This contemporary farmhouse was designed by Holder Design Associates and Summit Professional Builders, located in Napa Valley, California.
Use this Vegetarian Lunch Box Ideas free printable list to help you plan school lunches. Just pick and choose from each of the categories.
A bounty of colorful lunch boxes filled with protein-packed mains and lots of fruit and veggies.
These raised Garden boxes are easy to build and great for those of us that just can't get down on the ground any longer. These would make a wonderful present for your mother or grandmother. You can build three for nearly the price of one, I have 6 for myself and absolutely love them. Do not us Treated Lumber. This will defeat the purpose of having a healthy garden and healthy vegetable. So don't skimp here. You can follow my adventures at www.handywomanshop.blogspot.com
It’s been about six weeks since we planted and seeded the bulk of our summer vegetables and things are coming along nicely. Despite setbacks from slugs and pests, the bulk…
… ripe for the picking We’ve got your least favorite for your most favorite. Gift your mother the veg you prodded for hours after dinner. She still imagines broccoli in your mouth when you make bridge club cameos and talk politics. Thank her for her resilience. Stuff a Limoges box with a handwritten note and gummies. Buy 3 or 5 to fill your market basket. Design luminaries will call it a collection. Part of our collection, "The Whole Market."
These healthy vegan bento box ideas and recipes for lunch will make sure that you or your kiddos never go hungry or have to buy junk food! A ton of delicious and plant-based ideas you can make for work, school or road trips.
I don't claim to be a gardening guru, but I have been gardening seriously for well over 25 years now, so I have picked up a little wisdom along the way... I know that at this time of year some people will be acting upon their New Year Resolutions, one of which may involve a foray into self-sufficiency, sustainability, eating more healthily, growing one's own food, etc, so in this post I'm going to offer a few tips for anyone setting out to start their own first Veg Plot . 1. Before you start, take a look round and see what other people have done. Read some gardening books (get them from your Library if you don't own them yourself); visit some websites; read some blogs; look for something that inspires you - and then copy it, or at least use it as your guide. One such resource is the website of my friend David Offutt, the Gastronomic Gardener, who is running a series of articles on starting-up your own garden, which will provide you with some useful initial advice. 2. Size matters! Think very carefully about how big your veg plot is going to be. Gardening is not necessarily hugely time-consuming, but there is no point in starting a massive plot if you are only going to be able to devote an hour a week to looking after it. It's probably best to start small - maybe with just one raised bed or a few containers or something - and expand later if you enjoy the hobby. 3. Don't be in too much of a hurry. I know most people will be just itching to get some seeds sown, but it really is best to prepare your ground first, and delay sowing until everything else is ready. If your new veg-plot is "virgin soil" (for instance if it was until recently covered in grass / turf), then you will need to dig it thoroughly, eliminating any perennial weeds, removing the bigger stones and any other miscellaneous debris - such as builders' rubble. You should also enrich the soil by digging into it a fair bit of "organic matter" - which can be either well-rotted animal manure, or compost. Being a newcomer at this stage, you probably won't have any home-made compost, but if you're going to be a serious gardener you soon will have! For now, just buy some from the garden centre... 4. Only sow or plant when the weather conditions are right. Sowing seeds too early in the year is the most common cause of crop failure. It is better to delay until the weather warms up before sowing. In the UK this means about April. [Of course, if you have a greenhouse, or indoor heated propagators, you can get things started earlier.] Late-sown seeds usually seem to grow quicker, and usually catch up with those which have been sown early and have been struggling to survive. Also, don't sow or plant if the soil is very wet, or very cold. 5. Only grow what you like to eat. Have a Family Conference and discuss what you are going to grow. There's no merit in growing something that produces a bumper crop of veg that no-one in your family will eat. On second thoughts: you may decide to go into "Growing for Showing" - growing veg that is destined for the Exhibition table rather than the kitchen worktop. In this case, it obviously doesn't matter how things taste, but I suggest that you leave this type of gardening for a year or two until you have mastered the basics! 