I cut lettuce, Swiss chard, sage, dill, cilantro and parsley from the garden. I used water from waiting for the shower to warm to water seedlings in the garden. I also used water from boiling eggs (I let it cool first) and from steaming chard to water potted plants in the garden. I gave both…
Spring is here. My Dorsett Golden apple tree, the first to blossom in the garden, is in full bloom. I bought manure for the garden at the nursery, using a $10 off $50 coupon at the nursery, plus a gift card (many thanks to the anonymous reader who surprised me with that!) We’ve found that…
Spring has come early this year. The first daffodil will open this morning in the garden, weeks earlier than usual. The broccoli is tiny because of it. I harvested 3 small heads of broccoli last week. I will have to be certain to plant it earlier in the fall to ensure large heads in the…
Lettuce: Four Seasons, aka Merveille de Quatre Seasons, with Italian Parsley This month I plan to continue to restock items in the pantry that are low. After discussing our food needs, we have decided to buy more beans. As meat prices have continued to climb, we are eating beans more often, and I will…
I cut beet greens, lettuce, green onions, leeks, Swiss chard, dill, thyme and parsley from the garden. I dug beets from the garden. I planted more seeds in the garden, including many that I collected from my garden last year. I covered seeds that came up with jars to help them grow more quickly in…
For a gift for a neighbor’s party, I wanted to bring over some flowers. Unfortunately, there aren’t a lot of flowers in my garden right now. I made an arrangement with cuttings from several different plants, and three flowers: one rose, one rosebud, and a bit of stock. I made it to Sam’s Club,…
I cut Swiss chard from the garden almost every day last week. All of it grew from self-seeding in the garden. I cut celery twice from the garden. This is celery that has regrown from planting celery bottoms from the store. It’s mostly leaves, which is just fine for seasoning soups. I ordered seeds last…
January is a busy time in the garden for me. A month before my last frost date, it’s time to prune fruit trees, prune roses, trim hedges, fertilize the garden, plant seeds, and even harvest (I have several things big enough to eat in the garden right now, including chard, leeks, beets, green onions, parsley,…
While most of the United States experienced a really cold week, for us, the weather turned warmer on Wednesday. I turned off the heater, and even opened the windows for a few hours to let in some fresh air. Warmer weather made it perfect for planting. Even though we can still get a frost for…
I harvested French Breakfast radishes from the garden. I cut the roses before a frost came and brought them in, I took more jars outside to cover the lettuce seedlings that had just come up. This protected them from frost and will help them to grow more quickly. I used old, worn sheets to cover…
Twenty one years ago, I woke up one January morning to a huge earthquake and my mother screaming for me to get out of bed. My family was unprepared for the 1994 Northridge, California earthquake. I was grateful that we didn’t lose water in our town, as my parents didn’t have any stored–and grateful that…
This post contains a referral link and an affiliate link. You can read my disclosure policy here. I’ve decided to increase our budget $25 a month to $300. This amount includes non-food items like toilet paper, shampoo, etc. We are a family of 9. Several readers have asked me what I will do about…