Have you ever heard of worm castings? They’re solid gold for gardeners and farmers alike. Gardeners love to sea worms in their soil because it means they get free worm castings! How can you beat a deal like that? That’s not where the fun ends, though. Did you know you can make worm casting tea?...
Ask a gardener or a farmer what they think of worms and you’ll probably get a lot of positive feedback. Why? Because what comes out the backside of a woman is gardening gold! I’m talking, of course, about worm castings. “Castings” are the term applied to the manure that comes from a worm. It’s packed...
Owls are seemingly mysterious, nocturnal birds whose various, hoots, screeches, and calls at night can spark the imagination. There are more than 200 species of owl around the world, 39 of which reside in North America. They aren’t easily spotted birds, especially in our yards and gardens. They’re nocturnal, meaning they tend to be more...
When you think of breakfast, baking, or holiday meals, chances are, eggs come to mind. For the most part, the eggs we consume come from chickens. Other birds, like quail and ducks, also produce eggs that are edible. But why don’t we ever see turkey eggs made available at the grocery store? Do they not...
Incubating and hatching eggs yourself is a fun and rewarding practice. It’s the least expensive way to acquire new poultry for meat and eggs and is an exciting hobby for homesteaders and urban gardeners alike. But there are few things more disappointing than hatch day coming and going and finding that none of your eggs...
Making compost is like magic. You throw together organic material, wait a while, and boom, rich, dark soil for your garden. Okay, that’s a little misleading. There’s a bit more that goes into successfully composting your kitchen scraps and lawn clippings into fertile soil. One of the things you’ll want to do to your compost...
If you’re a venus flytrap (Dionaea muscipula), one of your favorite things to do is to catch unsuspecting insects in your clamping, jaw-like leaf appendages. What a way to live! But like many plants, venus fly traps produce flowers that require pollinators to, well, pollinate. Without pollinators visiting venus fly trap flowers, there wouldn’t be...
Few things make me smile wider than seeing tiny, fragile little hummingbirds visiting my garden. I consider it a mark of pride, that the garden I’ve planted and maintained works for such delightful birds. Attracting them isn’t always easy though – ask anyone who’s tried and failed at bringing them in. In this article, we’re...
I love growing succulents, especially succulents that seem reminiscent of something else. My bear paw succulent is one of my all-time favorites because the leaves look like little green bear paws. I recently got ahold of a new succulent called a panda plant and I have to say, it too is one of my favorites....
Watering your house plants is certainly an act of love. If you didn’t water them, on a long enough timeline, they would eventually and die. So here it is, my #1 most important gardening tip: water your plants. Without water, the whole system falls apart. But is there such a thing as too much water?...
Growing succulents is one of my favorite hobbies as a lover of all things gardening. These plants are hardy, beautiful, highly varied, and can tolerate a ton of abuse, or I guess in my case: neglect. Succulents aren’t picky about much of anything, and the string of buttons succulent is no different. This adorable little...
Part of successfully growing a garden is knowing your USDA hardiness planting zone. USDA plant hardiness zones are the standard by which gardeners and growers can determine which plants are most likely to thrive at any given location. Some plants are able to survive outside of their hardiness zone, but can only survive for one...
