The Kansas Gardener

Profile
Andrew Mitchell, also known professionally as the Kansas Gardener, is a Horticulturalist, Nursery Crops Specialist, and Landscape Maintenance Supervisor for Grimm's. He has a B.S. Degree in Horticulture from Kansas State University and a A.S. Degree in Agronomy from Cloud County Community College. Andrew is a Lifetime Member of the National Home Gardening Club and a member of the American Horticultural Society. He is a regular writer and on the Board of Directors of the Kansas Native Plant Society and the Eternal Hope Worship Center. Andrew lives on an oak-hickory remnant forest edge with his wife and 3 children. He is an avid collector of plant species, and has an interest in heirloom vegetables. Andrew spends his free time in photography, hiking, spending time with his family and church, and working in the garden.

Posts by The Kansas Gardener:

  • Nebraska Native Plants

    Growing up in North Central Kansas, I was always aware that Nebraska was only a short drive, but we never went there. I was made to believe from my peers and classmates that to like Nebraska was to go against Kansas. It didn’t help that when a kid I met from Nebraska, a big time [...]

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  • Edible Plantings: Spice up your edible containers!

    In the last few years, edibles have taken center stage in many gardens as people try to grow chemical free, organic food for their families. Edible landscaping has resurged as a major design addition in many home landscapes. The use of edibles in borders, adding fruit trees and shrubs, and potting up herbs has become [...]

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  • Garden Planning: Heirloom Vegetables

          Pictured above: ‘Amish Paste’ Tomato I have been an heirloom gardener for four years now. You would not call me an expert, just an enthusiast. When I first started growing heirlooms four years ago, I had no idea how it would transform my garden, or my life. If it is not an heirloom, you will [...]

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  • Garden  Planning: Monarch Waystations

    Last spring I went to a conference in Lawrence, KS and was inspired by Dr. Chip Taylor of KU’s biology department. In 2005, Dr. Taylor created a program to develop “Monarch Waystations” across the United States. The goal of the program is to educate the public on the importance of butterflies and their habitats, to [...]

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  • Improving Quality of Life: Improving Heavy Clay Soils

    Living in the central Great Plains can be a challenge: prairie fires, extreme temperature swings, wind, chemical drift, drought, and soil quality. For many of us, soil quality can be a determining factor in choosing plants for our garden. I have been fortunate to have great silt clay loam soil in my garden, but I [...]

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  • Create a Nature Garden for Children

    Every day I think about where my kids are going to play this summer when school gets out. When I was growing up I had acres of land to roam on, with no fear of traffic, or some neighbor spying on me, or all the dangers associated with today’s lifestyle. I had the garden, where [...]

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  • Gardeners are Romantics

    Gardeners are romantics, dreamers, artists, composers, painters, wanderers, charmers, extremists, poets, sculptors, BELIEVERS. Valentine’s Day is just around the corner and everyone is thinking about what to get for their special someone. St. Valentine’s Day got its history from ancient Rome, when Pope Galasius changed the pagan festival of Lupercalia on February 15th to the [...]

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  • Prairie Plantings: Improving your Quality of Life

    There something so simple and calming about the prairie. Growing up in north central Kansas, I knew too well the heat and drought of the plains states.  Even in the shade of the wooded creek bottoms near our house, it was sultry and hot. Later, when I lived in Manhattan, KS, a quiet walk on [...]

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  • Pruning Blueberries

    Gather your tools and safety equipment and head to your blueberry patch! Blueberries are best pruned in early winter, usually January in NE Kansas and SE Nebraska.  We start pruning our blueberries at Grimm’s Gardens after the first of the year, before we get into peaches, apples, raspberries, apricots, and cherries.  Our patch is large; [...]

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