Welcome to the

Middle Garden

The Middle Garden is a patch of earth nestled in Evanston, IL. Here, the gardener (Ellen) chronicles the lives of seedlings, garden experiments, the ways plants thrive, and making the most of a garden. Settle in for the love of plants, bugs, birds, soil, and every small discovery waiting in our backyard ecosystems.

Ellen Kilmer 11/11/25 Ellen Kilmer 11/11/25

Let’s meet our gardens! 5 need-to-know conditions for thriving plants

All of this boils down to the classic “right plant, right place” methodology. Once you know your growing conditions, you can find the right plants to fit in.

Ellen Kilmer 11/11/25 Ellen Kilmer 11/11/25

Seedling ID #1: Cilantro. Sowing Difficulty 1/10

This Seedling ID bank will help you and me ID our seedlings and prevent us from getting super excited over some damn Buckthorn.

Ellen Kilmer 11/10/25 Ellen Kilmer 11/10/25

Why the Middle?

But I think Goldilocks was onto something. Not too hot, not too cold; not too hard, not too soft; not too poor, not too rich; not too hungry, not too full. Somewhere in the middle, that’s humanity’s sweet spot

Ellen Kilmer 11/9/25 Ellen Kilmer 11/9/25

Welcome to the Middle Garden and Post #1

This is the Middle Garden, at least how it lives in Blog Form.