Dear Sisters,
Oh how I wish you could all come by for a day in the garden with me! The flowers have their best smiles on right now! Despite the buckets of rain that fell on them over the last two days, they’re putting on quite a show! Since we can’t be together ” for real ” this virtual flower show will have to suffice…Kick off you’re shoes and let’s get going. You’re in Blackfoot Farmgirl territory now… Continue reading
is a certified farmgirl at heart. She’s happily married to her beach bum Yankee husband of 20 years. She went from career gal to being a creative homeschooling mom for two of her biggest blessings and hasn’t looked back since. Debbie left her lifelong home in the high desert of Northern Nevada 10 years ago and washed up on the shore of America’s hometown, Plymouth, MA, where she and her family are now firmly planted. They spend part of each summer in a tiny, off–grid beach cottage named “The Sea Horse.”
“I found a piece of my farmgirl heart when I discovered MaryJanesFarm. Suddenly, everything I loved just made more sense! I enjoy unwinding at the beach, writing, gardening, and turning yard-sale furniture into ‘Painted Ladies’ I’m passionate about living a creative life and encouraging others to ‘make each day their masterpiece.’”
is a “MaryJane Farmgirl” who lives in a large metropolitan area. She is a lawyer who has worked in both criminal defense and prosecution. She has been a judge, a business woman and a stay-at-home mom. In addition to her law degree, she has a Masters of Theological Studies.
“Mustering up the courage to do the things you dream about,” she says, “is the essence of being a MaryJane Farmgirl.” Learning to live more organically and closer to nature is Rebekah’s current pursuit. She finds strength and encouragement through MaryJane’s writings, life, and products. And MaryJane’s Farmgirl Connection provides her a wealth of knowledge from true-blue farmgirls.
an old-fashioned farmgirl with a pioneer spirit, lives in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. As a “lifelong learner” in the “Live-Free-or-Die” state, she fiercely values self-reliance, independence, freedom, and fresh mountain air. Married to her childhood sweetheart of 40+ years (a few of them “uphill climbs”), she’s had plenty of time to reinvent herself. From museum curator, restaurant owner, homeschool mom/conference speaker, to post-and-beam house builder and entrepreneur, she’s also a multi-media artist, with an obsession for off-grid living and alternative housing. Cathi owns and operates a 32-room mountain lodge. Her specialty has evolved to include “hermit hospitality” at her rustic cabin in the mountains, where she offers weekend workshops of special interest to women.
“Mountains speak to my soul, and farming is an important part of my heritage. I want to pass on my love of these things to others through my writing. Living in the mountains has its own particular challenges, but I delight in turning them into opportunities from which we can all learn and grow.”
Dori Troutman is the daughter of second generation cattle ranchers in New Mexico. She grew up working and playing on the ranch that her grandparents homesteaded in 1928. That ranch, with the old adobe home, is still in the family today. Dori and her husband always yearned for a ranch of their own. That dream came true when they retired to the beautiful green rolling hills of Tennessee. Truly a cattleman’s paradise!
Dori loves all things farmgirl and actually has known no other life but that. She loves to cook, craft, garden, and help with any and all things on their cattle farm.
describes herself as a goat charmer, chicken whisperer, bee maven, and farmers’ market baker renovating an 1864 farmhouse on an Ohio farm. With a degree in Design, Mary says small-town auctions and country road barn sales "always make my heart skip a beat thinking about what I could create or design out of what I’ve seen.”
Rooted in the countryside, she likes simple things and old ways … gardening, preserving the harvest, cooking, baking, and all things home. While you might find her selling baked goods from the farm’s milkhouse, teaching herself to play the fiddle, or sprucing up a vintage camper named Maizy, you will always find her in an apron!
Mary says, “I’m happiest with the simple country pleasures … an old farmhouse, too many animals, a crackling fire, books to read, and the sound of laughter … these make life just perfect.”
is a budding rural farmgirl living in Palmer, the agricultural seat of Alaska. Alex is a graduate student at Alaska Pacific University pursuing an M.S. in Outdoor and Environmental Education. She lives and works on the university’s 700 acre environmental education center, Spring Creek Farm. When Alex has time outside of school, she loves to rock climb, repurpose found objects, cross-country ski on the hay fields, travel, practice yoga, and cook with new-fangled ingredients.
Alex grew up near the Twin Cities and went to college in Madison, Wisconsin—both places where perfectly painted barns and rolling green farmland are just a short drive away. After college, she taught at a rural middle school in South Korea where she biked past verdant rice paddies and old women selling home-grown produce from sidewalk stoops. She was introduced to MaryJanesFarm after returning, and found in it what she’d been searching for—a group of incredible women living their lives in ways that benefit their families, their communities, and the greater environment. What an amazing group of farmgirls to be a part of!
Suburban Farmgirl Nicole Christensen calls herself a “vintage enthusiast”. Born and raised in Texas, she has lived most of her life in the picturesque New England suburbs of Connecticut, just a stone’s throw from New York State. An Advanced Master Gardener, she has gardened since childhood, in several states and across numerous planting zones. In addition, she teaches knitting classes, loves to preserve, and raises backyard chickens.
