Easy Indoor Seed Starting Guide

I am a big proponent of growing plants from seed. Whether you are a serious gardener or a gardening hobbyist, there are far more benefits of growing your plants from seed than buying "ready to plant" trays. Let's quickly discuss the benefits of starting your plants from seed. It is cost effective. A package of 100 organic …

To Rake or Not to Rake? – The Benefits of Leaf Litter

Every Fall, nature adorns our trees and shrubs with festive color. The changing scenery practically invokes feelings of warmth and a desire to drink hot apple cider. Or in my case, visit a pumpkin patch - where this year I found an awesome old tractor... Once the color-glory is over and the leaves begin to blanket the ground, it …

The Why & How of Garden Soil Amendment

"If a healthy soil is full of death, it is also full of life: worms, fungi, microorganisms of all kinds ...  Given only the health of the soil, nothing that dies is dead for very long." -  Wendell Berry,  The Unsettling of America, 1977 In my opinion, there is nothing on Earth more underrated than …

5 Ways to Re-purpose an Old Tomato Cage

We all have them. The rusted, bent, and virtually unusable tomato cages. Their condition is a sign of a tomato harvest well done but they cannot possibly handle one more growing season. What to do? Repurpose them! This post highlights 5 awesome ways I found to use my old cages to solve common garden problems. 1. Provide protection from …

DIY Garden Markers – 5 Easy & Inexpensive Ideas

Fall is upon us. The air is crisp, my deciduous are shedding, and my perennials are ready for a long winters nap. It's time to do my annual garden clean up. This includes not only raking leaves and tilling soil, but also ensuring that my plants are properly labeled. Labeling plants is a wonderful way to brighten and add …

Lime Meltaway Cookies

September is here and once again I find myself up to the ears in limes. My Bearss lime tree is so full of fruit that the limbs are practically touching the ground, ready to buckle. Which is a pretty good indication it is time to harvest! Over 300 limes was the product of this seasons harvest, with a few dozen still left …

Easy Decoupaged Pots

Old pots collecting spider webs? Sounds like it's time for some up-cycled fun! Read on for a simple way to transform your old pots from drab... to fab! How you ask? Using one of my favorite 1960s crafting trends - decoupage. What is decoupage? Simply put - decoupage is artistic sleight of hand. What appears to be …

How-to Prune & Propagate Basil

If I could convince you to grow one herb in your garden, it would most certainly be basil. With its lush green leaves, soft fragrance, and beautiful blooms it is the star of the herb garden. Basil is known for a wide variety of culinary and medicinal uses. It can also be used in the home to freshen …

The “Bad” Grass List

The dog days of summer are upon us. Presently, my lovely dog Willow is sleeping off the heat in some ornamental grass by the house. As a gardener, each season presents its own set of challenges. My biggest gardening woe during the summer season, surprisingly, isn't squash bugs, fire blight, or drought. It's actually grass. Summer is …

10 Minute Tomato Sauce

Does your life feel like a marathon some days? Mine sure does. That's why I arm myself with quick and easy recipes, such as this 10 Minute Tomato Sauce, so dinner doesn’t have to add to the stress. Let’s face it: Days can be so unpredictable. Yesterday, I had the best intentions of coming home and …

Berry Crisp with Oatmeal Cookie Crumbles

It's Friday night. I have a hankering for something sweet. I search the cabinets for some chocolate... nothing. I search the freezer for some ice cream... nothing. I decide to make cookies... no eggs. Oh bother! Why didn't I go grocery shopping today? Tired after a long week, I'm cozy in pajamas and there is no way …

Cabbage Worm Eradication

This, my friends, is a tale of a very hungry caterpillar that goes by the name of Pieris rapae or Cabbage Worm. Unlike the Children's classic by Eric Carl, this garden pest doesn't dine on watermelon and cupcakes but instead your beloved vegetable garden. He also doesn't turn into a beautiful butterfly at the end of the story …