Hi there, and welcome to Home Garden Joy! I’m Jeanne Grunert — the writer, master gardener, and amateur herbalist behind this blog. You’ll find tons of helpful articles here to support you as you grow what feeds you, whether that’s your first tomato plant or your skills in cooking with homegrown produce.
Home Garden Joy is all about living closely with the seasons — through gardening, cooking, and savoring the rhythms of nature. You’ll find simple how‑to gardening tips, landscaping and flower‑garden inspiration, indoor plant care, and guidance on growing fruits, veggies, and herbs. I also share ways to cook with your harvest and preserve it so you can enjoy the flavors of each season long after it’s passed.
So what nourishes you? For me, it’s time spent digging in the soil, stirring something delicious on the stove, savoring the seasons, and watching birds and butterflies drift through the garden.
Come grow with me. Welcome to Home Garden Joy.
Learn more about Home Garden Joy and our 19+ year journey to build a spirit-lifting lifestyle.
The Herbal Academy has just launched a new course called “After the Bite: What You Need to Know About Tick-Borne Diseases.” This course features a natural remedy for tick bites and supportive herbal care after the bite. As someone who was seriously ill ‘after the bite’ – and didn’t even realize a tick had sent…
I’m sharing these June gardening tips for gardening zone 7B. However, you can easily adapt them to your gardening zone. June is one of those months that feels like there’s so much to do in the garden you don’t know where to start. Fortunately, nature gives you extra-long days and plenty of sunshine! Whether you…
Growing ginger is fun. I was surprised to learn that I could grow ginger in Zone 7B, central Virginia. I attended a lecture by Ann Codrington of Nisani Farms several years ago. She discussed growing both ginger and turmeric. Her farm is in Maryland, but I discovered that both plants can be grown in both…
Every summer, without fail, I plant basil at the end of the raised beds. These are the beds filled with Roma tomatoes, the ones we harvest by the bushel to make our salt-free organic tomato sauce. My tomatoes thrive. “Did you know that basil repels aphids?” an organic gardener friend mentioned to me casually one…