Homegrown Gardens

Homegrown Gardens Transform an unused space into a beautiful boutique garden full of organic non-GMO veggies and herbs with the help of Homegrown Gardens.

09/04/2026

How do you design a garden that looks good in every season, even winter? It starts with the pieces that never change.

First, a seating area. The hardscape stays put no matter the season, so I always build in a spot to gather, like a cozy corner for morning coffee or evening wine. Second, lighting.

Overhead lights you can turn on in the winter, and add a mini Christmas tree or wreaths on the arbors, and suddenly you have a magical space that welcomes you in. Make it a fire pit and you’ll actually use it all winter.

Design around what stays and your garden works in all four seasons.

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🪴 Karen Miller | Homegrown Gardens | DM to create your luxury garden

09/03/2026

Everyone thinks you can’t have a high-end garden through a Chicago winter. You may be wrong.

Some plants survive and come back the next season just as beautifully. Sage is a favorite. It looks gorgeous now, and in winter you just prune it back. Come spring it bushes out and, bonus, gives you purple flowers in year two.

Chives are another winner. These spiky little guys return year after year with bright purple blooms and only get bigger and more beautiful over time.

Plant perennials once and enjoy the beauty season after season.

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🪴 Karen Miller | Homegrown Gardens | DM to create your luxury garden

09/01/2026

Have an arbor in your garden? You can mix flowers, vegetables, and even fruit right up and over it.

We’ve been experimenting with mini cantaloupes climbing this arbor and so far it’s thriving. Here’s the cool part.

When a plant grows vertically, it somehow knows to build a thicker stem to support the weight of its fruit. So you can trust the intelligence of nature, these vines will hold themselves up on their own.

Grow up instead of out and you’ll add beauty and harvest in one spot.

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🪴 Karen Miller | Homegrown Gardens | DM to create your luxury garden

08/28/2026

Want Brussels sprouts in your garden? First you need to talk about real estate, because they take up a lot of it.

Those big leafy plants need at least three feet of diameter to spread out, so plan your space before you plant. And when it’s time to harvest, work from the lower stalk up.

The ones at the bottom are perfect and ready now, while the new growth up top will still be small. Give them room and time and they’ll reward you with a big harvest.

Plan the space now and you’ll actually enjoy growing them.

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🪴 Karen Miller | Homegrown Gardens | DM to create your luxury garden

08/27/2026

A garden might be one of the best investments you make in your home, not just an expense.

Lisa and I have both sold homes with raised bed gardens, and the payoff was real.

My Glen Ellyn home sold in three days, specifically because of the outdoor living space, the garden, the seating area, the fire pit.

And Lisa experienced something similar with her first house, so when she planned this space, she thought like an investor from day one.

She told me it might only be a five or six year home, so she wanted to put in the right amount to earn it back.

And she knew she would, on every level. The joy of being out here, the food coming out of the beds, and the return waiting for her when she sells.

A garden gives you dividends the whole time you own it and again when you leave.

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🪴 Karen Miller | Homegrown Gardens | DM to create your luxury garden

08/25/2026

Thinking of putting in fresh herbs right now? There’s one you’ll want to skip.

Cilantro. As we hit the end of July into August, all of it is bolting, which means it’s going to seed and heading into its coriander phase.

Once that happens it won’t push out any more leaves, so planting it now is just setting yourself up for disappointment. Save cilantro for the cooler shoulder seasons when it actually thrives.

Skip it now and you’ll get way more from your herb bed.

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🪴 Karen Miller | Homegrown Gardens | DM to create your luxury garden

08/21/2026

Do you think gardens aren’t worth the money or the effort? After nearly a decade of designing luxury gardens, here are the two myths I hear most.

Myth one, gardens aren’t abundant. Wrong. Look at the tomatoes behind me, all from one seed, and they’ll pump out hundreds by season’s end. One kale seed feeds you all season long.

Myth two, gardens are expensive. There’s an upfront investment, but map out the produce you’re pulling and you’ll be shocked how fast it pays for itself. Plus you get to step out your back door and harvest exactly what you need.

The abundance is real, and so is the return.

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🪴 Karen Miller | Homegrown Gardens | DM to create your luxury garden

08/20/2026

Drowning in produce and not sure how to save it all? Here’s where I’d start.

Get yourself a dehydrator. It’s hands down the easiest, lowest-effort option. Slice your tomatoes, lay them on the sheets, turn it on, go to sleep, and wake up to sun-dried tomatoes.

Swimming in cucumbers instead? Make refrigerator pickles. They won’t last as long as canned, but they’re so much faster to throw together at home.

Preserve the abundance now and you’ll be eating your garden all winter long.

🌿 Save this for harvest season

🪴 Karen Miller | Homegrown Gardens | DM to create your luxury garden

08/18/2026

Is your basil starting to flower? That’s the beginning of the end, but you can stop it.

Once basil sends up those top flower pods it’s heading to seed, which is the final stage of its life. Pinch off those little tops and you’ll keep your plant producing longer.

Need pesto? Always cut from the top so you get your leaves and prune at the same time, and the plant keeps bushing out. Just remember basil isn’t frost tolerant, so harvest it all before your first frost.

Pinch the tops and your basil keeps giving for weeks.

🌱 Save this for pesto season

🪴 Karen Miller | Homegrown Gardens | DM to create your luxury garden

08/14/2026

Ready to give up on your garden now that it’s hot? Don’t. You can extend it well into fall with one simple trick.

It’s called succession sowing. Pop in seeds now that germinate in midsummer heat so they fill in by Labor Day.

Here in Illinois, arugula and green beans top my list for quick-growing, directly sown crops. Arugula can even handle a little frost. Green beans can’t, so get those seeds in during July and they’ll wrap up before October.

Fill the gaps now and you’ll be harvesting long after everyone else has quit.

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🪴 Karen Miller | Homegrown Gardens | DM to create your luxury garden

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Glen Ellyn Place, Glen Ellyn, IL 60137
Winfield, IL
60190

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