Rooted with Mallory

09/03/2026

Note to self: apparently the garden does not care how busy you are. 😂

Work has been WORKING lately, and I may have neglected my okra harvest for a few days…

Came outside to find these absolute monsters. 😂 Impressive? Yes. Ideal? Not exactly.

One thing I’ve learned growing okra is that bigger definitely doesn’t mean better. Once these suckers get too big, they start getting tough and fibrous. You really want to pick them while they’re smaller and tender.

So here’s your friendly reminder from someone who clearly needed the reminder herself: check your okra DAILY. 😂🌱

Gardening is basically one long series of “Well… now I know.”

08/24/2026

Apparently one of my chickadees clocked in today, did the absolute bare minimum, and said “that’ll do.” 😂

Five beautiful white eggs. Two beautiful brown eggs.

And then… this. 🤏🏽🥚

My first-ever fairy egg — also affectionately known as a fart egg, which is obviously what we’ll be calling it from now on. 🥚💨

I don’t know which one of these ladies is responsible, but ma’am… please see me in my office.

08/23/2026

There’s something incredibly humbling about looking at this and realizing it all started with tiny seeds, little plants, a few chickens, and a whole lot of hope. 🌱

Food from our own backyard. Eggs from girls I’ve raised and cared for. Vegetables I’ve watched grow day by day.

It isn’t perfect. I’m still learning, still losing plants, still figuring things out as I go. But moments like this make me stop and realize just how much there is to be grateful for.

There’s something special about tending to something, giving it your time and care, and eventually watching it give back.

My heart—and apparently my kitchen counter—are very full. 🤍

08/19/2026

Just a girl, her chickens, and her royal chariot. 🐓👑

08/18/2026

08/16/2026

They have food. They have water. They have space.

And yet here we are… making me pull out my MOM voice like:

“WHY are y’all pecking each other?! STOP IT!”

Don’t make me pull this coop over. 😭🐓

08/15/2026

Apparently my garden has entered its National Geographic era. 😂🌱

Found a tomato hornworm covered in parasitoid wasp cocoons this morning—which looks absolutely HORRIFYING, but is actually nature’s own pest control. Add in the giant banana spiders that have built webs between my tomato plants, and apparently I’m no longer gardening… I’m just managing an ecosystem. 😂🐛🕷️🍅

The more I garden, the more I realize I know absolutely nothing. 😂

08/13/2026

I’m going to try and transplant my seedlings… fingers crossed!

08/13/2026

Have y’all ever seen an okra flower?!

Because excuse me… why did nobody tell me the vegetable that gives us fried okra was out here producing flowers THIS beautiful?! 😍

One of my favorite parts of gardening has been discovering all the little things I never knew before I started growing my own food. And the best part? That gorgeous flower is basically saying, “okra coming soon.”

Nature really does show off sometimes. 🌱