French Broad Farm

French Broad Farm Petals🌸, Persians🐈 and Poms🐶 in the Smoky Mountain foothills of Tennessee.

Spotted bee balm😍
05/27/2026

Spotted bee balm😍

04/26/2026

It was time for new chickens. My friend Mary Beth had the hatching eggs. My friend Nancy had the incubator. The stars aligned and here they are🤗 Meet the new crew!
We have been soo incredibly busy this spring. I planned to post new reels for spring with seed starting content, the daffodils and tulips, the bluebirds nesting, and the earth waking up from its winter sleep but we have been running non stop to catch up. Tennessee heated up so fast that every waking moment has sent me running full speed. After my last two old hens decided their egg laying days were behind them I realized we needed to take action and plan for some new layers but I did not have time to incubate eggs. That’s where my dependable friend Nancy said “I got you”. Mary Beth had assorted blue and green egg hatching eggs. Nancy filled the rest of her Brinsea with BCM x olive eggers. The result was so adorable I had to make time for a quick reel. After a guessing game between the nieces and nephew of what critter Aunt Becca was bringing home, Aria was the winner of a whopping $5😆

I snapped a pic of these bluebirds last night while I was in the garden. The camera battery died right after but I think...
02/25/2026

I snapped a pic of these bluebirds last night while I was in the garden. The camera battery died right after but I think I managed a decent shot. The farm is home to many bluebirds.

02/23/2026

Waiting out winter❄️
The cold comes and goes. A cunning false spring tricked us last week with those 70° sunshiny days. This bitter cold spell sent every insect retreating back into its’ safe space. I have no doubt March will come roaring in like the Lion it is.
We are less than 10 weeks away from the last frost here in East Tennessee. If you aren’t already planning your summer garden you are LATE!
Yes, I’m late😂 Well, I know what I’m doing. Really. I just sort of haven’t done it. Grateful that cut flowers are a hobby and not an income. I can keep this seed starting thing at my own pace. Less stress, right? My next video will feature some salvia… I mean salivating seed starting content🤗

Attempting the ice cube method this year with poppies. I have always winter sown outdoors with average success. Eager to...
01/28/2026

Attempting the ice cube method this year with poppies. I have always winter sown outdoors with average success. Eager to find out if this technique improves germination. I saved some seeds to direct sow outside as well🤞🏼

And just like that, my pressed flower soap is done. It honestly wasn’t that difficult and I really enjoyed the process (...
01/21/2026

And just like that, my pressed flower soap is done. It honestly wasn’t that difficult and I really enjoyed the process (Get it? The process? HAha!🤣 ). They aren’t perfect. A couple of the flowers stuck to the bottom of the silicone molds and I spotted a few bubbles in some of the bars. I will do some things differently next time but I’m ok with how they turned out.

I made a rushed effort back in November to preserve the few lasting reminders of the ‘25 growing season. Without an actu...
01/19/2026

I made a rushed effort back in November to preserve the few lasting reminders of the ‘25 growing season. Without an actual flower press, I tucked the blooms and greenery between wax paper and sandwiched them with broken down Amazon boxes. The fact that I have been embarrassingly neglectful of my physical fitness gave the opportunity to put my 5 and 10 lb dumbbells to work. They were assisted by the piles of beautiful gardening books that had been ignored all summer. I will use some of the flowers for soap. The rest are TBD. I did receive a flower press from my husband as a gift for Christmas so cheers 🥂 to growing a ridiculous amount of flowers in 2026🤗

Last night while waiting for husband to come in from work I got the urge to stroll through the pollinator garden and cut...
11/05/2025

Last night while waiting for husband to come in from work I got the urge to stroll through the pollinator garden and cut some flowers. Equipped with my Arctic mug still half full of water, I realized I had the perfect vase. While the garden is quickly dwindling down with the cooler temps there are still plenty of blooms showing off. I'm not the biggest fan of these colors but I have to admit how cheery this bright tumbler full of flowers made me:)
This little arrangement consists of:
Orange Hawaii marigold
Orange Flame marigold
Persian Carpet zinnias
Semi - Dwarf Pumila zinnias
Elephant dill
Peredovick? Sunflower

10/13/2025

As the strength of the sun began to fade away for the year, we focused on harvesting the remainder of the beans, peppers and tomatoes. Shifting in to fall mode, we installed new raised beds for carrots and leafy greens. Yellow leaves crept in as the insect activity slowed. The zinnias are a sight for sore eyes and should have been pulled weeks ago but the straggling pollinators are taking advantage of me letting the last blooms linger . Garlic bulbs from Keene are on the way for October. Fall is hands down my favorite season, despite being a gardening addict. You would think the cooler temps would offer some rest and relaxation from the growing season hustle and bustle but there is so much opportunity for garden growth during the cool months and the softer temps make it so much more enjoyable. Looking forward to October🤗🍁🍂

These beans are absolutely gorgeous. My new favorite! Will grow again next year.
10/09/2025

These beans are absolutely gorgeous. My new favorite! Will grow again next year.

09/12/2025

August was a busy month. It was time to get the perennials in the ground that I started from seed back in the spring. Dianthus, milkweed, bee balm, echinacea, lemon balm, shasta daisies, yarrow, salvia, mullein and more. I also direct sowed some mixed zinnias, parsley, sunflowers, fennel, dill and more milkweed. Ok, I didn’t manage to get all of the yarrow and daisies in. The leftovers are getting scraggly in their pots but that is what September is for, right?😛

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Bent Road
Kodak, TN
37764

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