doing this for so long, gathering together once a year to meet new members and catch up with old members. It truly is … Read Full Article

Finnegan keeping the sun off his head.

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

… Read Full Article

This upside down donkey is a hoot!

An Upside Down Donkey and Cute Puppy.

You can see more of the donkeys here. And more silly donkey stuff here. Questions, comments, mean things to say? Post them below and I will respond. Until then, by any and all means stay inspired! … Read Full Article

'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

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