How to compost at home I love keeping a backyard compost bin. It's like magic. You dump in a bunch of waste, wave your wand/shovel, and voila! Out comes beautiful, rich soil loaded with beneficial nutrients and packed with earthworms. I think of it like frugal fertilizer; plants are crazy about it. Compost improves the soil's structure and moisture retention, while slowly releasing into the soil to boost the plant's growth and ability to fight diseases. However, if there was an award for World's Laziest Composter, I would be in serious medal contention. I love the results of a backyard compost bin, but I don't have the time or desire to make Keep Reading
Fall Fun at Bauman’s Farm & Garden {Gervais, Oregon}
My parents visited Bauman's Farm and Gardens in Gervais, Oregon, (outside Woodburn) for the first time several months ago. They loved it and proceeded to rave about how much we would too. I couldn't take it any longer; I had to see this place for myself. My husband and I packed up our two kiddos, along with my mom serving as tour guide, and made the trip towards the end of September. How have I lived in Oregon most of my life and never been to Bauman Farms?! I loved this place every bit as much as my mom. If the giggling, shrieking, running, and jumping was any indication, our kids did, too. It is packed with events and activities that will Keep Reading
Spring Gardening in the Pacific Northwest
This is a re-post from a previous year. Spring Gardening in the Pacific NW As I walked through my favorite local nursery last weekend, it took every last ounce of willpower to hold back. That place turns me into a crazy person. All the plants! All the possibility! I settled on some kale and lettuce starts and three packets of seeds: beets, carrots, peas. The broccoli and sweet onions were calling my name. Strawberries! Kohlrabi! Cauliflower! So many plants, so little time. I was proud of my restraint. My goal was to buy only what I had time to plant in one afternoon. The benefit of walking through a local growing center is that it will Keep Reading
Inspiration for a beginning gardener
This is an updated guest post by Mavis from OneHundredDollarsAMonth.com. Previously posted in 2012. We all know cheap, processed food can be picked up for free {or nearly free} with the help of coupons. When it comes to inexpensive fresh produce, that’s another story. If you have never planted a garden before and want to give it a try, I suggest starting with a few seed packets of vegetables your family enjoys. When my kids were younger {and I had just began to garden} we grew things like strawberries, beans, peas, pumpkins and carrots. As my children grew older and I gained more experience, I started growing tomatoes, onions, beets and Keep Reading
Pacific Northwest Raised Bed Gardening: May planting
Pacific Northwest Raised Garden Beds Last weekend, I came down with a serious case of Garden Fever. It happens every May. I can't be bothered with trivial things like dinner (pancakes) or laundry (There are six clean loads piled in my family room at this moment. You want clean underwear, kids? Start digging.). All I can think about is planning, purchasing, and putting plants in the ground. I spend every free minute in the garden until every last vegetable seed and start is nice & comfortable in their new digs. This year I got the kids involved and spread it out over three days. Growing food in your own backyard is seriously the Keep Reading
Raised garden beds in the Pacific Northwest — July update
Gardening in the Pacific Northwest Back in early June, I filled my raised garden beds with seeds and starts. What a difference two months makes. The beds are bursting with plants, and I walk through my little garden each morning bursting with... something. Pride? Joy? Love? Maybe it's some weird combination of all three. That seems silly. They are plants, for Pete's sake. But they're my plants. These green babies that I brought home as tiny little things and tucked into bed and took care of every day. Sniff. They grow up so fast. People obsess about stranger things... right? So, here's a July tour of my little outdoor pride and joy: my raised bed Keep Reading
Growing plants in the Pacific NW: Emily’s garden tour
Gardening in the Pacific NW Several years ago, I was reading a home design magazine that advised you to think about what makes you happy and decorate your space accordingly. Is it the beach? Go with cool blues. An ice cream shop? Bright, happy pops of color. Wild animals? Get your leopard print on. For me, it's green. I feel happiest when I am surrounded by green. I think I live in the right place. Which also explains why, when my sticky children are eating breakfast and arguing about which plate color is superior, I sometimes slip out the back door to stand in the middle of my garden. I pull a few weeds, water the basil, check the berries. Mostly Keep Reading