Married over thirty years to her Danish-born sweetheart, Nicole has worked in various fields, been a world-traveler, an entrepreneur and a homemaker, but considers being mom to her now-adult daughter her greatest accomplishment. Loving all things creative, Nicole considers her life’s motto to be “Bloom where you are planted”.
Your garden looks lovely and I can really appreciate your hard work. I too would leave the fence natural rather than paint it: it will weather in the salt air to what you already have now. Congratulations on the bargain!
Hi Adrienne! Yep, natural it is! Thanks for the note and your vote! xo Deb
Thank you for sharing your beautiful garden with me. The colors are so bright and lush and glorious. A very nice place to relax and kick back…enjoy the fruits of your labor.
My pleasure dear Becky… Glad you enjoyed the visit. Thank you for your note:) xo Deb
Night gown, Nikon and barefeet – mornings in my garden, especially after a gentle rain. Love your photos.
Nikon here too! 🙂 Thank you, Sharon…
Beautiful!
Thank you! 🙂 xo Deb
Your dahlias are always so pretty. I have had a couple bloom, for some reason, a few of mine will put leaves out but never any flowers. (hope I didnt plant them upside down..lol) We too finally got a good rain, we have not had any so far this season. I too go out in my pjs in the mornings. My favorite time of day is between 6-6:30. It is always so peaceful listening to all the birds singing. My garden has hit its peak and is fading now, so I am thinking it is about time to start dividing irises and hostas. They really outdid themselves this year. I love my picket fence, and I wanted to leave natural as well, but hubby talked me into painting with an off white deck paint. That was 5 years ago and still looks good. I will send you a pic via email. As always great blog. Be Blessed! Neta
Debbie, your Dahlias are SO gorgeous. The dahlias that we planted in our Farm Fresh flower garden are not blooming yet – we have hopes that when they do start they will bloom into Fall. Will they?? I love the Cone Flowers too. Just gorgeous! The only blue we have in our flower garden is Blue Sunday Sage and it is quite nice for a little touch in bouquets. And yes, those Endless Summer Hydrangeas are amazing – right now mine are blooming very deep purple. Love this post, can’t WAIT for you to put some of those flowers into bouquets out on the street to sell! 🙂 – Dori –
Hi there, Dori! Thank you! Yes, your dahlias will bloom right up until the first frost. Do you get frost in Tennessee? I’ll have to look into the Blue Sunday Sage. I have Russian Sage and Catmint, but both are a bit messy in bouquets. I’ll keep you posted on my progress! Happy Weekend! Deb
Hey Deb! Your garden is luscious! You have inspired me to plant some Dahlia bulbs next spring. I am with you on the chickens digging in the garden. They really help keep the weeds down but they can accidentally dig up tender plants. I let the bantams free range, but the big girls stay in the run. They love watermelon and tomatoes, so I keep them happy that way.
You have so many gifts and talents. I enjoy reading about them and seeing your pics!
Hi Pam! Thanks so much! Glad you enjoyed the flower show… Your Paul’s day-lily garden is equally luscious and beautiful. Hope you’re having a great summer! xo Deb
Thanks for the great garden tour, I missed our local garden club tour this weekend so your lovely pic’s helped ease the pain. You are so talented with your pic’s, words and of course the garden. God bless.
Hi Joan! Well, I’m glad I could fill in for ya this year! 🙂 Nothing like a good garden tour to fill you up with ah and wonder… Thanks for the visit! xo Deb
I love your garden! Every time I visit I get inspired to do more in my own backyard farm. I have the same Hydrangeas and I love, love them! Thanks for sharing.
Hi Vickie! That’s great to hear…I think all good gardens happen a little at a time. It’s fun to try something new and different in the garden when inspiration hits. Glad you enjoy! xo Deb
Aaaaah! Such beautiful pictures. I love the wonderful flowers you grow. My yard is covered in sunflowers this year, thanks to a chipmunk. He stole sunflower seeds from my bird feeders and hid them in every pot and throughout the yard. They came up in clumps of 12-14 sunflowers. The ones in the yard, I left alone to grow where he planted them, but dug up and re-planted the ones from the pots. So now I have a lovely sunflower garden with only a little work on my part. LOL.
Howdy Rebecca,
I’m imagining your adorable little garden chipmunks planting sunflower seeds in your garden. What a nice gift to you! And less of a strain on your back and knees to boot! What’s not to love about that? Enjoy! xo Deb
I just love your posts. I’m a wannabe beach goer, but live in the Midwest. I try to get the ocean often, but have to settle for summer lake time. Your garden is beautiful, you are a wonderful photographer. Enjoy the beach for me this year. N
Hi Nanette, I too grew up around lakes being nearly 5 hours from the nearest ocean. We had many mountain and desert lakes and of course Lake Tahoe to enjoy which we did for many years before moving to the shorelines… Thanks so much for your note and kind words… Always great to hear from you here! xo Deb