I went to a fair that offered job advice, help with nutrition and health, free haircuts (by cosmetology students...that was interesting!), scalp massages and this: the microwavable rice sock. Oh, have I enjoyed making (and using) these! This is really a simple project and after being out in the yard raking, digging, weeding etc: I … Continue reading Solution For Sore Shoulders: Microwavable Rice Sock
As an update to this post: spread mulch where you would have put rock. Read along about how taking permanent action against a short term problem, creates even more problems and stops permanent solutions. While we were in Colorado there was a trend to rip out anything that was growing and replace it with a … Continue reading Please Don’t Rock Your Yard!
This is why I started this blog in 2013. I repost these classes yearly and they really are: everything you need to know when you are starting out in gardening. I would say if you have under 10 years of gardening experience: this will be the best tutorial you can find on the subject. If … Continue reading Beginning Gardening Classes
Update: It's now 7 years after I wrote this article and every part I've included in this post are things I'm still using! It works! I'm sick. This has been a bad year for colds in our home. My youngest boy started school and he loves to germ up while he's there and then come … Continue reading Decadent Herbal Cold Remedy: Turmeric Milk
Update: It's now 6 years after I wrote this article and every part I've included in this post are things I'm still using! It works! I'm sick. This has been a bad year for colds in our home. My youngest boy started school and he loves to germ up while he's there and then come … Continue reading Decadent Herbal Cold Remedy: Turmeric Milk
I live in Texas. On top of our heat and drought, I have high pH soil. In fact our ground is so basic, that our tap water will kill acid loving plants, just by watering with it. High pH soils make certain nutrients hard to take up by your plants. For me I'm almost constantly … Continue reading Treating Iron Chlorosis In Pears and Other Fruit Trees
Garden huckleberry: Every serious fruit gardener should grow this at least once. Everyone who loves a good science experiment should cook with it at least once!!! What am I talking about? Well, this is a crazy plant. It is a nightshade (as are: tomatoes, potatoes, tomatillo, eggplants, peppers and most famously belladonna aka deadly nightshade.) … Continue reading Garden Huckleberry: A Completely Nutty Science Experiment!!!
As an update to this post: spread mulch where you would have put rock. Read along about how taking permanent action against a short term problem, creates even more problems and stops permanent solutions. While we were in Colorado there was a trend to rip out anything that was growing and replace it with a … Continue reading Please Don’t Rock Your Yard!
I'm going to share my pear journey with the hard to find, but ridiculously tasty Biscamp pear. There's not much information out there and even 6 years, post purchase, the company I bought it from still has very little information and nothing new added to their website. I bought my Biscamp pear from justfruitsandexotics.com I … Continue reading Biscamp Pear
This Easter we went to our family's low country shrimp boil in San Antonio. I love the food every year! This year though, was a bit different. I discovered last year that I can't eat wheat. I've developed an allergy to it, and it's pretty serious. I'm not gluten intolerant, either. I can eat other … Continue reading Best Damn Rainbow Fruit Skewers And Dip Out There!
We had a nice long winter, down here in Texas, that had enough chill hours for my fruit trees. Unfortunately, our bee population this early in the spring is pretty sparse. I had some hardships that made it impossible to get out and pollinate my pear tree. After I watched all of the small fruit … Continue reading Be The Bee! How And When Hand Pollinating Makes Sense.
Hidden uses of your spring garden!
This is a great time of year to plan and build raised beds. This is how I built my raised beds and I have given them no supplemental watering in the last two years of San Antonio heat and I've had bumper crops with almost no input outside of planting and occasional weeding! This has … Continue reading Mother’s Day Raised Hugelkultur Bed!
We love Halloween at our house and so do most of our neighbors! We see all kinds of great decorations, but most of them are purchased. I'm from a generation that made their costumes every year because there weren't other options. I like to decorate for Halloween but I am not interested in spending a … Continue reading Last Minute Kid Friendly Halloween Decorations
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. I am not affiliated … Continue reading Beginning Gardener: Class 4-Walking You Through What You Need To Know
All great and wonderful things should have another go! Here's my packing tape ghost from last year. I will definitely be making another this year (along with the spider egg sacks.) Happy Halloween! Oh, I had fun making this! I saw this "packing tape ghost" idea in a pin, but the instructions given seemed nearly … Continue reading Easy Packing Tape Ghost
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 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
We live a little east of San Antonio. When hurricane Harvey's winds were just a few hours out, I had a choice: bring in severely under ripe, astringent, Asian persimmons (and super green tomatoes) or risk breaking the brittle branches that were loaded with fruit and have the fruit split from the deluge. (Mine happen … Continue reading Will They Ripen?
Winter is on the way! It's time to brush up on your gardening skills and learn new gardening gifts! I am ready to share everything with you! 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 … Continue reading Beginner Gardeners: Walking You Through What You Need To Know
Crazy Green Thumbs 