How to Start a Vegetable Garden

Today I’m talking about 7 easy beginner-friendly houseplants that you probably haven’t heard of. Because these beginner-friendly lists always have the same plants on them! One of the plants I’m spotlighting starts with an X, and I had to look up how to properly say the name several times 🙂 And I’ll probably still butcher …

Today we’re talking about the right way to water your houseplants. I know—it sounds like something so easy that it doesn’t need a tutorial to explain it. But it’s entirely possible you’re watering your houseplants wrong if you’re just getting started. And that’s because there is a massive difference between overwatering, which is something you’re …

I love a simple salad with olive oil as the dressing. And although I really enjoy infused olive oils from a fancy place near where I live, it can get expensive! So sometimes I like to make my own infused olive oil at home. Especially rosemary-infused olive oil. I love the taste and smell of …

Hey all! A few months ago I wrote about choosing a vinyl privacy fence over a standard wooden privacy fence. The fence is gorgeous, easy to keep clean, and doesn’t have any gaps between the slats. But one thing I do miss about having a wooden fence is being able to easily drill into the …

Today we’re making an herbal salt scrub! I got the idea to make this scrub when I got a sugar scrub for Christmas and noticed it had dried rosemary in it. I love making salt scrubs and have a ton of rosemary and lavender in my garden. So I decided to dry a few sprigs …

Today we’re talking all about how to dry lavender…without using a dehydrator! I have been on the hunt for a solid secondhand dehydrator for a few months now and haven’t found one yet. We downsized ours when we moved to this house, and I kind of regret the convenience of it. But, never fear! If …

Hi all! It’s been about 8 months since our sunroom project finished up. And I finally feel ready to share it. It’s been slow-going in our new house…but all in all, I think we’ve made some great progress in the year we’ve been here! Here are a few home-related projects I’ve shared about the new …

Hi all! Today we’re talking about drying rosemary cuttings from the garden without using a dehydrator. I love, love, love growing rosemary—perennial varieties look great all year, and it’s one of my favorite scents. We downsized some of our kitchen stuff when we moved a few years ago, though, so we don’t currently have a …

This article contains affiliate links Shopping for garden tools can be overwhelming. What is worth it, and what isn’t? What will last? A lot of the answers to those questions will be based on personal preference, and this article is certainly my personal preference. But I’ve used a lot of tools and garden-related things, and …

It’s time for another garden tour! I did a quick little fall garden tour a few months ago, and before I knew it, it was Christmas! I did this tour around Christmas in Maryland zone 7A—so squarely in winter! We’re seeing temperatures down into the 20s and even teens some nights with typical yo-yo daytime …

Have you ever gotten a seed catalog in the mail?? There’s nothing like getting a beautiful seed catalog in the mail to make you drop some serious cash on seeds. But over the years, I have narrowed down some of the things I like to grow and the places I like to get seeds from. …

Hey all! Today we’re covering how to winter sow seeds in jugs. Well—you can use other stuff like takeout containers with clear plastic lids or clear plastic clam shell salad containers. But I’m using old mild jugs for mine because we always have them. Winter sowing seeds is a great way to efficiently start seeds …

Hey all! Today I am adding another hoya to my hoya care guide arsenal—the hoya obovata. One of my favorite plants in my whole collection! The obovata’s thick, flat, round, succulent-like leaves make it truly stand out. Each leaf is deep green with a gray/whitish “splash” variegation on them. It climbs and vines, making it …

I have been on a fall bulb kick at the new house. I’ve done articles on How to Grow Allium, How to Grow Hyacinth, and How to Plant Tulips. I’m looking forward to seeing them sprout in the spring—but for now, I have indoor bulbs to tide me over. While you can force many bulbs …

Hey there! Today we’re talking about how to extend the growing season by using low tunnels and mini hoop houses 🙂 Also referred to as grow tunnels (and similar to cold frames), low tunnels use a semi-circle frame and either frost cloth or some sort of plastic sheeting to protect crops you’re growing. They work …

Hey all! Today I’m sharing all about my experience with the Gardyn 4.0, a completely hydroponic indoor gardening system designed to help you grow fresh produce at home. Huge thanks to the folks at Gardyn for sending me a Gardyn 4.0 to review! I’d actually gotten a chance to see one of these gorgeous growing …

If you use a lot of potting soil when gardening, you know that you can end up spending a lot of money very quickly when buying it in bags. But buying the ingredients separately and mixing up big batches isn’t hard—and it can save you some money! Especially if you find raised bed soil on …

Want to grow food or ornamental plants instead of grass? Me too! But the first step to doing that is getting rid of your grass and preparing the soil. Sure, you can dig the grass out…but I don’t recommend it. Why? Well, it’s a lot of work, it’s less sustainable, and it doesn’t do anything …

Catmint is one of my favorite perennials. Its hardy, mounding growth makes it a solid choice for filling in areas under taller plants—or just for ground cover in general. And its small flowers are highly attractive to beneficial pollinators. It’s part of the genus Nepeta, and its leaves have a slight minty fragrance because Nepeta …

I don’t want to think about how much money I’ve spent on leaf compost as a gardener. Why? Well, because we don’t have many trees! And the few trees we do have…I just leave the leaves where they fall to decompose. But not everyone can do that. Some people live in neighborhoods with by-laws requiring …

