When it turned so cold last week, I thought a bowl of soup would be ideal. Unfortunately, I never actually got in the kitchen long enough to do more than heat water for tea. A week later and it’s cold again and, after a 3am inventory of the freezers and kitchen, I had...
Just days ago, I noted that the long-term forecast didn’t show much signs of winter – zero snow; and then Monday happened. Very pretty, wasn’t it? Unless you were among the many who got trapped in traffic. After enjoying the view and the silence...
Lightweight portability, small-space friendly, raised bed alternative: three reasons to try cloth grow bags. Many people are turning to these fabric containers for use as raised bed planters. It is essentially a form of container gardening where the emphasis is on the...
Sweet corn is one of the most delicious and rewarding crops you can grow in your front yard. Nothing beats the taste of fresh, juicy corn on the cob that you harvested from your own garden. Plus, growing sweet corn is not as difficult as you might think, as long as...
If you have a patio and some indoor houseplants, you can create a beautiful and relaxing outdoor space by moving your plants outside for the summer. Not only will your plants enjoy the fresh air and sunshine, but you will also add some color and life to your patio....
Indoor potted plants can enjoy some fresh air and sunshine in the spring, but they need to be moved outside carefully and gradually to avoid shock and stress. Moving indoor potted plants outside can also help them grow more vigorously, flower more profusely, and...
I moved away for a few months and, when I came back, my very fertile soil encouraged a jungle to grow It’s not you. It’s your soil. The soil quality in a typical neighborhood setting is usually pretty terrible. Although most people do not realize...
This is a public service announcement of sorts. I saw something about this a couple of months ago, but a new post by Smithsonian magazine just caught my attention. Of serious concern, birds in the Mid-Atlantic, Kentucky, Ohio, and Indiana are dying and scientists...
So, how are your gardening plans going? If you want to grow outdoors but whimper at the prospect of all the bending and kneeling with a traditional or even a container garden, why not consider a keyhole garden? A keyhole garden is a raised circular garden with a...
It is so important that we feed our plants vibrant, nutritious, and natural fertilizers to help them on theirtime way. Fertilizers are so easy to create and apply to plants. My basic ratio for these fertilizers is 1:4 and they can be applied every two weeks. Banana...
One trip to the big box store to buy seed starting soil and you will immediately notice two things. First, store-bought seed starting mixes are extremely expensive, relatively speaking, and second, they contain a lot of chemicals and mystery ingredients. The...
The Classic Hugelkultur Drawing (source: richsoil.com) What is Hugelkultur? Hugelkultur is a method of raised bed gardening perfected by Austrian permaculture guru Sepp Holzer. Another Permaculture expert, Paul Wheaton, has a good summary of Holzer’s work on his...
In this COVID-19 crisis, perhaps it’s occurred to you that 1) you’re really glad you started gardening or 2) you’re really wishing you had a home garden. If neither thought has occurred to you, I’ll see if I can do a little prompting here by...
Winter’s on its way and the daylight hours are fading fast. Kinda SAD, isn’t it? What’s really sad is that SAD – Seasonal Affective Disorder – is more than a punny joke for nearly 10 million people. It can run the range of feeling a mild...
Temperatures continue to yo-yo but officially, it’s Spring. As noted in my winter skin care article, despite the snow and rain, the amount of moisture in the air is reduced by the frigid temperatures. Add to that heated indoor space, our skin needs help holding...
Plant Journaling: Keeping your plant alive one note at a time. Your plant friends will swoon at your organization skills. A plant journal is a compiled group of notes and pictures/drawings created by you. Why keep a Plant Journal? Humans are not perfect *even...
It was a gorgeous morning in Guatemala. I was about 12 years old and staying at my grandma’s house for the weekend. She lived in an old neighborhood in the capital city, and there was no space to have a yard. I was young and not really thinking about plants (yet). I...
Do you already have a couple of plants, maybe a little bit more than a couple, just one, or none at all? If you have a jungle inside your house like me… congratulations! Crazy Plant Lady is the new crazy cat lady. Don’t worry though because the Crazy Plant Lady or Man...
Permaculture people like to practice a “no till / no dig” policy in their gardening. Most folks in Permaculture agree that one should never till your soil for a number of good reasons. There are fascinating Youtube videos and articles out there on the...
Breeathhee deep. A simple, centuries-old remedy for reducing stress/anxiety, calming the nerves, and restoring energy. Olfactory gardens, also called scented, fragrant, or aromatherapy gardens, enhance this simple calming technique. They are designed with your nose in...
I debated about posting another PSA but after hearing a few encouraging words this morning, I thought why not? While the major news sources are set on keeping us aware of death tolls, I was happy to see in a local paper that the first three Marylanders to contract the...
I’m not saying that the plant is whispering sweet nothings in your ear as you walk by it. While your plant babies may not verbally talk to you, a plant will actually physically change in appearance when it isn’t happy. While growing plants in your home and yard...
Growing trees in pots isn’t new; that’s pretty much what the fabled Hanging Gardens of Babylon were. In relatively more modern times, 17th century European greenhouses of the privileged sported miniature trees; there was even a word, orangeries, coined for...
Fences that mark off property can also add to the environment and beauty of a home; especially if they’re alive. The use of hedges – shrubs or trees – in place of wood or stone constructs adds to the beauty of a yard. A living fence can serve as a wind break, sound...