6. Explore the concept of Value For Space Rating (VSR). Basically this involves getting the best return from your space- judged not just in terms of weight / volume, but also in terms of things like price and availability, and the time required to bring the crop to maturity . Maybe you would like to read this blog-post that I wrote some while ago on the subject of VSR. 7. Accept the fact that gardening, like any hobby, takes time to learn. You wouldn't expect to be a World-Class golfer in your first year of playing the game, would you? Therefore be realistic in your expectations. You may not get a bumper crop of perfect veggies first time round, but I assure you that you will get plenty of pleasure from eating anything you have grown yourself, however wierd its appearance! And with experience your harvests will improve. 8. Accept the fact that the weather has a big part in determining the success or failure of your enterprise. Plants are living things, and you will need to consider their requirements: how / when will you water them? How will you protect them from sun / wind / snow / frost etc? How will you support their upward growth? (e.g. bean-poles, netting, stakes etc). If you have enough funds available, I certainly recommend investing in crop-protection measures, such as fleece or cloches. Many of the "hardware" items involved in gardening are durable and will last many years if properly looked after, but there is no escaping the fact that you will need to spend a bit of cash up-front. The mini-greenhouses in my next photo were each bought for less than £10. 9. It's not just the weather that you need to guard against either; it's also animals, birds and insects. I have a lot of trouble with foxes in my garden (they root around in the soil searching for worms) so I often cover my crops with nets. Chicken-wire is also a useful asset if you have only a small space to protect. Other people may have a similar problem with birds - especially pigeons, which can quickly destroy any crop of succulent veggies. Slugs and snails are probably the biggest threat to many gardens, and you will need to consider your plans for deterring them. I use proprietary Slug Pellets. I've tried everything else, and nothing works as well. These days you can buy environmentally-friendly ones, so you can use them with a clear conscience. 10. Diversity is good. In my opinion, it is best to sow / plant small quantities of lots of different veggies rather than huge quantities of only one or two. My reason for saying this is that I have found that despite your best efforts, some years some crops will not do well, whereas others will thrive. You don't know in advance how each will perform, so it's best to hedge your bets, by growing as big a variety as you can manage. Another good approach is to try a few of the mixed packs of seeds, such as the variants of "Baby Leaf Salad". You could also try one of those selections of mini plug plants, grown for you by the supplier to the stage where they are ready for planting-out. This post is already very long, so I'll stop here for now. Subject to positive feedback, I may revisit this theme later. I'll leave you with one more photo... Now get out there and grow something!
28 Best DIY raised bed garden ideas: easy tutorials & designs to build raised beds or vegetable & flower garden box planters with inexpensive materials!
I recently made one of my most favorite toys for my kids, and I just had to share. It's a DIY plantable felt garden box. I love it so much!
Make-ahead lunches filled with creative meat-free mains and lots of fresh produce.
28 Best DIY raised bed garden ideas: easy tutorials & designs to build raised beds or vegetable & flower garden box planters with inexpensive materials!
Another FarmCity design for a custom planter - all backed by a single sun-ray trellis.
The steps to creating a kitchen garden sound deceptively easy: build some raised beds, plant vegetables, harvest. Recently when we featured LA garden desig
DIY Off Ground Raised Planter Box Tutorial + Video
These 500-calorie Vegan Lunches are great for a weight loss meal prep routine. Easy and tasty meals that will fill you up until dinner.
You can grow lots of food in a small space by placing plants close together in squares instead of traditional rows.
If you have eye's bigger than your garden, then there are plenty of vertical garden ideas you could try but are they all safe?
