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!
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 Gardeners: Walking You Through What You Need To Know
Spring is full of heavy lifting, digging holes and amending soil. I usually build or renew my beds in spring and then switch on and off between: planting/watering and harvesting the first spring veggies. It's usually beautiful outside and I enjoy the time I'm out there. I end up in a meditative state. I can … Continue reading Saving The Harvest
I have a very short spring, especially this year. Usually I get my summer corn out in the beds in late February and harvest by late May. This year was an odd one. We froze all the way out into March and it was heavy freezes, too. Very bizarre for my part of the world, … Continue reading What To Grow In Spring and How To Use It
My raised beds. I keep up with planting and harvest times on my phone. I have a hard copy of spring and fall planting dates in my binder. I have been building a food forest for the last 11 years. I love finding plants that will both flourish in South Texas and feed my family. … Continue reading Keeping Track of a Food Forest
I have shopped at Raintree Nursery (they are a mail order, specialty fruit nursery) for about 16 years now. Some of my favorite fruiting plants have come from them. So, when they put a call out this year for expert growers, with ten years (or more) of experience in their area, I threw my hat … Continue reading Plant Ambassador
Elderberry syrup (also called sambucus) is a fantastic home remedy for colds! The syrup is really tasty (if it's done right) but it's very expensive. The brand we have at the moment. We have a middle schooler and an elementary school student in our home. They both had their tonsils out last year because we … Continue reading Are You Interested In Growing Elderberries?
Fire cider is something I've been aware of for approximately ten years. It's some potent stuff, and my family turns to it when there's illness in our home. I started my home remedy journey with this fantastic book: Natural Health, Encyclopedia of Herbal Medicine by Andrew Chevallier I have been using this as my "home … Continue reading Fire Cider: Immunity Booster
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
There are a lot of things that I've tried to grow in San Antonio Texas. A lot of plants ended up failing because of our heat or our sporadic freezes that nip back or kill tropical plants. A few ended up trying to take over. I'm going to concentrate on a few things whose vigor … Continue reading What To Be Wary Of Growing In Zone 8b.
I have a next door neighbor that I absolutely love! I used to watch her daughter after school and she has helped me out when I've had my husband out of state or driven one of my kids home when they got sick at school and we weren't able to be reached. She's super cool. … Continue reading For My Fun Neighbors
Merry Christmas 2022! Can't wait to meet you out in the garden this spring! Crazy Green Thumbs
So now that we're past the #!$@:! Frigging pool noodle lollipops, I have some relaxing projects to round out a candy themed Christmas display. First are the super simple candy cane straws. You can make canes with a bunch of PVC elbows but I think those look way more like a PVC pipe creation rather … Continue reading Candy Cane Straws and Ice Cream Sundae Outdoor Decorations
I tried growing mushrooms indoors. The result was some amazing mushrooms. However, there were not many. About a pound or two. The sawdust block that they came in ended up needing water sprayed on it (or the mushroom caps) multiple times a day. It was fiddly and I didn't enjoy it. It also looked pretty … Continue reading Under The Trampoline Mushroom Bed
I decided to add some Christmas tutorials for my decorations outside. I'm creating a candy background for some characters from the Nutcracker Ballet. My first task was making some candy. I decided on pool noodle lollipops, as soon as my supplies arrived I saw that I had several problems. Like many things on my blog, … Continue reading #!$@:! Frigging Pool Noodle Lollipop Decorations
My grandmother used to make cinnamon pickles out of watermelon rind. It was a dessert she proudly put on our plates. They were delicious and in memory of her, I now make them yearly for my extended family and my kids. Last year I also tried a vanilla pickle which was pretty gross. I'm not … Continue reading Just In Time For Christmas: Modern Cinnamon Pickles And Lemon Candy Pickles!
A gallon bag almost full of pomegranate arils. I had a good harvest of pomegranates this year. I also purchased a steam juicer a couple of years ago and had never used it. My juicer is from Europe and is a pressure steamer. I bought it on a clearance site and it had no instructions. … Continue reading Steam Juicing Pomegranates
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