Certain herbs can give you the extra kick you need to reduce stress, maintain optimal health and make your life just a little bit more exciting? Well, here’s the short of an article I found. . .
Continue Reading Add comment February 19th, 2007
My sister came to visit us in the end of September, and it was a bit cold outside so we decided to start a campfire.
Jeff purchased this handy metal campfire holder earler.
Most people would gather up a a bunch of paper and wood and get some matches (or go to Fatwood Firestarters - Plow & Hearth) - but not Jeff. He just got the ole Propane Torch out and proceded to do it the FAST way! I would say “don’t try this at home, but it actually works pretty well - just be CAREFUL!
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Add comment February 10th, 2007
Yes, sage, thyme, oregano, parsley, spearmint, peppermint, and wornwood are perennial herbs and can all be winterized.
All you need to do is wait for the first frost. Then, after the frost, trim away any browned and dead stems and mulch lightly around, but not over the plants.
If you have snow, don’t worry, that’s a good thing! Snow acts as an insulator and protects plants from excessive cold, so keep the snow cover on the plant when you get it. In the spring, just remove any winter damage and carefully get rid of any debris that has blown in and become wedged in the plants.
Then just sit back and watch them grow again!
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Add comment October 26th, 2006
As summer comes to an end, it’s sad to see all of those tomatoes on the plant that aren’t ripe yet, and whenever I pick them green, they don’t seem to ripen very well in the house.
So, I went looking and found this secret to getting them to ripen. Here’s what you do:
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And then again, you could always make Fried Green Tomatoes. Here’s one of the easier recipes I found:
30 min 20 min prep
4 medium tomatoes
1 cup cornmeal
2 tablespoons bacon drippings
salt and pepper
1. Cut the tomatoes into thick slices and sprinkle with the salt and pepper.
2. Roll the tomato slices in the corn meal until both sides are covered.
3. Heat the bacon drippings in a frying pan and add the tomatoes.
4. Fry slowly until golden brown.
This way, you can enjoy ALL of your tomatoes!
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Add comment October 1st, 2006
At our house, Jeff is the “King of Gardening,” and I seem to have been given the title of “Queen Bug Killer!”
We don’t have many bugs, but the wasps drive me crazy! They love to come over and visit as we are trying to enjoy our bar-b-q’d meals outside. They especially love seafood – it’s impossible to eat salmon outside without at least three wasps showing up for dinner.
I have those little yellow wasp catcher devices all over the place, and they seem to work, but I guess grilled salmon is much more attractive than whatever I put into the wasp catcher.
Anyway, Jeff was at the store the other day and found another device. One that we could use to instantly ZAP those wasps (and any other bug) that wanted to join us for dinner.
It’s called a BugZapper, and is not for the faint of heart. Basically, you touch the bug with this tennis racket looking thing, and the bug is instantly electrocuted (we usually do this after we get done eating). This thing uses two small AA batteries, and kills mosquitoes, flies, gnats, (wasps are a little big, but it stuns them enough so we can get rid of them).
Now for the reason I’m writing this story. Jeff gave me the bug zapper, I read the directions, and told him how to use it.
Now, what’s the first thing a man will do when given a small electrocution device that he can hold in his hands – even if his wife tells him not to touch the metal wires. . .
He touches the metal wires!
OUCH! He touched the wires – thinking that the two little batteries couldn’t have that much power. WRONG - The BugZapper gave him a pretty good ZAP, nothing that would knock a person out or anything, but more than you would think for a small device like that (it’s just a little worse than that lightening reaction game where you get zapped if you’re the last one to let go of the handle)
Curiosity got the best of Jeff, and so did the BugZapper 
I’m going to stick to using it on wasps, it’s kind of a fun “toy,” and it makes me laugh when I remember the look on Jeff’s face when he got zapped!
If you want to have some cheap fun with your bugs, go here and do a search for: Tennis Racket Bug Zapper.
Get the Free Book: “Your Guide to a Successful and Beautiful Garden” at http://www.squarefootgardeningtips.com
Add comment September 17th, 2006
Did you know there was a process for storing potatoes?
I remember when my parents had what we called a root cellar in South Dakota. It was really just a hole in the ground where we stored canned things (like pickles, jelly, potatoes, etc.) until we were ready to eat them.
One year the potatoes got a sweet taste to them, they were still edible, but they didn’t exactly taste like potatoes! We thought they froze in the cellar, but what really happened is that we put them into storage too soon.
When you store potatoes – first, make sure they are fully mature in the ground. Dig them up after 2 to 3 weeks after the tops die down to give skins time to build up some protection. After you dig them up, brush off any excess dirt, then allow them to set for about 2 weeks at a temperature of about 45 degrees, with good circulation.
