2025 Season
May Garden Diary
May 2025
Our vegetable plants finally made it into the ground! All the little seedlings we’ve been nurturing from seeds are now planted in our square-foot garden bed and are starting to take root. During a recent visit to our favorite local garden center—Country Mile Gardens in Morristown—we picked up a few additional organic vegetable plants, which always look so healthy and strong. Here in New Jersey, it's recommended to plant heat-loving vegetables like tomatoes, peppers, zucchini, and cucumbers in the first weeks of May. These plants thrive in warmth and sunlight but are very sensitive to cold temperatures. According to the Farmer’s Almanac, April 15 is the ideal time to start planting these vegetables in our area, as the risk of frost is typically gone by then. I recently got rid of many old seed packets. A few things I had seeded in March didn’t sprout, and I noticed that a lot of the seeds had expiration dates from 2021—too old to be reliable. With a heavy heart, I emptied the contents into the compost. On a recent trip to Starbucks, I noticed a garbage bag sitting near the entrance with a tag attached. Curious, I went over to check it out—it was labeled “Free for the taking! Coffee grounds for composting.” I double-checked with the staff to make sure it was okay to take, and they said, “Absolutely!” So I took the bag, and it found its way into my compost.What’s growing in our vegetable beds at the moment here in Northern New Jersey:
Lettuce (head and mesclun mix)
Onions (bulb onions bought from Home Depot)
Garlic chives and regular chives (seeded directly in bed)
Cauliflower
Swiss chard
Sweet peas
String beans
Kale
Beets
Two types of tomatoes
Sweet pepper
Cucumbers (on trellis)
Summer squash (on trellis)
Building a free-range chicken enclosure
Our 13-year-old daughter was all fired up about building a chicken yard so our flock could roam more freely. We have five chickens who usually hang out in a run attached to a super secure indoor coop—an old pool house we converted. It’s works great, but I always feel a little bad that they didn’t have space to stretch their legs and explore outside.
The challenge? Their coop is near our neighbor’s property, on a slope, and I couldn’t see myself chasing chickens downhill if they decided to go exploring. Plus, there’s a road nearby, and I’m not willing to take any chances. Keeping them safe and secure is our first priority.
So, kind of on a whim, we headed to Home Depot and picked up some fencing and posts. Two hours later, we had a fenced-in area and some very happy chickens finally roaming free. Best feeling ever.
Visiting a local Arboretum for Mother’s Day - Willowwood Arboretum
Mother’s Day weekend was such a gift. The weather couldn’t have been more perfect, sunshine, blue skies, and birds chirping. We spent nearly the whole day outside soaking it all in.
To celebrate, we visited one of our favorite spots, Willowwood Arboretum in Far Hills, NJ. But first, we stopped for lunch at CocoLux Fine Pastry, where we were lucky to grab some soup. Everything else was completely sold out, the shelves were bare! Not surprising, though. CocoLux is an incredible local bakery, and it seemed like everyone decided to stop by that day.
The arboretum was just as popular. On such a beautiful day, it felt like every family had the same idea: to be outside and enjoy nature together.
Willowwood Arboretum is home to over 3,000 species of plants, both native and exotic. As you meander through the grounds, you pass through gardens with distinct personalities: a cozy cottage garden, a more formal English garden, and an Asian-inspired space filled with bamboo and sculptures that give it a tranquil vibe.
There’s also an orchard, a red barn, a propagation house, and several beautiful old stone buildings. The property was originally purchased in 1908 by brothers Robert and Henry Tubbs, who poured their passion into cultivating rare and beautiful plants across the landscape. Their legacy is felt in every corner of this peaceful, stunning place.
