The Front Porch Farmer

06/09/2026

Research for agriculture is imperative if we intend to keep our food supply healthy and viable

A major federal bee research site is closing, along with other bee-focused programs due to budget cuts in the USDA.

06/09/2026

Firefly season is starting across much of the USA, and if your yard doesn’t glow like it did 20 years ago, you’re not imagining things.

Fireflies have been disappearing from many places, and the reasons are painfully simple: too much light, too much spraying, and too little wild habitat.

Here’s the part a lot of people miss:

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐩 𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐟𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐥𝐬𝐨 𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐩 𝐛𝐞𝐞𝐬, 𝐛𝐮𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐬, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐠𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐠𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐧.

Goldenrod, wild bergamot, black-eyed Susan, milkweed, native violets, asters, and other native flowers give adult fireflies places to rest, feed, and find cover.

And yes, adult fireflies can feed on nectar and pollen. They are not just little blinking decorations floating around the yard.

The real magic starts underground.

Firefly larvae can spend 1 to 2 years living in moist leaf litter, loose soil, and quiet garden edges before they ever light up the night. Down there, they feed on small soft-bodied creatures like slugs, worms, and other tiny invertebrates.

So when we rake every leaf, mow every corner, spray every bug, and light up the yard like a parking lot, we are wiping out the nursery before the fireflies ever get a chance.

Three things help them fast:

Turn off outdoor lights after 10 p.m. Their flashing is how they find each other, and bright lights confuse the whole process.

Leave a rough edge somewhere. A patch of unmown grass, leaf litter, old logs, or a quiet garden corner can become firefly habitat.

Skip the lawn pesticides. Firefly larvae live right in the soil and leaf litter those chemicals touch.

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐟𝐥𝐲 𝐢𝐬𝐧’𝐭 𝐠𝐨𝐧𝐞. 𝐈𝐭’𝐬 𝐰𝐚𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐮𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐲𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝐚 𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐥𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐝 𝐚𝐠𝐚𝐢𝐧.

🌟

05/28/2026

The best annual flowers aren't annuals. They come back every spring without being replanted — not because the plant survives, but because the seeds do.

- California poppy — exploding pods scatter hundreds of seeds. First spring rain triggers germination.

- Cosmos — one packet becomes a permanent four-foot stand within two years. Tall varieties self-sow more reliably than dwarf types.

- Nigella — the inflated papery seed pod is a built-in shaker. Wind and rain distribute seeds in every direction.

- Bachelor buttons — drops seed freely and returns season after season. One of the most reliable self-sowers in cottage gardens for centuries.

- Marigolds (single-flowered types) — open flower forms let seeds mature fully before dropping. Double-pom-pom types self-sow far less reliably.

- Larkspur — seeds need cold to germinate. Drop seed in fall. Winter does the work. Blue and purple spikes appear every spring.

- Cleome — seeds launch from mature pods up to six feet from the parent plant. Doesn't just return — she migrates through the garden each year.

- Johnny-jump-up — survives mild winters as an intact plant and drops seed for the next generation. Double insurance.

One planting. The seeds handle the rest.

05/21/2026

Join us for an unforgettable evening at Raptors & Rhinestones, a glamorous gala in support of Blackland Prairie Raptor Center. This one-of-a-kind event blends rustic elegance with sparkling sophistication, celebrating the strength, beauty, and resilience of Texas raptors.

05/20/2026

It's World Bee Day every May 20th, and we thought we would share some ideas on how you can celebrate and help make a difference in saving the 20,000 species of bees (yes, that's 20,000 with four zeros). Many people only think of honeybees when we talk about bees, but there are so many other types of...

05/20/2026

Happy World Bee Day! 🐝

Besides honeybees, here are some of the other hardworking bee species that keep our earth green and alive! 🥳💐

05/17/2026

Not every big black bee is dangerous 🐝💜
This is the Xylocopa bee — a gentle giant of nature and one of our important pollinators. It helps flowers bloom, supports biodiversity, and keeps ecosystems alive.
If you see one, don’t harm it. Let it do its beautiful work.
Protect pollinators, protect life, protect our future. 🌿✨

05/17/2026

The mulch matters as much as the soil underneath it.

Each material breathes, breaks down, and holds moisture differently. Match the mulch to the plant’s root zone and most problems with weeds, rot, and moisture swing solve themselves before they start.

🌿 Four mulches matched to the plants that need them:

- Wood chips — best for fruit trees, berry bushes, and shrubs. The chunky pieces break down slowly and encourage the fungal activity that woody roots depend on. They mimic a forest floor, which is exactly the environment these plants evolved in. Replace every couple of years as they decompose

- Straw — suits tomatoes, peppers, and melons. Light enough to reflect sunlight and keep roots cool in summer heat. It also creates a splash barrier that stops soil from bouncing onto lower leaves during rain — which is how many fungal blights start. Easy to pull back when you need to fertilize or warm the soil

- Pine needles — belong under strawberries, azaleas, and garlic. The needles interlock like a woven mat instead of washing away in downpours. They drain fast and create a clean, dry surface that keeps ripening fruit and curing bulbs from sitting in moisture

- Shredded leaves — ideal for hostas, ferns, and heuchera. The crushed foliage breaks down quickly and builds the spongy, moisture-holding soil that shade plants thrive in. Free every fall — bag your neighbor’s leaves if you don’t have enough

🌱 The rules that prevent most mulching problems:

- Keep all mulch pulled back from plant stems — piling it against the base holds moisture against the crown and causes rot. A small gap is enough
- Stay around two to three inches deep — much thicker and rain can’t reach the roots underneath
- Avoid thick layers of fresh grass clippings — they mat into a dense barrier that blocks air and water. Dry them first or mix with coarser material
- One material per bed, matched to what’s growing there. The bed under the oak doesn’t need the same mulch as the tomato row

One mulch matched to one bed. That’s the difference between feeding your soil and working against it 🌿