Using Eggshells in the Garden

Recycling . . . I love using something that is usually thrown away in useful ways.  Eggshells are free and so beneficial in the garden. As long as I can remember, eggshells were always put in the soil mixture when first planting tomato plants. We sprinkle eggshells as a mulch when slugs become...

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How to Root Basil Indoors

If you love to cook using fresh basil, here are some ways to start new plants. I've had great success propagating basil from cuttings . . . take a cutting and prepare as shown in the photo, dip in rooting hormone, plant in a container with well draining soil, water regularly and keep in indirect...

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Fall Veggie Gardening for Florida

Although this was prepared for Florida gardeners, it would also work for those states with similar fall climates, like certain parts of Texas. Click on the graphic for a larger version. I've been able to grow tomato and pepper plants all year long in Florida.  Fall is one of the best months...

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Awesome container gardening ideas

Simply gorgeous!  I love it :)  The photo is from the website The Garden Glove, their link is at the end of the post. I have thought of using a tub as a container garden, but never had one to put into action.  What I did have was a toilet that I thought would make an awesome container...

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A Cozy Spot

There is no better therapy for stress than to have a cozy spot outdoors to enjoy the sights and sounds of nature. Back in the day, we had "rooms" set up in the garden for different times of day as the sun would hit the area a certain way.  Then we had the spots that were perfect for watching...

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Amazonica Alocasia

Love my new Amazonica Alocasias! This is one of those plants that I have wanted to buy for the longest time, but they are so expensive.  Well, as luck would have it, The Captain and I discovered the garden center at the MacDill Air Force Base Commissary.  Just about everything at the...

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Upcycled and unusual container plants

Trash cans as containers for plants are something I love to use in my garden (except mine are used and much older looking with lots of dents and dings).  I paint mine to make them prettier!  Love the idea of rollers on the bottom . . . great idea since the bigger ones really get heavy...

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Crinum Lily

The drought tolerant and virtually maintenance free crinum lilies have been blooming like crazy, as shown in an older photo from our garden. We have them all over the yard and when they are in bloom, it is a color splash explosion during the warm months. The foliage of the variety of crinum lilies...

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Beneficial Insects

Using beneficial insects has been one of the most effective ways that I have found in maintaining an organic garden. Ladybugs are my favorite, but there are many beneficial insects already in your yard or you can purchase them at an organic garden center or online.  I always purchase mine...

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Raised Beds . . . The Ultimate Guide

I wasn't meaning to write a post today,  but I found an awesome article on raised beds. Click here for "Raised Beds . . . The Ultimate Guide"...

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Toss the bare lawn?

Our once gorgeous and lush green grass in the front yard has turned to bare spots and mass plantings of a variety of weeds. When I saw the photo of an interesting and beautiful non-lawn yard scene, I thought "why not?" One of the why nots is that succulents don't do well in our climate and that...

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Peppers ~ Southern Summer Favorites to Plant This Week

The following tips are courtesy of Home Depot's Garden Club.  Click on the source link at the end of the post to join. Peppers are easy to grow in the garden and containers and thrive in long, hot summers with a weekly watering of 1-2”. Huge, sweet red bells, mildly hot Anaheims, petite...

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DIY Concrete Containers

Making concrete planters has to be one of the most satisfying and useful crafts ever.   I love the selection of molds in this video! Once you make a couple, your imagination will go wild with all kinds of stuff to use to for molds to make not only containers, but pavers and decorative border pavers...

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It's finally here!

Up until last week, the arrival of Spring was questionable with night time temps dipping into the 40's.  I don't remember a winter lasting so long in my part of the world! The Captain has been busy taking down the huge tree that fell on our storage shed.  What a mess it is!  Vines...

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Make a Backyard Pond from a Tire!

This has got to be the most ingenious trash-to-treasure project for the garden I have seen yet! The photos were found on Pinterest, unfortunately, they were linked to just a photo since the original blog it was posted to has been removed.  So . . . no instructions or tutorial . . . just...

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Paper Pulp Seed Starters

It is that time of year when we can't wait to plant our seeds and get a head start on Spring.   I've been looking for inexpensive ways to start seeds and especially love it is something that can be recycled. Would you believe these seed starters were made out of junk mail that you would normally...

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Recycling in the garden

Don't throw away those toilet paper or paper towel rolls! This has got to be one of the best ideas I've seen for recycling items for starting seedlings.  My favorite is egg cartons! How to make it: 1. Using scissors, cut six to eight small slits in the end of your toilet paper roll...

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Winter Sowing

Moving our clocks forward is around the corner which means so is spring!  Here in Florida, there is already a change in the air and it has been very pleasant to get out there and do pre-spring clean up. Get an early start on spring by starting your seeds indoors.  There are so...

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Light the Way

I love what lighting can do for the nighttime landscape! Here is some inspiration . . . love those lights. A complementary mix of outdoor lights illuminates the path, all while keeping the focus on the luscious landscape . . . photo from DIY Network. ...

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Outdoor Fireplace

This photo is for inspiration only since the article I originally linked to on Pinterest has been removed from the website.  I hate when that happens! There is something about this backyard scenario that is so cozy and inviting.  From my experience, even a small terracotta fire...

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Plant a Spring Container Garden . . . Lettuces

It is never too early in the season to start thinking about spring plantings, especially if you live in a subtropical climate as I do.   I found the following article very interesting since I love container gardening and have been meaning to give growing lettuces a try.  You may want...

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Tin Can Man . . . trash to treasure project

Trash to treasure yard art is one of my favorite crafts. This little guy is so cute and seems like a relatively easy project to put together. Here are the materials used in the project: 1 medium vegetable, fruit or coffee can (head) 1 large can (torso) 2 medium cans (upper arms) 6 small...

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