Hose Reels and Hoses

One of my greatest frustrations in watering the garden was storing the hose on one of those side-of-the-house holders that you had to manually wrap. Talk about exhausting. Now, I have a really nice hose reel that I can move around and it makes storing, unrolling and rolling back up a breeze. Any avid gardener should make sure they buy a quality hose and a sturdy hose reel to make watering the garden a pleasure instead of a chore.

Hose Reels and Hoses

Cold Frame – Mini Greenhouse Cold Frames

Year round gardening is not only possible, it's easy! Have fresh veggies even in winter with a simple cold frame. Grow lettuce, greens, radishes, turnips and more - cold weather veggies don't mind the cold, but they usually don't handle frost. A cold frame allows you to grow while warming your plants in cold weather and keeping the frost off tender leaves. Buy or build a cold frame and start growing earlier in the Spring and all winter long!

Cold Frame – Mini Greenhouse Cold Frames

Fly Control for the Outdoors and Barns

We have had a huge horn fly problem in our barn and on our steer. The cattle will literally have a saddle of flies on their back and more down their legs and on their belly. We came up with some fantastic organic solutions to controlling these horrible biting flies (I got bit once and it was worse than a bee sting!). If fly control is a problem on your farm, or even around the house outdoors, check out these options for fly catchers, fly traps and other pesticide free methods of eliminating (or at least lessening) the population of flies around your home and barn.

Fly Trap Fly Control Fly Catcher

Well Water Quality

Well Water Quality

Quality well water is something I desperately want for our farm. We do have a well, but the submersible pump broke, and we don't have a manual well water pump. Also, when it was working, the water was tainted with iron and iron-eating bacteria. Harmless except it turned everything orange. If we do get it up and running again soon, I want to install a manual well pump in addition to the electrical well pump and we'll have to put a filter on it so it doesn't turn all of my organic vegetables orange!

Sugar Snap Peas and Snow Peas

Sugar Snap Peas and Snow Peas

Growing Sugar Snap Peas is one of my absolute favorite early Springtime "chores". They are easy to plant and they are the one veggie that all THREE of my boys will eat. "Green Candy", we call them. A lot of folks don't know what they are, and so at the farmer's market, we give out samples and the looks on people's faces when they taste that sweet yumminess is a real thrill. I just wish I could grow them all summer!

Wildflower Meadows – How to Grow a Wildflower Meadow

Wildflower Meadows – How to Grow a Wildflower Meadow

The new farm we are moving to has a HUGE yard between the house and the road. I have zero desire to mow or maintain it, so this year, we will be planting a wildflower meadow. Click the link above to learn why a wildflower meadow is the most environmentally green, cost-effective, low maintenance way to landscape your yard.

Garden Kneelers – How Choose and Buy a Garden Kneeler

This year, we had to purchase a new garden kneeler since the previous one was (ahem) left out in the rain, snow and other inclement weather. It got a bit beat up, but we absolutely needed a new one. Getting up and down from a garden kneeler pad can be really difficult, but the garden kneelers we prefer are bench style and flip over to become a seat. They are super easy to get up and down with and I can't imagine working in the garden without mine.

Garden Kneelers – How Choose and Buy a Garden Kneeler

Growing Peppers – How to Grow Peppers

Latest Article with Information on How to Grow Peppers

Growing Peppers – How to Grow Peppers

Baby Nubian Goats!

Yesterday, my baby nubian goats were born!  A friend of mine has nubian goats and she told me that if she had two girls, I could buy them and she had another person who wanted a nubian wether if there was a boy.  Well guess what?  Two girls and a boy!  Triplets!  They are so darling, I just can't stand it.  I get to see my girls today for the first time and I cannot wait!  More to come on my nubian goats (not yet named).

Organic Gardening - How to Organic Garden

Are you dedicated to keeping your food and garden chemical free?  Are you looking for organic alternatives to chemical pesticides and herbicides?  Look no further - organic gardening is my specialty and I can help you learn to grow organically in your home garden.

First, you have to commit to the idea that growing an organic garden is a little tougher and requires a bit more planning than your average chemical-soaked traditional garden.  There's a higher learning curve to organic gardening, but the payoffs are well worth it.  So throw out your pesticides, herbicides and whatever other synthetic junk you've been spraying and dusting your garden with.  We're organic gardening now!

The way I garden organically involves these simple principles:

• Plan, plan, plan!  Make your garden work for you so you don't have to work so hard!  Use an organic gardening journal to keep track of your progress.
• Companion plant!  Learn which plants help their neighbors grow and which plants make horrible companions.  Companion planting is a great way to keep pests away, draw beneficial insects and improve organic garden growth.
• Prevent rather than react!  If you can keep a problem from happening, you won't be scrambling trying to react, spending more time than you have.  Prevent pests, squash weeds' ability to grow and your garden will virtually be automated.
• Buy heirloom seeds and plants to save seeds from year to year and save money while preserving heritage seeds.

This Organic Gardening blog will give you tips and tricks for organic gardening.  Follow me and we'll grow organically together!