Flowers Teresa from Meadowbrook Farm knows her zinnias! Her favorite varieties are Magellan and State Fair. Another variety she like is Cactus. Click here to see her other must have annuals. photos from Meadowbrook Farm Year Round Lettuce and Spinach in Containers How to Grow Lettuce - Easy Methods For Success Indoor Vegetable Gardening - Virginia Cooperative Extension - scroll down for section about growing indoors A Winter Container Garden - great article from Mother Earth News I'm dreaming of: I'm dreaming of... defined, non-muddy, weed-free, spacious pathways like the ones shown here from My Everyday Graces. Her post tells how she got the mulch for free. I'm dreaming of... raised beds, arranged with a plan in mind, in an enclosed area to keep out deer - and it should be pretty. I can't remember my source for this picture, but I'll keep looking Here's another good wonderful example found on Home Design Decorating. ... and another found on Sunset. Also see Sunset's Perfect Raised Bed. I'm dreaming of... a garden the deer can't get to. Here's an interesting idea from The Tucson Gardener. I think a high fence would be more practical for us. Beekman 1802 has a ton of ideas about Raised Bed Covers. I am really enjoying browsing their site... lots of good ideas! Also from Beekman 1802 - a post on trellises I'm dreaming of... fun, interesting, pretty trellises. Here's a good one found on Garden in a Minute's Flickr page. Lots of people sink PVC pipe in 2 or 4 spots in their raised beds to use as trellis supports. I found this example from lantanascape on Garden Web. Her trellis is made from electrical conduit. I'm dreaming of... a neat and tidy composting system from Clifford Country B&B Gardens - their raised bed garden is pretty, too. I'm dreaming of... a welcoming entrance to the garden. This one is at the Ash Lawn home of our 5th president, James Monroe. We may need two entrances. Of course Martha Stewart has gardens suitable for anyone's dreams! Her fence would certainly deter the deer . Raised Bed / No Till Gardening: "Soil compaction can reduce crop yields up to 50 percent. Water, air and roots all have difficulty moving through soil compressed by tractors, tillers or human feet. Plows, tillers or spades are the usual answers to this problem. But gardeners can avoid the problem by creating beds narrow enough to work from the sides. Organic matter can be increased greatly without getting bogged down, because raised beds drain better." Planting a Garden the No Till Way - from Jami at An Oregon Cottage "...I have very few weeds the entire remainder of the season. Honest! I don't need to cultivate, I never have any problem finding the seedlings because of weeds, and I can leave for a week and not come back to chaos." Raised Bed Vegetable Garden Design and Planning - Vegetable Gardening Online No Till Gardening - Oregon State University "...the no-dig method... Not only does it use less water, she says, it discourages weeds, improves the soil, and reduces labor for tilling and weeding." Build Your Own Raised Bed Garden - from The Pioneer Woman "...I have raised vegetable beds around my house, and I love them so much I add a couple every year." A Simple Raised Garden Plan - from Raised Bed Gardeing Blog "...Raised beds produce a variety of benefits: they extend the planting season; they reduce the need to use poor native soil; and they can reduce weeds if designed properly. Since the gardener does not walk on the raised beds, the soil is not compacted and the roots have an easier time growing. The close plant spacing and the use of compost generally result in higher yields with raised beds in comparison to conventional row gardening." Block Style Layout in Raised Bed Vegetable Gardens - Colorado State University Raised Bed Vegetable Gardens - Squidoo "...it is relatively easy to attach a framework of flexible PVC tubing to a raised garden bed over which you can place either clear plastic to create a greenhouse effect to extend your growing season even more, or some netting to prevent pests from getting to your vegetables..." How to Build a Raised Bed - interesting plan from Erin Covert Planting Guides and Charts: Central Alabama Planting Guide - a great guide for zone 7b, which is the same as Atlanta. Southeast Planting Zones Crop Rotation Chart - The Yankee Gardener Crop Rotation - Garden Organic Crop Rotation - Your Organic Gardening Blog Typical Harvest Dates in Georgia - good chart How to Plant Just about Everything - from Kitchen Stewardship Seed Starter Containers: Make Seed Starter Pots From Newspapers, Method 1 - Slide Tutorial Make Seed Starter Pots From Newspapers, Method 2 - Get the newspaper moist, using two containers that are the same size, line one with the newspaper and press in with the other container. Remove the second