After all of this, you can store them all winter in a cool, dark location (like a root cellar or basement), but make sure there is plenty of air circulation in the storage area.
Good Luck! And may you never have to eat sweet white potatoes!
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Add comment September 6th, 2006
Hello,
The basil Jeff planted is going gangbusters! Each plant grew into a nice leafy basil provider and now we have basil coming out of our ears! I was wondering how to save some of it, and thanks to a tip I received in a newsletter, now I know. I’ll just freeze it!
All you need to do is chop up the leaves, pack them into an ice cube tray, and cover it with water. Then freeze. After they’re frozen, you can move them into a freezer bag.
Now I won’t have to spend money on those little packets of frozen herbs; I’ll have it right at my fingertips.
Be sure to get your Fall Bulbs now, you will want to plant them soon.
Get the Free Book: “Your Guide to a Successful and Beautiful Garden” at http://www.squarefootgardeningtips.com
Add comment August 24th, 2006
Our tomato plants are HUGE this year. They’re planted in containers, with the usual tomato fence around them and they’re doing great. Jeff waters with a little miracle grow about once a week, and he makes sure they get water every day. They will let you know when they’re dry by looking very wilty. Tomatoes need a lot of sun, so if you have them in containers, be sure to water them every day and yours could look like this too!
So far, we have eaten the red ones as soon as they appear, YUM! I Love homegrown tomatoes, they actually taste like tomatoes, not like water, like the store bought ones.
I’m not sure if tomatoes have the same problem as peppers, but I have heard some people complaining that their peppers rot before they get ripe. If this happens, you might want to get more sunlight to them. Peppers need a long, warm season to mature, so if you use a dark colored mulch to absorb the heat during the daytime you will be one step ahead. Peppers need about 8-10 hours of direct sunlight each day. I think tomatoes need the same, ours get sunlight in the morning, and then constantly until about 4:00 p.m. If you don’t have enough heat, try attaching some tinfoil to a board, and then nailing it to a stick (kind of like a sign). Put this by the plant, making the sun bounce off the tinfoil and onto the plant.
Water both tomatoes and peppers from below, being careful not to get too many leaves wet.
If you follow these simple steps, you should have a great harvest! If you’ve never had a great harvest, you might want to try Gardners Supply Tomato Success method. Just click on the picture below for more info.
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Add comment August 15th, 2006
When the summer sun starts beating down, some people think that it’s the perfect time to start pruning, but that’s not the case. As the temperature rises, plants actually grow slower, so there’s not as much need for fertilizer, or pruning. In fact, if you prune when it’s too hot, the plant might get sun burnt from too much exposure to the hot sun.
Also, when you do fertilize, water your plants first, and then put the fertilizer on. This prevents burning the roots because the first water that you put onto a dry plant goes right through the soil and to the bottom of the plants roots. If you are using liquid or crystal fertilizer (like Miracle Grow), only use half of the recommend amount. The manufactures directions are usually a lot more than your plant really needs, but it will keep you coming back to the store for more!
Get the Free Book: “Your Guide to a Successful and Beautiful Garden” at http://www.squarefootgardeningtips.com
Add comment July 30th, 2006
I mentioned before in a previous post that South Dakota was going through a drought. The other day they got up to 120 degrees! I guess I’ll stop complaining that Seattle has not been up to 80 degrees since June and enjoy our “cool” 75 degree weather.
My Mom’s funny though, she calls the yard her blond lawn now – everything is dying, except for the cactus like desert plants and sticker bushes, which have now decided to take over – the dogs are full of them! She also told me that it’s so dry that the Fire Trucks have to get their water out of the Lagoon! For those of you who don’t know, the Lagoon is where the town wastewater sits and ferments until it is processed and clean enough to be drained into other places (not usually fire trucks though). It really is sad, it’s been about 8 years since they’ve had any water. If you’re a prayer, please pray for rain in South Dakota.
She also told me that the farmers have started to feed their chickens ice chips. I thought this was to keep them cool, but then she told me it was to keep them from laying BOILED EGGS! HAA Haaaaa Haa! That one is not true, of course, but it shows that at least people can keep their sense of humor in hard times.
If this keeps up, I’ll have to send her some Accents for her Garden, since there won’t be much else there. A birdfeeder might be nice. . .
Take care, hope you’re all enjoying summer wherever you are.
Get the Free Book: “Your Guide to a Successful and Beautiful Garden” at http://www.squarefootgardeningtips.com
Add comment July 18th, 2006
