Master Gardener sharing garden inspiration and helpful tips for growing your own garden.
10 Cool-Season Flowers That Love Mild Winters Although summers are hot in the low desert, our winters are mild. Several beautiful flowers grow well during the mild winter and bloom through early spring. In this post, I share my 10 favorite cool-season flowers that love mild winters. Keep reading to the end for my honorable-mention choices […] Read more…
Garlic is one of the easiest crops to grow, and learning how to grow garlic is simple. Even better, once you’ve grown it, you can regrow garlic year after year from your own bulbs. Keep reading for tips for how to grow garlic in any climate, including hot climates like the low desert of Arizona. Disclaimer: […] Read more…
Although rollie pollies (also called pill bugs or potato bugs) usually eat decaying and decomposing plant matter, occasionally pill bug numbers are high and they wreak havoc on a garden. To my great frustration, countless seedlings have been destroyed by rollie pollies in my garden. As an organic gardener, I’m not willing to use pesticides […] Read more…
These are my “can’t live without” favorite garden tools & supplies. If it’s listed here, it’s because I own it, use it, and love it. Below you’ll find my most-used garden, outdoor, and preserving items. Disclaimer: this post contains affiliate links. See my disclosure policy for more information. Top 3 Favorite Garden Tools & Supplies I Won’t Garden Without […] Read more…
Once you’ve decided that chickens are right for you, it’s important to gather the needed chicken supplies BEFORE you bring the chickens home. Disclaimer: this post contains affiliate links. See my disclosure policy for more information. Here are the 8 essential chicken supplies for young chicks: 1. Brooder box A brooder box is where the chicks will […] Read more…
Sunflowers are simple to grow and the seeds are a delicious snack too. Keep reading to learn how to grow edible sunflower seeds, when to harvest sunflowers for the plumpest kernels, and how to roast edible sunflower seeds. Disclaimer: this post contains affiliate links. See my disclosure policy for more information. How to Grow, Harvest, and Roast […] Read more…
Heat-loving and drought-tolerant, strawflowers grow well in areas with hot summers (cue my happy dance!) Brightly-colored concentric rings adorn these tall stemmed beauties. This Australian native is also called “Everlasting flower” or “paper flower”. Strawflowers are an excellent choice for a cutting garden and provide long lasting blooms in the garden as well. Learn how […] Read more…
Understand and follow correct watering principles, and find the best way to water raised-bed gardens to have a productive and healthy garden. The best way to water a raised-bed garden will provide consistent and even watering, be easy to use and maintain, and ideally be simple to install as well. Raised-bed gardens are a productive […] Read more…
Pests are a common nuisance when gardening, but damage from pests can destroy months of hard work. Pest prevention is the goal, but it is not always possible. Learning quick and efficient ways to deal with pests makes gardening simpler and a lot more fun. Do you have a pest problem in your garden? Don’t […] Read more…
Mulch is your secret weapon in the garden. I talk about the need for mulching your garden in just about every blog post; mulching is that important. This post cover the benefits of mulch, what to use for mulch in different areas of your garden, and the best tips for how to use mulch in […] Read more…