The Patio Farmer (2025)

25/07/2025

A r t i c h o k e 🪷 did you know you can grow these perennial beauties at home?! Next month, we dive in to learn all about how to seed, grow, tend to, harvest, and prepare these edible members of the thistle family!

Artichokes are one of my favorite perennial crops to grow. I use them as edible landscaping around the house. I love watching them produce their towering globes. I always leave a few globes on the plants to bloom bright purply flowers (did you know artichokes are a flower?!). The pollinators LOVE them.

Join Plant Club GROW to get a Grow Kit with seeds, a grow bag, and tools to tend to your perennial artichokes in August, and beyond.

Use the link in my bio to read more about my monthly subscription service and join at the GROW level to get started on your artichoke journey with a community of Charlotte-area growers.

Okie dokie artichokie, see you in the Club!

18/07/2025

Feeling a little stressed with maintaining your summer veggies plants? Run through this list of Q&A to help decide if you want to take action on any fungal disease or other issues...

Have these plants been growing for 3-4 months?

If yes, know that our summer vegetable plants only *really* want to grow for 3-4, maaaaybe 5, months.

If no, you may consider taking action with alleviating the fungal disease to maximize your harvest window! Your plants are still young and have a lot left to give!

Have you already harvested a lot from your plants this season?

If yes, celebrate that! And use this information to decide how you want to move forward with maintaining your plants' health.

If no, you may be much more inclined to try and treat this fungal disease!

Do you want to continue getting harvests from these plants?

If yes, then treat for fungal disease!

If no, (maybe harvest basket is overflowing with gifts from other plants), then you could allow the plants an early retirement.

When looking at an individual plant...

Is the fungal disease covering more than half of the plant?

If yes, it may create too much stress on the plant to rebound, even after treatment (see steps below).

If no, chances are your plant will be stronger and more productive for you after you treat it!

Do you want to work diligently to try and save this plant?

If yes, then treat!

If no, then maybe you conserve your energy and tend to the needs of other plants.

Do you plan to plant for the fall season in a few weeks?

If yes, then here is your invitation to take a breather, allow nature to run its course with your affect summer plants. Treat this as an opportunity to get ahead on planting for the fall season. I usually start planting for fall in late August.

If no, then you may have more motivation to continue working to maintain healthy summer plants!

Want help with treating fungal disease on your summer veggies? Schedule a Consultation using the link in my bio or visit www.calendly.com/thepatiofarmer/consultation

💚

09/07/2025

It's photo contest time, y'all! 📸 One of the greatest joys I have in running my business is watching how my clients grow in their food growing practice season after season, and year after year.

This little photo contest is an opportunity to celebrate and share all the amazing things growing in YOUR growing space! Seeing these photos puts a huge smile on my face. I hope you'll consider making a submission!

This is also how I LOVE to celebrate The Patio Farmer's business birthday every July 💚

Here are the entry instructions,

Submit ONE photo of your growing space... it could be a pot you're super proud of, it could be a raised bed full of bounty, it could be a bowl of freshly harvested summer veg, it could be of you working in your growing space, it could be of you child or pet enjoying the space... whatever speaks to you to share!

Limit submission to one entry per person.

Email your entry to Farmer Erin at [email protected] with the subject line, "Photo Contest Entry"

Include a caption or description for your photo. Something short and sweet that tells the story behind the entry.

Entries will be received until 7/29.

A selection of entries, plus the contest winner, will be shared in the 7/30 newsletter (subscribe via the link in my bio)

The winner will receive a bundle of goodies from Farmer Erin with a value of $150!

Thanks y'all! I can't wait to see your submissions!

01/07/2025

New work shirts 🌱 just in time for The Patio Farmer's 8th birthday (more on that later this month, stay tuned!)

Broke in this fresh tank today while doing my usual Tuesday route of visiting business clients, PREMIERE PRACTICE clients, and a few other client sprinkles throughout the day...

