No Lawn, Just Garden

Jeff Poppen is delighted to walk through the herbs, perennials, vegetables and wildflowers of this urban yard in the heart of Nashville. This garden starts at the ‘herb curb’ and continues all the way past the backyard to the ‘sky bed’ that’s positioned above the trash cans in the alley.

Plants Featured in this Clip

Passiflora incarnata (Passionflower) 'Maypop'
Datura stramonium
Rubus idaeus (Everbearing Raspberry) 'Heritage'
Poncirus trifoliate (Hardy Orange) 'Flying Dragon'

Gardener Extras

Passion vine is chemically protected by cyanogenic glycosides which prevent most plant -eating insects from feeding. Yet it is the main host for the gulf fritillary butterfly.
Buckwheat suppresses weeds and attracts beneficial insects and pollinators with its abundant blossoms.
Crimson clover is a legume, therefore it adds to the nitrogen pool through nitrogen fixation. The clover is also an erosion preventer.
An herb spiral is a permaculture technique used as a way of growing a wide range of herbs with various moisture/light requirements in a relatively small area. Key: Hugelkultur (hill culture or mound culture.

Jeff Poppen

Jeff says his parents loved growing plants on their Illinois farm, and he credits them for his passion for growing. He’s made his living growing the best organic vegetables he can. Jeff acknowledges he has learned through experience over four decades. He is also an avid student of old-time farming methods, the way folks grew stuff before all of the chemicals in farming. He is compelled to try and shorten the learning curve for other gardeners. Jeff adds, “My wish is that my love for growing organically inspires others.”