We are huge fans of composting! We have large bins in the back of our yard for leaves and yard waste, and we also have a compost tumbler and an electric countertop kitchen composter we use in the winter when it’s freezing out. Today we’re making…
Bamboo is one of my favorite things to use in the garden. It is prolific and very sustainable, meaning I don’t feel bad cutting it down and using it. I just don’t want it in my yard since it spreads so fast…but the good news for…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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,…
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…
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…
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…
Elephant ear plants are one of my favorite plants to decorate our patio with. I sometimes plant them in the ground, too—and they can get quite large! Regardless of whether you plant them in the ground or in pots, you’ll likely need to dig up your…
Learn how to dry or preserve eucalyptus branches I have an article all about how to care for potted eucalyptus that’s one of my most popular. I love growing eucalyptus in pots every year—and based on the number of emails I get about eucalyptus, you all…
Hi all! Today I’ve got an outdoor build for you—I’m sharing the steps for how I made an outdoor console table using a combination of wood and concrete pavers. I love using concrete pavers for outdoor builds to help keep them sturdy and to keep costs…
Today I am sharing all about how to hang flower pots on a fence, deck, or just about any other vertical wood surface—specifically how to hang terracotta flower pots. Terracotta flower pots are so cheap, easy to paint if you want to, and come in a…
Our DIY behind-the-sofa skinny console table…with power! I have yet to share a full post documenting the basement finishing project we took on. I have a lot of photos and content to sift through first! I did share a post on Our Review of the Flooret…
A step-by-step tutorial for preserving insects in resin There is a lot of overlap between bug people and plant people. I’m a plant people, but I am not a bug people. I am actually a bit squeamish about bugs, even the ones I know are beneficial….
I am really excited to share something a bit different today…a post about how to raise black swallowtail butterflies! Our focus this year has been largely on adding butterfly-friendly plants to the garden, so we’re swimming in caterpillars. Identification The black swallowtail—otherwise known as the eastern…
Today’s post really gets back to basics, because I’m walking you through how I start my seeds indoors. If you’re wanting to start gardening and starting some seeds, you might be a bit intimidated. I know I was. In this post, I’ll walk you through what…
How to grow gorgeous alocasia odora Alocasia odora is probably the first elephant ear plant I ever grew. It’s definitely a “gateway” elephant ear plant because it’s so easy to find in garden centers in nurseries. You’ll often find it either as a potted patio plant…
Today we’re talking about how to propagate basil from stem cuttings. It’s a super easy thing to do if you want to enjoy fresh basil for your whole growing season. And you can continue chopping and propping basil stem cuttings pretty much indefinitely, meaning you really…
Our DIY landscaping progress & a Vego beds review! I’m home from work and puttering around this week, reading and whatnot. I figured it’d be a nice time to go through some of my blogging backlog. And one of the things on my list was my…
This post was sponsored by Cricut. I’ll be honest—I have traditionally not loved working with stencils because I find it super hard to get clean paint lines. No matter how hard I try to paint carefully and how much tape I use to hold them in…
It’s been a while since I have designed something from scratch myself and made it! I am not terribly great at using the 3D modeling software SketchUp, but I am trying to get better at it. So I thought a potting bench would be the perfect…
We installed Flooret’s luxury vinyl plank flooring! I’ve been sharing progress on our partial basement finishing project via my Instagram stories for a few months now. After getting a quote for $57k to hire everything out, we decided to project manage it ourselves instead to save…
Today I am talking about one of my favorite plants to grow in my garden: ipomoea alba, otherwise known as moonflower vine. I absolutely adore this plant because I love anything vining and climbing. And I grew this plant in containers before I moved to our…
Can you paint vent covers so that they complement your wall colors better? Yes, you can! And it makes a huge difference. Learn the easy steps in this post. How to paint vent covers to match your walls Hey everyone! Today we’re getting back to some…
Hey all! Today’s article is all about a quick thrifty win we had recently. And it’s also the story of a couch. A once beloved couch turned old, stained, and ratty—but that I was able to transform into a brand new piece quickly and easily. When…
Use these modern buffet-style cubby storage plans to make the perfect storage that’s both functional and gorgeous! Designed to fit common-sized storage bins and boxes. I recently posted about a wall I’ve been slowly working on in our house. First we replaced the closet doors, then…
We are deep into yard work season over here, and I wanted to share a quick post on one of the delicious-smelling things I’m using to kill off weeds and grass: vinegar! Yes, I love the smell of vinegar. Reminds me of potato chips and fries….
Hey all! Today I have another product review for you. If you’ve been on Instagram or YouTube and gone down the gardening rabbit hole, you’ve probably encountered the GreenStalk vertical garden. It’s a quality product that solves a few problems many have. A lack of space for…
Hey all! I figured for today’s article I would take it back to some basics. Since we moved, I’ve been doing some thrifting and acquiring some new pieces for the house. And because this house was built in the 60s, it is perfect for older pieces….
One of my most popular posts is one about how to strip and finish tree branches to bring inside for decor. I did this post as a complement to my larger DIY cat tree made out of real branches project. Our cat tree is still going…
All about caring for Meyer lemon trees in pots Growing a Meyer lemon tree in our garden is something I’d wanted to do for years before finally getting one. Because it gets very cold where we live, we can’t have certain fruit trees in the ground….
This post shares my DIY above the door plant shelf as a solution to increase my space for plants and help to disguise a doorway without trim. I’m also sharing a few other updates we’ve made in the space, including replacing the bifold closet doors, painting…
Coming to Frederick, Maryland for some antiquing? I’m sharing the details about some of my favorite vintage, secondhand, and antique shops in Frederick! From big warehouses to smaller, more curated shops, there’s something for everyone. I feel like I am lucky to live in an area…
I’ve been writing a lot about some seasonal holiday plants. And today I’m writing about a plant that is lesser known than the poinsettia but produces lovely colorful flowers—cyclamen! Have you heard of it? Cyclamen is a genus of flowering plants in the family Primulaceae. They…
Learn how to care for your poinsettias and keep them looking beautiful all holiday season, and then learn how to make the re-bloom and turn red again next year! From watering to potting soil, my poinsettia care guide has you covered Today I am sharing a…
Looking for an unbiased Joybird sofa review? I bought the Denna single arm chaise in velvet Royale Gunmetal, and I’m providing my review of the ordering process, shipping, and the couch itself. I recently got our living room sofa from Article, an online furniture company. And…