Thursday, November 20, 2025
Late fall is the most important time to mulch your flowerbeds
Tuesday, November 18, 2025
Grow vegetables from kitchen scraps
A great way to save money is to grow your own vegetables, but Cari at Homesteading in Ohio takes an extra step to save money by using kitchen scraps.
I have grown green onions from scrap very easily and look forward to using some of her techniques to grow more vegetables from scrap.
Her article is very informative with many tips to start saving money by kitchen scrap gardening.
Click here to go to the article.
Tuesday, November 4, 2025
Composting Autumn Leaves
Leaf mulch made from the leaves of my oak trees make an excellent mulch for acid-loving plants like hibiscus. My method is ridiculously easy . . . rake the leaves and place in a garbage bag (shredding the leaves is recommended, but not necessary), water the leaves before sealing the bag . . . and let it sit. The back of my storage sheds were the perfect spot to line them up and let them "age" . . . if you have the room, it is an excellent use of those leaves.
Leaves are also an excellent source for the compost pile, if you have one. The following is an article on the process of adding leaves to the pile . . .
This article is a repost from eHow
Think about shredding leaves before you compost them. Shredded leaves are much easier to turn in a compost pile. These leaves will also break down much faster than whole leaves. You don't need to shred leaves, but it's easily done by running over them with a lawn mover.
Add your leaves to your compost pile. You should try to bury the new compost material deep into the pile, just like you do when you add any new material to it. Covering the leaves will help the compost pile turn into soil quickly.
See if you need to add manure or a supplement to your compost. If you have a new compost pile, a supplement like bone meal or manure can help speed the compost process. These materials are rich in nitrogen, which is essential for the natural composting process.
Turn your compost pile every 4 or 5 days. Using a manure fork, mix the compost so that the material that was on the top is now shifted into the middle of the pile. Also try to bring some of the compost from the bottom up to the top of the pile. Turning is much easier when the leaves are shredded before they are put into the pile.
Consider putting a tarp over your compost pile during the late autumn and winter. This tarp will help keep heat in the compost pile and keep moisture out of it. You'll still need to turn the pile every week.
TIPS AND WARNINGS:
There's really no limit on how many leaves you can put in a compost pile. If you want to add all the leaves in your yard, you'll really need to shred them first and add a nitrogen supplement to them to be sure that they all turn into compost.
Save some of the shredded leaves to insulate your perennials during winter. Shredded leaves can also be saved and used as mulch in the spring.
Add a tall wire fence around your compost pile. You need to keep animals like skunks and raccoons out of your compost pile. A fence is especially important if you are putting food scraps in your pile.
Friday, October 31, 2025
Overwintering Coleus
Coleus is one of my favorite plants. I love to buy mixed variety seeds to get a great burst of color. Then I save the seeds from my favorite colors. That is the cheap way I grow my collection and get my favorite colors.
My featured article covers how to overwintering your coleus and everything else you want to know about the coleus plant. In my zone 9B garden, I don't have to worry about winter too much. For the occasional frost, I move the plants in containers in my carport where they are protected. My loss of plants is minimal unless we get an unusually cold winter. Then I just cover or move them.
Click here to go to the article from the blog This Is My Garden.
Friday, May 17, 2024
Thursday, May 2, 2024
Vegetables you should not grow together
Sunday, March 10, 2024
Friday, March 8, 2024
Sunday, March 3, 2024
What Happens When a Seed Germinates
Spring has sprung in Central Florida. As I opened the door to go outside this morning, the humidity hit me in the face. WOW it went from winter to spring really fast. Last week we were experiencing lows in the 40's with no humidity and now we are in high humidity with mid 80's during the day.
All that prompted me to head to Amazon and buy some seeds. Coleus and zinnias to begin with to bring some color into my boring property. We bought tomato and pepper seeds last year, but The Captain got sick and was in the hospital months before he passed away. Now I am left with finding ways to bring some pleasure and joy into my life. The color in the garden will do it for me so I can sit outside again as I used to enjoy nature.
So I have turned my attention to gardening on the internet. What I found today is an excellent article all about seed germination. Growing from seed is one of my favorite garden tasks. It is so satisfying!
Click here to go to the article.
I look forward to new posts on my new adventures this spring!
Friday, February 16, 2024
DIY Bubble Fountain
















