Decatur Farms

05/10/2026

My top flowers will probably always be marigolds, zinnias, and sunflowers.

But zinnias are high on the list for me. Many varieties - giant blooms, tiny blooms, soft colors, bright colors, fluffy ones, spiky ones. I want all of them.

They’re also one of the best cut-and-come-again flowers. The more you cut them, the more they produce.

They handle heat well, pollinators love them, and they make good filler flowers for bouquets. Overall, just a very dependable flower with a little personality.

Baker Creek Seeds

03/01/2026

With Elyse Myers – I just got recognized as one of their top fans! 🎉

03/01/2026

With Eden Brothers – I just got recognized as one of their top fans! 🎉

03/01/2026

With MIgardener – I just got recognized as one of their top fans! 🎉

03/01/2026

With Johnny's Selected Seeds – I just got recognized as one of their top fans! 🎉

03/01/2026

With True Leaf Market – I just got recognized as one of their top fans! 🎉I love them!

01/24/2026

Seed inventory day. I don’t need to buy any seeds, but I’m gonna. I’m addicted. One large tote is food seed, one large tote is sunflower seeds, and a smaller tote is for all other flowers.

My fave flowers are marigolds, sunflowers and zinnias. Add Eden Brothers Eden Brothers to the list of places to get flower seeds from. I’ve bought from them many times. They have some cool flower mixes, too.

And my usual seed shopping - in alphabetical order:

Baker Creek https://www.rareseeds.com/

Baker Creek Seeds

Botanical Interest https://www.botanicalinterests.com/

Botanical Interests

Johnny's Selected Seeds https://www.johnnyseeds.com/

Johnny's Selected Seeds

MI Gardener https://migardener.com/

MIgardener

True Leaf Market https://trueleafmarket.com/

True Leaf Market

01/24/2026

Zucchini Chocolate Chip Bread - even my picky kids eat this

Prep time 25 min * Cook time 40 min * need two 8x4 loaf pans

Ingredients
3 cups grated fresh zucchini (about 3-4 medium zucchini)
1 ½ cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
¾ cup butter melted
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 ½ cups mini semisweet chocolate chips
(I use dark chocolate)

Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 350F. Grease two 8x4-inch loaf pants. I use nonstick spray with flour. Set aside.
2. Place the grated zucchini in colander in the sink while you continue. Don't wring or squeeze the zucchini.
3. Whisk together sugar, eggs, vanilla, salt, and butter in a large bowl.
4. Add flour, baking soda, and cinnamon. Whisk in until just combined. Batter will be very thick at this point.
5. Stir in grated zucchini until just incorporated.
6. Add chocolate chips, and stir in until just combined.
7. Divide batter between prepared loaf pans.
8. Bake for 40-60 minutes, or until a wooden toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
9. Cool in pans for 10 minutes.
10. Run a butter knife around the edges, and remove zucchini bread out onto wire cooling racks to finish cooling.

Notes/Tips
Butter – melted, not HOT/boiling
Flour – to properly measure, sift or stir the flour first. Then, lightly spoon into the measuring cup and level. Packing in the flour will give you a dry and/or heavy loaf.
Chocolate chips – coat/toss the chips in with a little bit of of flour to keep them from sinking into the batter; add some on top when the batter is in the pan
Zucchini – don’t squeeze or wring any moisture from the zucchini; this helps keep the bread moist.
Stirring – the batter will be thick - if it's difficult to add in the zucchini, let it sit for about 5-10 min so it can soften. Then try again.
Baking – know your oven and baking elevation issues to consider - you might need to do adjust the time or foil your bread the last 10 min to prevent over browning. I'm at 5,420 feet and this recipe and cook time works great for me.

Pics - one with less chocolate and one with a lot more :)

01/24/2026

My Top Tomato Choices

While I strongly prefer heirloom, indeterminate varieties, especially for seed saving, a few F1/hybrid tomatoes have earned a permanent place in my garden because they’re tasty and performed so well.

Favorite CHERRY tomatoes (in alphabetical order):
Black Cherry, Gardener’s Delight, Sakura, Sungold, Supersweet 100, and Sweet Baby Girl.

Favorite SALAD tomatoes:
Any of the cherry varieties listed above, plus Green Zebra.

Favorite SAUCE tomatoes:
San Marzano, followed closely by Amish Paste.

Favorite SLICER tomatoes (in no particular order):
Brandywine (pink and red), Cherokee Purple, Mortgage Lifter, Pineapple, German Pink, Accordion, Marglobe, Black Krim, Beefsteak, Dr. Wyche’s Yellow, Mr. Stripey… and many more; there are too many great ones to list. This is a solid starting lineup.

As some of these varieties have grown in popularity, certain seeds can be harder to find and more expensive - especially Sakura, Supersweet 100, and Sweet Baby Girl - but they’re absolutely worth the effort and cost to grow.

My favorite seed buying sites - in alphabetical order:

Baker Creek https://www.rareseeds.com/

Baker Creek Seeds

Botanical Interest https://www.botanicalinterests.com/

Botanical Interests

Johnny's Selected Seeds https://www.johnnyseeds.com/

Johnny's Selected Seeds

MI Gardener https://migardener.com/

MIgardener

True Leaf Market https://trueleafmarket.com/

True Leaf Market

08/31/2025

https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20250509-how-gardening-boosts-brain-health?utm_source=livingsimply.com

Research shows gardening preserves cognitive function, helping you live well for longer. Now, dementia patients are reaping the benefits with "care farm" prescriptions.