What Have I Been Up To?

Second cinder block bed. I've got drain tile coming but it's late. Still need to line this one with pond liner. Spring is when I get serious about my garden. Weather is nice. Trees are coming in the mail. I build beds and start corn and all sorts of good stuff. The last couple of … Continue reading What Have I Been Up To?

Why Can’t You Shop At Thrift Stores Anymore?

(This is my opinion. Maybe other people have a different experience.) I used to love Goodwill. I have lamps, silver plated candlesticks, milk glass... just a bunch of random great stuff I purchased there over the decades. I don't own anything worth much, but I own some stuff I think is really cool. Little online … Continue reading Why Can’t You Shop At Thrift Stores Anymore?

Oh, The Weeds…

So, this year I am starting really late. I'm out beyond where I should be, to be planting corn and potatoes. But, hey, you work with what you got. Because I was so sick a few weeks ago the weeds in the yard are tall and happy and laughing at me! Oh yes, they think … Continue reading Oh, The Weeds…

Fig, Breba Crop. Spring in San Antonio

Fig pushing out leaves. Random fig I took a cutting from, when I was pushing a stroller through the neighborhood, about 12 years ago. I got a lot of plant starts back when my kids were in diapers. I had a stroller sling to carry (and disguise) my pirated plant pieces! This is a Celeste … Continue reading Fig, Breba Crop. Spring in San Antonio

The Fire Ant Saga

Well, I repotted the tree that had fireants in it. This tree is two years old and I just haven't had time to put it in the ground yet. It's also in a pot because it came damaged with the box opened and the roots smashed by UPS. It really struggled last year, it still … Continue reading The Fire Ant Saga

Plant, Plant, What Is This Plant?

The birds plant these for me. They look like a holly, but they aren't. This is a wild edible berry that grows down here on the edge of dry forests. What is it? It's a Mahonia trifoliolata (aka agarita berry). It's a type of barberry and is our South Texas version of a currant. Harvesting … Continue reading Plant, Plant, What Is This Plant?

Crazy Good Signs Of Spring

The pear is covered in bees and butterflies, drinking nectar. Usually I've got better control over my beds, but I barely made it around the yard. At least I'm not still in bed. Gotta be a good sign! Blueberry flowers. Daylillies are up! Blueberries and weeds. I have a lot to catch up on. The … Continue reading Crazy Good Signs Of Spring

High Density Cherry Tree Pruning. Year 1-4

If you are following up on how my low chill, sweet cherry trees in a high density grow bed is going: the plants are doing really well. I did have to put shade cloth on them during our awful dry, super hot summers. The following video is from a Florida nursery and how they are … Continue reading High Density Cherry Tree Pruning. Year 1-4

Springy Dingy

Heavy flowering in my pear tree. It's a little cool out today, but not a danger to the blossoms. Low chill sweet cherry. I put two of these in last year. Royal Lee and Minnie Royal. They made it through our scorching summer last year. Hoping for good things this year! My son's lemon tree. … Continue reading Springy Dingy

Over Wintering Bananas, In San Antonio, Texas

These bananas are giants. Quite a bit of work to prepare the bed for winter. Just like the fruit, cut stalks quickly turn black from oxidation. What banana stems look like on the inside. I used a pole saw on these. However, it was a lot of work. This year I'm going to buy an … Continue reading Over Wintering Bananas, In San Antonio, Texas

Crazy Photos From The Garden

An all in one product. I took these photos of the moon: in my car, at the bus stop, in the morning, through a dirty windshield and propping my phone up on my steering wheel to steady it. If you wonder why my photos are as clear as they are: it's my phone. If you … Continue reading Crazy Photos From The Garden

Beginning Gardener: Class 3-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

Spring Cleaning part 1

I am doing my spring yard cleaning. Up first was the birdbaths. I rinsed and wiped them out. Then I put vinegar and water to fill them. Then I put paper towels to hold the vinegar on the ring of scale (from my gunky, high pH, calcium and lime filled tap water) around the rim. … Continue reading Spring Cleaning part 1

Crazy Photos From The Garden

Photos from the end of last year's experimental fruit bed. Above that is: a current bloom on my son's lemon tree. The cherries shot up, even in our miserably hot, dry summer. These are cut low to keep their canopies low so that I can net them easily to keep the squirrels and other rodents … Continue reading Crazy Photos From The Garden

Beginning Gardener: Class 2-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

Crazy Green Thumbs Reading List

If you saw my post about my past and the song "Used To Be Young" and maybe you have a similar background... Even if you are just interested in becoming a unique, strong, emotionally honest woman: who loves herself deeply and forgives her mistakes... Or, maybe you feel like you are at the end and … Continue reading Crazy Green Thumbs Reading List

In Those Times

When I'd walk through the fields and there would be deep cracks in the soil, it was Kansas summers. The smell of sweat and hard work, it was Kansas summers. Getting sprayed with "Off", examining mica rocks my grandmother had gathered, cigarette smoke drifting past me and the adults drinking Coors beer on folding chairs, … Continue reading In Those Times

Beginner Gardener: Class 1 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

Crazy Green Thumbs Reading List

From the Noma restaurant in Copenhagen. Have you started a fermenting journey yet? I have been fermenting for almost a decade. I have some recipes I absolutely love. I've made them countless times. I'm so onboard the fermenting train and I have enough experience with it, that one day I thought... "What else can I … Continue reading Crazy Green Thumbs Reading List