Too Hot? Too Cold? When Should I Plant These? Seed Starting Calendar
Spring is in full swing here in the Southern United States! Every big-box store is rolling out lovely new transplants in biodegradable pots. The glossy seed packet displays they’ve got up will make anyone eager to plant tomatoes, cucumbers, watermelons and more. Your region’s last frost date may have passed, but that doesn’t mean you […]
Why You Should Use Eggshells to Start Seeds
We’ve all seen the cute pics on Pinterest of seedlings in eggshells–but aside from cuteness, what’s the point? Eggshells as seed starters are actually really beneficial for your plants! Here’s why: They’re basically free, and a great way to reuse what you’ve already got. Once the seedlings are big enough to be planted, you just […]
Farm Pesticides in Drinking Water? How to Protect Yourself
Can you trust your municipal water source to filter out pesticides from tap water? It’s not likely. Just last week, a team of chemists and engineers at USGS and the University of Iowa found neonicotinoids in treated and filtered drinking water. While we’ve known since 2015 that neonicotinoids are present in over half of US river […]
Use Hot Peppers to Rid Your Garden of Stink Bugs and 3 Other Home Remedies
Halyomorpha halys, also known as brown marmorated stink bugs, have become a great headache for homeowners. These pests are half an inch long with an adult stink bug growing to be 1.7cm long, and have a shape that resembles a shield. Stink bugs mostly appear during the spring season, but are seen throughout the year […]
Salt, Vinegar, Eating, and Other Ways to Naturally Remove Weeds From Your Garden
Every Gardener knows the struggle of weeds invading their herbs, fruits, and veggies in their gardens. If you are using sprays to kill weeds, it’s important to know the damage herbicides actually cause. While most modern herbicides are designed and said to kill only plants and have little or no toxicity to humans, that is […]
A Simple Guide for Starting Difficult Seeds
Something I miss very much on my mountain here in Acapulco is the presence of a winter. Many consider coming from a cold temperate climate to be rough, but in all honesty after living in the subtropics for a over year I’ve come to the conclusion that a climate with a winter is much gentler. […]
The Tomato Leaf Myth: Debunking the Poisonous Lie
Have you ever heard that tomato leaves are poisonous!? What if I told you they not only aren’t poisonous but that they’re actually really tasty and medicinal! Like all vegetables, they contain alkaloids that help defend against overgrazing, but they aren’t the toxic menace they’ve been put off as! Nicotine and cocaine (not the street […]
Five Reasons to Get Naked in Your Garden
The 16th annual World Naked Gardening Day is coming up soon! Yes, #nakedgardeningday is a thing. You may now be wondering, why would anybody want to garden naked? Outside of skinny-dipping, gardening ranks as the top activity that people are willing to try in the nude. Here’s five reasons why you should try naked gardening this […]
Build a Barn Style Greenhouse With These Step By Step Instructions
If you live where winter temperatures are well below freezing, a greenhouse allows you to grow plants year-round. You can plant cool-weather fall and winter crops inside the greenhouse, such as lettuce or broccoli. All greenhouses have similar uses, whether they’re shaped like domes, A-frames or Quonset huts, constructed with plastic sheeting or glass and […]
Eleven Easy Ideas for Off-Grid Living
So you think you’ve got what it takes for off-grid living? Even if your home and land are not 100% off-grid yet, there’s still many quick, easy ways you can shift your choices toward off-grid living. Just simple things like how you decide to brush your teeth can be a choice between DIY sustainability or […]
Learn These Things for Off-Grid Living
Long before you live off-grid, you’ll need to rethink a few things about modern living, and learn a few new skills as well. Off-grid living comes with a decent learning curve. This is especially true when you’ve grown up in a place where everything you need is sold at a store 10 minutes away. Here’s […]
Dandelions are Food, Not Weeds – Make Salads, Teas and Help Save the Bees
Many gardeners and even your typical home owners view the dandelion as something that causes great trouble or suffering, when it actually provides many great benefits. Dandelions improve your soil’s health by helping break up the soil, creating tunnels for earthworms which are essential for healthy soil. Dandelions are so much more than a weed […]