My soil certainly looked good; rich brown, crumbly with a nice loamy smell but what was really there? Do I have lead in my soil? Does it have nutrients to grow healthy plants? This year I finally got my trowel out, shot out of the house on a cold February day and dug up samples from several […]
Archive for the ‘Growing’ Category
What’s in That Soil?
Posted in Growing, tagged building soil, soil, testing soil on March 12, 2014 | 1 Comment »
Spa Treatments from Your Own Herb Garden
Posted in Growing, tagged herbal remedies, lavender, natural remedies, rosemary, sage, spa treatments on March 11, 2014 | Leave a Comment »
By Erika Rossi-Raia Having a garden at home can have several benefits ─ you’re able to grow your own fresh produce and you have control of where your food comes from. Aside from just growing fruits and vegetables, having a garden presents the perfect opportunity for you to make your own beauty treatments. Herbs are […]
Soil Temperature and What to Plant When
Posted in Growing, tagged planting calendar, soil temperature, what to plant on March 9, 2014 | Leave a Comment »
This time of year it’s hard not to succumb to the lure of the seed catalogs and rush out and plant everything. Unfortunately this will lead to a lot of rotten seed in the ground and a need to replant most things. To avoid this disappointment it’s important to read the seed package and see […]
Wild Edibles
Posted in Cooking, Growing, tagged foraging, natural foods, nature eating, wild edibles, wild foods on March 7, 2014 | Leave a Comment »
So what do you do if you have very little land, a thrifty budget and still want to eat super local? Wild edibles can be a great way to go! By following a few simple rules you can safely harvest a bounty: Only eat what you know Harvest small amounts Don’t harvest near roads or […]
Early Spring in the Garden
Posted in Growing, tagged spring garden on March 3, 2014 | Leave a Comment »
I love this time of year when the days are getting longer and the weather goes from pouring rain to brilliant sunshine in a matter of a few minutes.
Making a Rustic Fence
Posted in Crafts, Growing, tagged fence, natural fence, rustic building, rustic fence on February 26, 2014 | Leave a Comment »
Do you want to keep animals out of your growing space or just make another garden room? Rustic fences are great ways to do this. First take a garden hose or thick rope and lay out where you want the fence to go. Doing this allows you to move the line around until you find something that looks […]
Branch Borders
Posted in Crafts, Growing, tagged borders, branch borders, branches, garden borders on February 25, 2014 | Leave a Comment »
I just trimmed my redwood dogwoods to get basket making supplies and decided to use the larger branches to make a border for a flower and herb bed.
Time to Plant Onions!
Posted in Growing, tagged growing onions, planting onions on February 24, 2014 | Leave a Comment »
Why grow onions when they are pretty cheap at the store? Because they taste better! There are many different shapes, sizes and even colors of onions and most can be pulled young as green onions. I like to plant my onions when the crocuses are blooming; they are a cool season crop and do best when planted […]
Chickens!
Posted in Growing, tagged chickens, raising chickens on February 18, 2014 | Leave a Comment »
“Yum! Fresh eggs are here again!” said my daughter with joy. When the hens start laying spring is just around the corner. If you’ve ever thought of getting chickens now is a good time to get ready. With a little preparation they are very easy to raise and the eggs and manure are great to have. […]
Urban Farming On The Cheap
Posted in Growing, tagged cheap farming, cheap urban farming, low cost urban farming, saving money on urban farming on February 10, 2014 | Leave a Comment »
Many of you have probably read the book about growing the fifty dollar tomato but it doesn’t have to be that way. There are many ways to save money when raising your city veggies. Here are some suggestions… Raised Bed Materials – Craig’s List or Freecycle often have free or low-cost wood – make sure […]