Here's a day in the life of The Patio Farmer 🌱

- 5:45am, rise and shine! morning ritual
- 7am, take pup to daycare
- 7:30am, Ashtanga yoga practice
- 9am, post office to mail July's Grow Kits for Plant Club (we're growing okra this month!)
- 9:30am, Consultation
- 10am, Business & PP Client Route (3 stops)
- 12:15pm, LUNCH
- 12:30pm, Business & PP Client Route + an Out of Town Visit (5 stops)
- 5:30pm, new client Consultation
- 6:45pm, pick up pup from daycare
- 7pm, home! Shower, dinner, clean bathroom and make guest bed for my favorite brother-in-law/pup sitter (we're on vacay starting tomorrow 💚)

I promise not all my days are this full, but usually Tuesdays are! And I love it. Do what you love, love what you do, and you'll never work a day in your life ☀️

If you're interested in learning more about my client services and monthly memberships use the link in my bio to explore! Or visit my website, www.thepatiofarmer.com

25/06/2025

Holy heat wave, Batman 🔥 in summer, we rejoice for the sun! We are thankful for the life-giving force it provides our home, our planet, and our plants. Edible plants LOVE the sun. They will take as much of it as we can possibly give them.

With lots of sunshine, heat comes too. While the sun is not a stressor for our plants, the heat can be! Ya feel?

The best way to keep your plants resilient against the heat? You guessed it.

💦 WATER 💦

Keep your plants watered thoroughly this week. Drooping, wilting leaves are an indication that plants are dry.

If you are growing food in containers at home, you'll find yourself needing to water those more frequently than plants growing in raised beds or directly in the ground.

Below are my five best watering practices, especially for those growing in pots!

1️⃣ Water in the morning or in the evening. Watering when it's sunny can damage leaves.

2️⃣ Water at the base of your plants. Think about watering the soil versus the plant.

3️⃣ Water on days when the highs are in the upper 80’s.

4️⃣ Try to reduce the amount of water that leaves from the bottom of the pot / container. As water escapes, so do nutrients from the soil our plants could be using.

5️⃣ Count as you water, especially new containers or for a new season. As you count, watch to see when water is coming from the bottom of the pot, then stop watering. Next time, count to that number. My magic number seems to hover around 15 for pots.

Oh, and don't be afraid of a little sweat, y'all. It's good for you, and your skin. Let it pour! Ring out those toxins. Sing a song and know you're a gorgeous healthy human ☺️

20/06/2025

Happy First Day of Summer 🌞 these pictures were taken 9 summers ago at the farm in east Charlotte I managed... back when The Patio Farmer wasn't even a business twinkle in Farmer Erin's eye!

I love sunflowers. They are my favorite flower. They are so happy and bright. They are "heliophilic" which means they love (philia) the sun (helio) and their beautiful blooms track with the movement of the sun. You can watch them shift from east to west throughout the day as the sun moves. No doubt, the summer solstice (today) is the sunflower's favorite day of the year.

Below are a few ways to celebrate the summer solstice, the day when we have the most sunlight, the first day of summer 🌻

Watch the sunrise AND sunset.

Spend time sunbathing, get at least 20 minutes. Slap on a little SPF too!

Have a bonfire. Watch the flames flicker and feel the heat of the fire. Roast a marshmallow!

Harvest a bounty of whatever you have growing! Maybe a basket full of squash, a handful of herbs, fresh flowers... bring it inside and admire what the sun has helped create!

Brew a batch of sunshine tea. That handful of herbs you harvested? Rub the leaves gently between your hands and pop them in a large mason jar. Fill with purified water. Screw on the lid. Find the sunniest, warmest, spot in your yard to place the jar. Allow to steep for at least 6 hours. Strain, add a little lemon or honey, pour over ice and enjoy! Mint, lemon balm, lavender, chamomile, and Tulsi basil work beautifully for this!

Do a little sun dance. Put on your favorite song and float around the yard for a moment or two. Pretend you're a bee, floating from flower to flower. You can be five years old again.

Go for a swim, if that's accessible to you! Or just hose yourself off on the porch. Even if it's just your feet. It's amazing how good cool water feels on sun-kissed skin.

Enjoy the day, most of all. And happy summer!

11/06/2025

What to do when it rains every day 🌧️ the next 10 days bring a daily chance of rain. Some days it's only a 15% chance... other days it's a 50% chance. Don't be surprised by a little sprinkle or shower!

