This post will give instructions for building a compost bin, and for what to put in your compost bin. Compost is the best method of fertilizing your garden, and you can create your own compost with materials you might otherwise have sent to the dump. For more on fertilizing your plants, check out my related […]
Tag: Texas
Seeds Grow Best with These Tips
Lots of seeds grow easily into seedlings. However, before you stick seeds in the dirt, knowing some important tips will increase your success rate . Well, for most folks. My grandson has had great success taking nasturtium seeds and dropping them throughout the garden. Then, the family is surprised with happy orange blooms in the […]
Fruit Tree Success with Eight Tips
A new fruit tree will succeed best if you follow these eight tips. When my daughter, lea, was on her way home from Qatar, a group of her dearest friends wanted to send her a going away present. They thought up the idea of sending her a fruit tree. That was a wonderful idea, and […]
My Favorite Varieties — Summer 2022
I love to hear from other gardeners who live in my area about their favorite varieties of different plants . Jerry Parsons, the famous A&M horticulturalist and plant developer, taught a session in my Master Gardener training class. He rated plant variety as one of his top three factors in contributing to successful gardening. Before […]
Growing Great Okra
This post is about growing great okra. But before we start, you should know something important. There are two types of people in the world (or three if you count those that refuse to be put in a category.) The two types of people are those who love, love, love okra and those who hate […]
Garden When It’s Hot
As I write this post, it is projected to be 104° this afternoon, and it has been over 100 for what seems like a million days already. We just had our hottest May on record, and we’re halfway through a June of mostly 100° days. It’s just plain too hot, but you can still garden […]
Build a Better Soil
The Real Dirt on Dirt Dirt is so undervalued! We hate dirt in so many senses – dirt on our clothes, dirt under our fingernails, dirt on the kitchen floor. When we think of dirt, our first reaction is probably, ick, I’ve got to get this off of me as quick as I can. We […]
My Six Favorite Garden Tools
This post contains affiliate links. That means that if you make a purchase after clicking on a link I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. For more information, click here. My six favorite garden tools make my gardening time easier, more efficient and more pleasant. Some of these reduce trips […]
Here Comes the Sun … and Shade
The amount of sun or shade your garden gets is a critical factor in a plant making it or adding to your count of reaching the “500 dead plants level” gardener. I learned this (of course, the hard way) back in my newly-married days. (That means fifty years ago.) We occupied the upper level of […]
The Best Method Ever to Deal with Weeds
Once we get our gardens all planted in the spring, the next hairy task to raise its head is getting rid of weeds. Weeds are just plants where you don’t want them. When I was a girl, lantana was considered to be a weed. Nowadays nurseries sell lantanas of many kinds by the truckload. I […]