Bolting to Dollars
Save time, money and effort this summer by letting your plants bolt
Air tubes run along the metal frame
Brewing Compost Tea
Last week we got up close and personal with compost, or more specifically the microbes in compost. Now that we've determined that our compost is biologically active and suitable for brewing compost tea, we took the plunge. Earlier this year we received a compost tea brewer as a gift (and a great one at that - thanks Mom and Dad!). The brewer pumps air bubbles into the water to keep it oxygenated and promote the growth of the right kind…
Colors pop and flavors explode when combining green beans, eggplant and the garlic/onion/ginger mixture
Recipe: Eggplant Stir-fry with Green Beans and Cashews
It's eggplant time, so it's time to decide which side you're on: love it or hate it. If you're at all squeamish about the texture of eggplant (like yours truly) you'll want to try this recipe that does an excellent job of masking the vegetable's inherent sliminess. It appeared recently in Vegetarian Times magazine and it is proving to be a reputation-building recipe for dear old eggplant. We happened to have harvested several Japanese eggplant and a handful of green…
Summer Pruning
Prune your fruit trees to prevent vertical growth and for a better harvest
A bacterial-eating nematode
Up Close and Personal with Compost
Nerd Alert: this blog post may cause irrational desire to look at compost under a microscope. Ever since I took Alane Weber's compost immersion workshop last year, I have been trying out the techniques I learned to make better compost. In our test garden, we've been building Active Batch Thermal compost piles as well as cold compost piles (slowly adding material over time) with plenty of water and a good balance of carbon and nitrogen materials. The results look good,…
Aeroponics for the Home: Growing Without the Mess of Soil
By now you've probably heard of aquaponics and hydroponics--growing plants in water instead of soil. This week we have an interesting post from a guest blogger who explores aeroponics (growing plants in air and water). Our guest Linda Bailey is from housekeeping.org. She is a Texas-based writer who loves to write about housekeeping, green living, home décor, and more. She welcomes your comments at b.lindahousekeeping @ gmail.com. Take it away Linda... Aeroponics for the Home Do you want a garden…
Repurposed Container Gardens
Discover ways to repurpose household items and more into containers for your garden
Re-purpose any container as a planter
ReStore / Repurpose a Garden Planter
We usually leave crafts to Martha Stewart, but this week we were invited to teach a class at the Habitat for Humanity ReStore to show people how to turn just about anything into a garden planter. It's simple, just think outside the planter box. A walk down the isles of Habitat's ReStore was all it took to find household items that could be repurposed as a container. This amazing organization removes construction materials from homes as they are being demolished…
Summer Buckwheat
Plant Summer Buckwheat to prepare your garden's soil for Fall planting
First time growing this heirloom squash
Summer Garden Virtual Tour
Our summer garden is growing strong, and since we've posted about new varieties and projects earlier in the season, I thought I'd post an update to share how things are going. We've seen successes and failures this year, but that hasn't stopped us from harvesting the bounty this summer. Take a look: Sure we have leaf miners and powdery mildew, but the Lakota squash is still beautiful and interesting in a summer garden. Our Poona Kheera cucumbers developed this amazing…