This year's April bananas that I successfully saved the lower pseudostem (by cutting them to about hip height and covering them with a plastic tarp and straw.) Last year's April bananas that I had cut to the ground, over winter. This is an amazing difference! I'm hoping this means fruit! The pseudostem from last year … Continue reading Difference In Bananas
I got a call the other day from a neighbor. "I have seven bricks, do you want them?" "Yes! Yes, I do!" I have plans for bricks, and free ones are the best kind! These plans were sparked by regularly spending hours on Pinterest (Can't sleep? It's Pinterest time!) and randomly remembering a few pins … Continue reading Painting Pavers To Look Like Books
Because of our heat, and the fact that our main hummingbird variety will not share with other birds: I use really small feeders and place them all over my yard. On the way out the door with fresh hummingbird food. I usually have five out at a time. In our feel like 112° heat, they … Continue reading My Favorite Hummingbird Feeders
I have a pomegranate thicket. I figured out this year that this plant was grafted when I put it in ten or eleven years ago. The majority of this monstrosity is rootstock. I almost never get fruit off of the back of this plant's mess. I'm usually very busy all year long because I have … Continue reading Pomegranate: Texas Style
While we were in Colorado there was a trend to rip out anything that was growing and replace it with a gravel landscape. Every time I saw someone ripping out their grass to do this: I wanted to throttle them. Here is why: rock is not low maintenance. I understand those who don't garden are … Continue reading Please Don’t Rock Your Yard!
Instructions on use. We're coming up on the last few weeks to get beneficial nematodes in before the summer heat. I buy nematodes every year. Sometimes I add them in fall, sometimes in spring. But no matter which season you choose, heat is your enemy. Full list of target insects and the variety of nematodes … Continue reading Don’t Wait To Get Rid Of Soil Borne Insects.
If you are my age (in my 50's), you might remember the music at the bottom of this post. It's music we don't hear anymore. But in the past: I always heard it at grandma's. I remember eating cereal in the morning at grandma's house. The radio would be on, first came the farm report: … Continue reading In The Garden
In the spring trees and bushes send out new growth. If you have grafted plants (a lot of fruit trees are like this. The roots belong to a different plant than the top. The top has the fruit you want.) In the spring: trees send out growth below graft unions. Roots prefer themselves, to what … Continue reading Watch Your Grafted Plants
Soil has been added to my vegetable beds. The bananas have been fertilized. Bird baths have been scrubbed. I added water crystals to the beds this year because the bags of composted manure have a ton of sand in them and water runs right out of the beds, without something to absorb it. Pvc marking … Continue reading Finishing The Vegetable Beds
How big my bananas got last year Last year I decided to try something new. I did not cut the bananas to the ground like I usually do. This has created some new experiences. I cut them lower but not at ground level. These look shorter than they are because there's straw stuffed everywhere. You … Continue reading Naners In The Spring
Out in the raised beds. I refresh the soil every few years. This is compost and manure. I'm going to grow corn in it. Different bed. This one is full of garden soil and peat. I opened the bags and raked out the soil, then I added some hydrated water crystals and raked the peat … Continue reading Spring Fever
This is the fourth and final installment of my beginner gardening tutorial. For this class I decided to list some of my favorite books and growing aides. The book list is by no means exhaustive but I have some that have truly helped me form the backbone of my gardening approach. These products have definitely … Continue reading Beginning Gardener: Class 4-Walking You Through What You Need To Know
This is the third part of a four part online course. It’s free and if you would like to know more go to the top of this page and click on the Gardening Basics tab. Or you can get the first and second parts of this course here: Beginning Gardener (part 1) and Beginning Gardener … Continue reading Beginning Gardener: Class 3-Walking You Through What You Need To Know
Learning to garden takes time. It's also helpful to have a seasoned gardener show you how to garden in your area. If you don't have someone on hand: you now have me! I may not live where you do (and it makes a huge difference if you are growing in a different area) but I … Continue reading Beginning Gardener: Class 2-Walking You Through What You Need To Know
Spring is on the way! It's time to brush up on your gardening skills and learn about new gardening ideas. This year I thought I'd get back to basics and start publishing pieces of my gardening advice from my page: Gardening Basics. For the novice gardener: read on and stay tuned! This is pretty much … Continue reading Beginner Gardener: Class 1 Walking You Through What You Need To Know
Sweet potatoes, beet roots (These are chiogga beets. White, yellow or striped beets have a milder flavor than solid red beets), beet greens and spring onions This is my recipe for using up spring veggies before the heat of summer ends their season. I grew all the veggies except the sweet potatoes (which were not … Continue reading Moroccan Sweet Potato Fritters with Ras El Hanout Yogurt Sauce
At it again. My dough ball has never looked better. I have fun with this, and nothing tastes better than fresh bread! I have recently been following this lovely lady's instructions: https://youtu.be/Br9ezqYPyic?si=YgA9pLhA-NV1gqCI I'm definitely not this soft spoken, but I do enjoy her dough folding and shaping instructions. Meet you out in the garden with … Continue reading Sourdough Sighting
Winter is a wonderful time to read up on gardening literature. When your garden is fast asleep, it is the perfect time to make preparations for next year. Whether you are new to gardening or an old hand: this is the yearly time for reflection. What has worked for you? What have you struggled with? … Continue reading Winter: Garden Planning
So, I try out things I find online that are super affordable. Sometimes I'm happy, (like with clothes from temu... if you adjust for American sized women. A large is a 3x on there) and sometimes I'm super disappointed, (like with sale sparkly shoes from Betsey Johnson, that kill my feet.) I look up certain … Continue reading Would I Do It Again?
I love using milk jugs! My kids drink a lot of milk and we always have empty gallon milk containers. These are always useful in my garden! I use them to harden off transplants and in this blog entry: to keep tender plants (like tomatoes) outside, where they're warm and have plenty of light, while … Continue reading Quick Mini Greenhouses From Milk Jugs
Crazy Green Thumbs 