My wife has been putting in lots of new garden beds, so we’ve been thinking through how to best and most efficiently water them. Cue: irrigation! She sent me down a rabbit hole for today’s project—our DIY solar-powered rain barrel irrigation system. Last summer my big project was setting up our DIY Smokeless Fire Pit. …

Marigolds are some of my absolute favorite annuals to have around the garden. They grow in a variety of soils, don’t need a ton of water, and come in vivid shades of orange and yellow. As a bonus, they are great pest repellants. Their distinct, strong scent is what helps repel pests. It’s a scent …

Today we’re talking through planting our mini orchard in our backyard. One of the things I always hear from people who are looking to expand their gardens and increase their self-sufficiency is to plant more fruit trees. So how that we’re somewhere with a little yard, we decided to get some trees in the ground. …

Let’s walk through how to dig up & cure sweet potatoes! In our back garden update this year, I wrote about converting a 15×15 patch of grass to growing space, primarily to grow asparagus. But we had a third row that was up for grabs, and I decided to do sweet potatoes. I find that …

The new in-ground beds we put in this year are putting in some serious work…the first two rows are for asparagus, but I’ve been doing greens and fava beans between those plants. The third row had sweet potatoes in it. But now that I’ve dug those up, it’s time to plant my garlic cloves! I’m …

Learn how to grow lavender from stem cuttings! I recently did a tutorial on how to propagate rosemary, and today’s post is similar! We’re talking all about how to propagate lavender from stem cuttings. I love the smell of lavender and find that it’s extremely easy to grow. It doesn’t require much pruning, it throws …

Learn how to save asparagus seeds from your plant! One of the greatest surprises in our little asparagus patch was realizing we had a female plant. Some aren’t big fans of female asparagus plants because they generally don’t produce as much or live as long as male asparagus plants (source). But they do produce asparagus …

Yarrow (Achillea millefolium) is one of my favorite perennials. It has feathery green foliage and produces clusters of bright flowers that bloom from late spring into fall. Pollinators love the flowers, too—I have yarrow in my roundup of plants that attract beneficial insects in the garden! I also love it because it’s low-maintenance, and once …

What I’m growing this fall in Maryland Zone 7A! Hello hello! Welcome to the first-ever tour of my fall garden! It isn’t my first fall garden…just the first time I’ve documented it. Because you don’t have to stop growing just because it’s fall 🙂 As I write this post on November 5th, we still have …

We have been absolutely loving our greenhouse—but the first winter with our greenhouse means that we have to figure out how we want to heat it! We’re in Maryland zone 7A, which means it can get very cold during the winter here. We’re approaching heating the greenhouse conservatively—I don’t want a huge power bill, nor …

Learn how to propagate sage from stem cuttings! Sage is one of those plants that you either love or hate the smell of. While I don’t eat a ton of sage, I love the smell of it! And I love growing perennial sage in my garden because it looks great for a large portion of …

Learn how to save malabar spinach seeds! Have you heard of malabar spinach? It’s a staple in my garden these days since it’s a wonderful spinach alternative that loves hot, humid weather. Unlike traditional spinach, which will bolt and go to seed at the first hint of heat, malabar spinach thrives! It’s also prolific in …

How to propagate rosemary from stem cuttings Rosemary is one of my favorite perennial herbs to have around the garden. The plants are prolific and look beautiful all year. Learn how to take cuttings from existing rosemary plants to turn into new ones through the power of propagation! Supplies you’ll need Step 1: Take a …

Here’s what we’ve done in the garden this season! Every year I do an update about the changes we’ve made in the garden. This is our third update for this house—here are the first two: And for year 3…well, we really went off the deep end. I thought it was going to be a chill …

If you’ve been hanging around to witness my plant adventures over the years, you probably know that building a greenhouse is truly a dream come true for me. That’s right—we bought the 9×6 Willow model greenhouse from Backyard Discovery! It’s perfect for us, our needs, and our space. And I did a ton of research …

Learn what causes gnats & how to get rid of them! If you have any houseplants, you have probably dealt with fungus gnats. Fungus gnats are teeny tiny black flying insects that are attracted to wet potting soil. My plants are 100% gnat free. Through trial and error, I have developed a personal toolkit of …

All about the gorgeous Scindapsus treubii moonlight! Let’s talk about one of my favorites! If you’re looking to add an interesting new plant to your collection, then the scindapsus treubii ‘moonlight’ might be a good choice. The moonlight’s leaves are milky green with a silver sheen, making them stand out among your other green-leaf plants. …

How to care for holiday cacti…and get blooms! Today we’re talking about holiday cacti, including the Thanksgiving cactus and the Christmas cactus. My Thanksgiving cactus started as a cutting from my own grandmother’s plant, so it’s a really special plant in my collection. Christmas and Thanksgiving cacti can live very long lives, often being passed …

How to help the ric rac cactus thrive! I ordered my first ric rac cactus online many years ago—it’s such a cool-looking plant and was on my wish list for a while. You might hear it called a ton of different names: the fishbone cactus, the zig-zag cactus, or even an orchid cactus. It’s a …

How to care for the unique string of turtles! Have you had a chance to see a string of turtles plant in person? This plant has become very trendy in the last few years, and for good reason. It looks really cool, but it’s a peperomia—peperomia prostrata—which means it’s pretty easy to care for, too! …