Try not to be bummed out by a rainy day and instead celebrate the wonderful magic pouring down from the sky! When it rains, several things happen that don't happen when we water our plants ourselves, like adding more nitrogen and minerals to the soil while keeping the pH a little acidic. But there are also some other things that happen when it rains to keep in mind.

As the rain hits the soil it can splash up fungi from the soil to our plants. It can also motivate bugs that have been incubating in the soil to emerge. When there are pauses in the rain and your plants are dry, pop out to assess and complete these essentials for your tomatoes, cucumbers, squashes, melons, and zucchinis --

🌱 Keep plants trellised and supported.
🌱 Trim bottom leaves of your tomatoes.
🌱 Watch for white splotches on your cucumber, melon, squash, and zucchini plants.
🌱 Do not over water.
🌱 Clean yourself, and your tools.
🌱 Check underneath bottom leaves.

That's a highly abbreviated version of today's newsletter! If you want the full set of information, use the link in my bio to subscribe to the Queen City's Almanac. I'll resend it to you tomorrow morning 💚

Also, for newsletter subscribers who also follow here -- be sure to check your SPAM folders. For whatever reason, my emails have been shuffled there since Mother's Day! I'm working on fixing it though 🤞

30/05/2025

Happy Rainy Friyay to you, sweet one 🥕 the spring sown carrots are popping up to say hello! If you planted seeds in February or March, check at the base of your carrot tops and see if you notice orange roots revealed.

You can also use your index finger and thumb to feel in soil for their "shoulders". If they feel about the size of a nickel or dime, pick one and see! There's nothing more magical than carrot harvesting.

Don't forget to get a few good whiffs in too! Homegrown carrots have the most amazing smell to them. If you know, you know 🧡 and if you don't, then what are you waiting for?! Sow some carrots now. They do great through the summer months too.

23/05/2025

Homegrown breakfast 🌱 I grew everything on this plate, y'all! Blueberries and kale were picked moments ago and the three eggs were collected yesterday. All from my backyard.

Life doesn't get much better when you have so many blessings before you. Enjoy the day ahead, grow some food, be kind to others, and smile in the sunshine ☀️

21/05/2025

Summer Maintenance Package 🌱 includes 6 maintenance visits from The Patio Farmer to your growing space before the end of August PLUS a written Maintenance Plan customized to the summer crops you're growing.

Clients are welcome to participate in each visit or The Patio Farmer can work independently. This package can apply to Out of Town Visits too 🌞

During each visit, The Patio Farmer will scout for pests and disease, treat for pests and disease, feed, trellis and prune plants, offer guidance and coaching to clients, as well as other tasks.

This service is available to anyone living in Mecklenburg, Gaston, Union, and Cabarrus Counties as well as parts of Lincoln, Iredell and Rowan Counties in NC and York or Lancaster Counties in SC.

Use the link in my bio to purchase your Summer Maintenance Package 🌱 this is service is limited to a set number of clients! Snag it while you can!

14/05/2025

Ask me Anything 🌱 Two weeks ago I put out a request in my newsletter to hear what questions are on y'all's minds. In this week's newsletter I answered two of your questions,

1. What do I do with my strawberry plants now that they are done producing strawberries?

2. What are your favorite shoes to wear while gardening / farming?

I love hearing from you, and would love to do another newsletter like this. Comment below 👇 and let me know what's on your mind OR shoot me DM OR an email [email protected]

Don't get my weekly newsletter? Use the link in my bio to subscribe today!

05/05/2025

Curious about container gardening?! 🌱 You're in luck! I'm teaching a class tomorrow, 5/6 from 6:30-8:30 on Patio Farming Basics.

Visit www.skillpop.com or visit the link in their bio to sign-up for class!

Monday	09:00 - 17:00
Tuesday	09:00 - 17:00
Wednesday	09:00 - 17:00
Thursday	09:00 - 17:00
Friday	09:00 - 17:00

The Patio Farmer

25/07/2025

18/07/2025

09/07/2025

01/07/2025

25/06/2025

20/06/2025

11/06/2025

30/05/2025

23/05/2025

21/05/2025

14/05/2025

05/05/2025

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