container and let the newspaper dry. Use this to plant your seeds, and when your plants come up and are ready to plant in the garden, you can plant the newspaper pot and all. The newspaper will decompose over time. Save eggshell halves for starting seeds. Use a tack to poke a drainage hole in each half then place the eggshell halves into an egg carton. Fill each shell with potting soil then add seeds and water.When it is time to plant seedlings, squeeze the eggshells to crush them then put the whole thing into the ground. Cardboard or Styrofoam egg cartons can be used to start seeds. Fill each cup with soil then plant seeds. If you use a Styrofoam carton poke a hole in the bottom of each cup for drainage. Yogurt Containers Cardboard coffee takeout trays are perfect and work well as seed starter pots. Source 1 Reminders for Next Year: Hang the trellis fences higher so it will be easier to weed. Dad wants to try Romano beans. Try at least two no-till raised beds. Space the rows further apart!!! Space the plants further apart. Mulch when planting. Plant less. Do something about the deer. Garden Markers: Fun Idea from Scraps and Scribbles Worm Farms (Vermiculture) Vermiculture Blog - I found lots of info on this blog including many of the videos below Setting Up the Worm Factory - YouTube video Cheap and Easy Worm Farming Worm Bin Temperature - lots more info on this site Temperature Extremes Have Their Challenges - another good info site Wood Worm Farms - supposedly better for outside use... year round Setting Up a Simple Bed: Global WORMing - love this video Vermiculture - plywood bin at blog - Mesa Lane COW Unwrapped - picture set showing how to set up Can of Worms bin Composting With Worms, Earth 911 - Ordering Seeds: Southern Exposure Seed Exchange - Virginia Johnny's Selected Seed - Maine Heirloom Seeds - Pennsylvania - They only sell open pollinated seeds - no hybrids! :-D -special page for Southern Favorites Seeds of Change - New Mexico Seed Savers Exchange - Iowa - non-profit, heirloom seeds Renee's Garden - California -some heirloom & open-pollinated Bountiful Gardens - California - heirloom, open-pollinated Amazon - a variety of vegetable seeds, some heirloom, different brands MISC: Thrifty and Money Saving Gardening Ideas and Tricks Cheap Tricks for Seed Starting Winter sowing - in plastic jugs and bottles - click here for explanation Edging and Compost Talk - from Donna at Funky Junk Interiors Fabulous Tomato Cages - also see recommendation on blog, Four Hills of Squash - here and here When to Pick and How to Ripen Pears to Perfection - great article!
Nieuwe hype? Het lijkt erop alsof zich een nieuwe hype voltrekt: de moestuintjes actie van een grote supermarktketen was enorm populair eerder dit jaar, en in meer en meer huizen kom ik in de keuken ...
Are you ready to build your own vegetable garden in your garden or backyard? These ideas will help you choose the one you need.
One astonishing thing we discover early on in our gardening odyssey is what fruits and vegetables should actually taste like. What we buy from the store is a shockingly watered-down version; what we grow in
These healthy vegan bento box ideas and recipes for lunch will make sure that you or your kiddos never go hungry or have to buy junk food! A ton of delicious and plant-based ideas you can make for work, school or road trips.
Learn how to build a cold frame in this slideshow based on the article "How to Build a Cold Frame" by Rob Wotzak, from Fine Gardening issue 136.
Learn everything you need to know about setting up a community fruit and vegetable stand in your neighbourhood to help reduce food waste.
That’s right. Who wouldn’t want fresh herbs grown in your own backyard planter, ready to clip when your meal needs a hit of the good stuff? Suggested tools: Kreg Pocket-Hole … Continued
Discover 25 DIY raised garden beds that you can make for your backyard, using corrugated metal, wood, galvanized metal and more!
These easy vegan lunch ideas for kids are both nutritious and delicious. A list of a variety of options to break out of that bored lunch phase!
Detailed guide on how to build great raised bed gardens for vegetables and flowers! Lots of tips and ideas on best designs, compost and soil building, and best materials to build productive & beautiful DIY raised beds!
These Easy Vegan Lunch Box Ideas for Work will give you a ton of inspiration for meal prep. Perfect for adult bento boxes or school lunches as well!
Living in a New York City apartment where the only outdoor space is a fire escape that you've told not to use unless actually escaping a fire, you might ki
We are big potato lovers around here and I mean who could not love potatoes! Normally we only do in ground potatoes but thought we would try out a potato box as well. I will keep you updated throug…
