How to Grow Garlic There are a number of cool weather crops, like kale or cauliflower, that grow during our normally mild Pacific Northwest winters (more cool season planting ideas), but my heart belongs to garlic. You plant it in early fall (September/October), harvest it in mid-summer (July), and do very little in between. If you are looking to ease into this green thumb stuff, garlic is a great way to do it. If you are interested in growing your own, here are a few simple steps & tips: Buy full heads of garlic I have heard that you want to buy local garlic so you have a guarantee it grows in your climate. Local farmers markets or Keep Reading
5 Simple Summer watering tips
Summer Watering Tips Who knew there could be a right and wrong way to water your garden?? Turn sprinkler on, get things wet, job done. Adulting feels complicated if there are rules to how and when to turn water on. Good news is that it doesn't have to be tricky! Here are a few simple tips to help you keep your plants alive, and your water bill low. Make a schedule Come up with a plan for watering your garden and check the weather ahead of time to make sure you aren’t watering when you don’t need to. There’s nothing more frustrating than watching the rain fall on your freshly watered garden. This is especially important if you have finicky Keep Reading
DIY Drip Irrigation System for Your Yard or Garden
DIY Drip Irrigation With beautiful weather in the forecast (and lots of time at home these days), my husband and I are planning to get our hands dirty and our garden planted. Several years ago, some green thumb friends of ours installed a drip irrigation system in their garden. They raved about how easy it was to set up and how effortless it was to use. As with most new things, I was skeptical. So, after thinking about it for, oh, two years, we finally took the plunge and installed our own backyard drip irrigation system. And guess what? Our friends were right. It was easy to set up and effortless to use. If you're looking for a project to Keep Reading
Spring Garden Planting Lists
When I say "gardening," I'm not talking about tilling up the acre behind the ol' homestead. Your garden may be a large plot or some containers on your apartment patio or a small herb pot on your kitchen counter. My garden is a couple of average-sized raised garden beds behind our home on a normal city lot. For several years now, it has provided my family of four with cheap produce and free entertainment. We grow a summer garden of tomatoes, herbs, garlic, onions, rhubarb, lettuce, beans, and cucumbers. My husband and I love the whole process. We still get a kick out of dropping a tiny seed in the ground and watching it grow into something edible. Keep Reading
Raised Garden Beds: How to create a non-toxic slug barrier
Get Rid of Garden Slugs Several years ago, I mentioned my battle against our backyard slug population. You responded with dozens of great ideas. One of them was using copper strips around planting areas which delivers an electrical shock to the slimy pests when they ooze over it. The idea of sending a "You aren't welcome here" message without using toxic chemicals definitely appealed to me. My husband read that zinc strips have been proven effective as well. Since zinc is significantly cheaper than copper, we decided to give it a shot. My husband picked up some rolls (nails are included) at our local home improvement store. It was priced at $25 Keep Reading
The Spring Garden: Easy, indoor kids activity
Easy Garden Activity for Kids I realize it may seem strange to be talking about gardening so early in the year. After all, we are still waking up to frosty mornings and drippy days. In the past, my husband and I have put in a summer garden, planting in May and harvesting through September. When fall rolls in, I pop garlic in the ground, clean up the beds, and call it a year. However, I have recently realized that I am missing out on some prime growing time. The growing season in our temperate Northwest climate could easily stretch from early spring to early winter. In fact, you can do today's activity without even setting foot outisde. This even Keep Reading
Planting tips for vegetable seeds and starts
Planting tips for vegetable seeds and starts Putting in a garden or planting a few small containers can be intimidating. No one wants to invest the time and money into a garden, only to be rewarded with seeds that don't come up or plants that shrivel up. If you are going to do this, you want to do it right. I totally get that. I grew up watching my grandpa grow a huge commercial garden. Acres of tomatoes and melons. I had a deep appreciation for thumping watermelons and picking cucumbers. When I was a kid, I learned by being my dad's sidekick in the garden. I loved the whole process -- planning the layout, choosing the seeds, planting, watering, Keep Reading