The Ferry Street Nursery Project

06/18/2024

This needs no additional explanation.

03/03/2024

The USDA changed our hardiness zones again - twice in 12 years vs the last time was something like 50 years ago. That means on average our weather is warmer, our last frost dates for planting veg could be a little sooner, our growing season could be a little longer.
BUT!
The current weather we are having should have no bearing on the regular gardening timeline. It's Michigan. We've had snow in June.
Keep to the standard path - no planting until after the last frost, no cleanups until well into spring (closer the the last frost than to the first day of spring).
Nothing is predictable so don't assume because it's warmer now we aren't going to have a hard frost or deep freeze throughout spring and into early summer.

12/07/2023

The tiniest smattering of outdoor observations and experiences over the semester.

09/16/2023

06/08/2023

We're selling at the E Warren Farmers Market today and every Thursday from 5-8 pm, all season. Every week we'll have a slightly different variety of plants as new babies mature throughout the season. Today's offerings include the following in photos. We'll also have a few new books available from authors like David Tallamy and more. Food trucks and produce are also featured at the market, so plan to make it a weekly event.

07/17/2022

Lots of new blooms coming in at the nursery this week!

06/18/2022

Had a chance to stop by one of the very few old growth forests left in Michigan after finishing up a project in Grayling. Hartwick Pines is a small but gorgeous park and worth a stop in if you can make it. Among the various species of pine are massive beech trees, most dead or dying, which have been infested by Beech Bark Disease (a combination of scale and fungus). One reason to never move wood around the state. Luckily there are signs of resistance in some beech in lower Michigan, so there may be hope saving the 32 million trees in our state.

06/10/2022

Yeah, the rainbow was awesome, but so was the sky after that magical rain yesterday.

06/06/2022

Flowers popping all around this week.

05/18/2022

These huge temp shifts are making my life hell right now. Protecting the babies is priority No. 1.
It's only the middle of May and 95° is just not ideal for this process.
🥵

05/11/2022

We have just four of the precious little ladies left from last year. This is the first to bloom. Rock Harlequin (Corydalis semper items) is great for dry soils and rock gardens, as it's common name implies.
$7 ea. DM me to place your order.

05/06/2022

Happy spring, gardening friends! We are still taking pre-orders for this season, so if you are concerned that we may already have sold out, there are plenty left. Please download our pre-order catalog and place your order. If you do happen to choose something we no longer have available, we'll gladl...

05/05/2022

Cleaning up last year's leftovers for upcoming sales. A whole day in the sun and soil makes for a happy me 🌞💚🧘

04/10/2022

This little jumping spider cutie hung out with me today. 🥰 Seemed to like looking right at the camera, too.

03/20/2022

Lawd, what a week. The generosity and kindness of the folks in this neighborhood is like nowhere else I've ever lived. Putting up a greenhouse, hoop house, or high tunnel is no small feat. Thanks to all 5 neighbor volunteers, we finally got the plastic pulled and things buttoned up before the weather. A little later than planned but better now than never!

03/09/2022

Author unknown, but facts are facts. A little sunlight and melted snow in March shouldn't be a signal to cut back last year's growth. Take a beat and support the little critters still taking their long winter naps - wait until temps reach 50° plus for a week before diving in and drop those dried leaves and stalks where they stand so nature can do its thing and replenish the Earth. Pollinators, and the ecosystem, will thank you.

03/05/2022

And sow it begins.

12/27/2021

We've created a pre-order catalog to help folks get in on the spring rush before local suppliers run out, which seems to be happening more frequently as native plants become more popular. You can download the catalog for free, here: https://potagerdetroit.com/products/spring-pre-order-catalog

As the popularity of native plants increases, we are finding that nurseries are selling out quickly in the region. We hope to help you get ahead of the game and are offering spring pre-orders now at our nursery, The Ferry Street Nursery Project. Add this item to your cart for your downloadable FREE....

12/14/2021

Loving these seed heads from the Illinois Bunchflower in Callahan Park.

12/14/2021

Working into dusk finishing the baseboards and hipboards on the new hoophouse and I couldn't miss the chance to take a photo of this gem of a sky. We have some of the most gorgeous sunsets here, thanks to all the pollution just south on Zug Island and in the Springwells neighborhood. 😭🤦

12/09/2021

Ridge pole straightening. 🤦 Took exactly 10 billion hours longer than predicted 😂 I am confident after this experience I will have learned all I need to know about how not to do all kinds of things. But I am still super excited to be here and excited to have a space to work in winter.

12/05/2021

We kicked some arse today getting all of these poles bent (54) and installed all of the hoops just before the sun started to fade. Couldn't have done it without the endless laughs that make anything that seems hard fade away, thanks to . And he always temembers to take photos, too. 💪🥳🛠️

Monday, the hoophouse adventure continues with a billion bolts, nuts and screws and I don't know what else, but I can't express how happy I am to be here, at this milestone, and in this place.





Hoophouse from DIY kits

12/01/2021

The greenhouse parts 😱

11/23/2021

Big improvements on the way! Also, I just love driving these things 😂