Tag Archives: gardens

For Green-Thumbed Pet Lovers

As I write this I’m sitting on my porch. Though many days recently have been so grossly hot and humid that I’ve never wanted to venture outdoors, some have been pleasant, especially in the mornings. These days I’ve taken to bringing my laptop out to the porch and completing my work here. I let the dog wander around the yard as I do so. Just a moment ago I had to do something that’s become common during these work outdoors mornings: chase my dog away from my garden. The majority of my garden items – herbs and berries – are … Continue reading →

Garden Your Way to Fitness

Do you have a green thumb? Then you might think about gardening your way to fitness. Not only do you reap the rewards of healthy fruits and vegetables but you can also burn a lot of calories. Yard work in general can be a great way to incorporate fitness into your spring and summer routine. We are hitting that time of year where many of us are beginning to plan out our gardens and what we will grow. If you have perennials then you know you have to prepare the area around them, begin weeding and other tasks. Think of … Continue reading →

Gardening: Baby-Friendly Pest Control

Summertime is here, and with it comes gardening season. If you’re like me, you love the idea of eating organic without having to pay the hefty grocery bill. Planting a garden allows you to do just that. Eating healthy is important for people of all ages, but it is especially important for babies. What could be better than feeding your baby steamed green beans, broccoli, or carrots straight from the garden? When you plant your own food, you control exactly what goes into growing it: the soil, the fertilizer, and the pest control. I’m able to plant a garden for … Continue reading →

The Rain Barrel

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This week there was a lot of rain at our house. There was also a lot of fist-shaking and banging. This is because I was installing our rain barrel. The rain barrel itself was easy to install. It is simply a half barrel that is designed to fit against a wall. Since we have a townhouse and therefore have very little space in our yard, the barrel needs to lie flat and do its bit to save space, just like everything else in our yard. However, along with your rain barrel it is also eminently sensible to get a downspout … Continue reading →

Creating a Multifunctional Potting Shed

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We built a playhouse over the weekend. However, I could just as easily call it a potting shed. It looks a little ramshackle, but it’s quite sturdy. We created it out of two bifold doors cut in half, four posts, some scavenged two by fours, and a lot of roofing planks that I had in the basement, just like any good playhouse. Since our back garden is mere meters in length, the playhouse will double as a potting shed and an avenue for my building-related whimsies. Granted, it is a rather deluxe and spacious potting shed, measuring all of 3.5 … Continue reading →

Of Sunflowers and Squash

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It’s getting close to summer, and minds are turning to the garden if they aren’t there already. Your child has likely been picking dandelions for weeks if not months. The spring flowers like tulips are fading, but other warm weather plants are heating up. Here are some crops that are particularly fun to grow with preschoolers. If you haven’t tried radishes yet, it may be a little late. However, if you have a cool and shady place in the garden you may still be able to grow them. Radishes are very simple to grow in pots and are easy for … Continue reading →

Natural Pesticides

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Spring is delightful, but it can also be a time when the bugs take great delight in munching everything in sight: the plants, the garden beds, you. If you’re feeling frustrated with the bugs in your garden, what can you do to control their populations without resorting to spraying toxic pesticides? Organic pest control methods are a healthy and safe alternative. First take a look at your garden. Is it a healthy ecosystem right now? Does it have a variety of plants, including plants that attract birds and beneficial insects? Birds and insects can control the pests that eat your … Continue reading →

Building Soil

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All weekend they have been swooping in on the garden center, eager to collect white bags from the packages of brown gold outside the front doors. It’s Sea Soil, pricey but wonderful stuff that you can put around your garden vegetables. Now, I buy Sea Soil sometimes. I must confess that I do. However, I also consider soil to be a great do it yourself project. One of the joys of this spring was to step out into our vegetable garden that contains soil that is a mere four years in the making and discover that it is looking wonderful … Continue reading →

Choosing a Compost Bin

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We’ve been through the mill, my composter and I. I’ve gone through so many different sorts of composting devices in my garden that it makes my head spin and my nose wrinkle. Soon we’ll be back to the beginning, with a new full-size composter in our yard. If you’re starting the composting journey or looking to switch, what sorts of bins are available? The large outdoor bin is the easiest way to compost. If you have a small space it is not the most convenient, though. These bins require green and brown ingredients and some aeration so that they don’t … Continue reading →

Pulling Weeds

Spring and nature are making themselves known in both the weather we have been having and the plethora of weeds that are growing in our yard. You see, I just stepped out a little bit ago today to check the mailbox. My intention was to grab the mail while my little ones were napping, then return and get some laundry turned over. Maybe if we had gotten something more interesting in the mail other than one single piece of very obvious junk mail, I wouldn’t have scratchy fingers and dirt under my nails. On the way back down the driveway … Continue reading →