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Cooking Cutter Eggs – How to Make Egg Molds in Fun Shapes
Breakfast just got more fun with this playful idea for making eggs. If you are like me, you will have a whole host of cookie cutters that you rarely use. Put them to a creative use by making cookie cutter eggs. Breakfast is considered by many to be the most important meal of the day. […]
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Softening Brown Sugar – 6 Easy Ways to Soften Hard Brown Sugar
Do you wonder what to do with that large lump of hard brown sugar? These easy tips for softening brown sugar will have it soft and usable in no time at all. Here are 6 of my best tips to make brown sugar soft again, and suggestions for how to store it for a longer […]
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Easy Way to Peel Garlic – Peel a Whole Head of Garlic in Just Seconds!
Peeling Garlic is one of those chores that makes you say “oh no! All those tiny things again?” But it does not have to be hard. This easy way to peel garlic cooking trick will peel an entire head of garlic in just seconds. I once saw an idea similar to this used on the […]
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Food Hacks That Really Work – 11 Kitchen Shortcuts – Cooking Tips
From making eggs with cookie cutters to whipping cream with a whisk and storing ginger in vodka, these 11 genius food hacks will make life in the kitchen more fun and cooking easier, too. Getting great food on the table doesn’t have to be a complicated process. Just take advantage of these simple DIY food […]
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Make Your Own Seed Tape – Homemade Seed Tapes From Toilet Paper
Make your own seed tape with some seeds and a roll of toilet paper. Why waste money on store bought seed planting tape when you can make your own seed tape with this common household item? The tutorial shows you how easy it is to plant tiny seeds in a vegetable garden. Have you ever […]
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Homemade Greenhouse Ideas – DIY Greenhouses, Cold Frames and Terrariums
These homemade greenhouse ideas make use of recycled household materials in a fun new way. Extend your growing season with one of these creative ideas for DIY greenhouses, cold frames and terrariums. When I tour Botanical gardens around the USA, the ones that appeal to me most are those that have greenhouses as part of […]
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Grilled London Broil with Spicy Rub and Red Wine Marinade – It’s BBQ time!
This easy grilled London broil recipe has a zesty rub that gives it a load of flavor and a red wine marinade that tenderizes the meat. We make grilling a Saturday night tradition at our house all year round! This delicious recipe for grilled London broil is easy to do. Just prepare the rub and […]
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Using Potato Water in the Garden to Nourish Plants with Potato Starch
Plants need nourishment to perform in the best way. Flowers and vegetables love potato starch and using potato water in the garden is a good way to give it to them. To add starch in a “green way”, save the water you boil your potatoes in. Starchy water will spur the release of plant nutrients […]
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Homemade Fly Repellent – Keep Flies Away with Pine sol
This homemade fly repellent formula uses the common household cleaner Pine Sol. We all know how bothersome flies can be in any outdoor gathering. Keeping them away often means using harsh chemicals. What if I told you that a common household cleaner, Pine-Sol, could be used to do this job? The reason it works is […]
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Inspirational Flower Quotes – Motivational Sayings with Photos of Flowers
These inspirational flower quotes are both pretty and motivational. Share one today with friends. I love to start the day with an experience that gives me a moment of inspiration. Often, that is simply walking through my garden, admiring the flowers. Why are Quotes so Popular? When things in life get tough, like they have been […]
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Homemade Mosquito Repellent – Essential Oil DIY Mosquito Repellent Spray
Preparing a homemade mosquito repellent with a lovely aroma and natural ingredients is easy with this tutorial. This DIY essential oil mosquito repellent spray is made with a few common household ingredients, and works well to keep the mosquitoes away. Summer is here. The days are longer and it’s so nice to sit outside in […]
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DIY Garden Ideas on a Budget – 30+ Inexpensive Vegetable Garden Hacks
Are you bothered by the cost of maintaining a garden? These creative DIY garden ideas on a budget should help to keep your costs down. I’ve put together a list of 30+ vegetable garden hacks that will make your gardening life easier and cheaper. One of the big pleasures of summer for me is tending […]
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Raised Bed Vegetable Garden – Concrete Blocks Planter for Small Spaces
Vegetable gardening in small spaces can be a challenge. My answer to this problem is to build a concrete block planter to use as a raised bed vegetable garden. Concrete blocks are inexpensive and making a raised bed with them is an easy project that can be accomplished in just a few hours. This year, […]
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Propagating Hydrangeas – Hydrangea Cuttings, Tip Rooting, Layering, Division
Propagating hydrangeas to get new plants for free can be done in several ways – hydrangea cuttings, tip rooting, air layering and division of the mother plant. Who doesn’t love the look of a lush, green hydrangea bush in their yard, just full of those gorgeous and huge blooms? Some varieties, such as climbing hydrangea […]
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Growing Swiss Chard – Cold Hardy Cut and Come Again Vegetable
Swiss chard is one of the easiest and most versatile of vegetables for home gardens. Its colorful stems and big, crinkly leaves are packed full of nutrients. Read on for tips on growing Swiss chard. What is Swiss Chard? Swiss Chard – beta vulgaris subsp. vulgarisis a leafy vegetable in the beet family, but it […]
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Springfield Botanical Gardens at Nathanael Greene/Close Memorial Park
If you enjoy walking trails that immerse you in a tranquil lake scene, with 113-acres of lovely themed gardens, the Springfield Botanical Gardens are for you. My husband and I spend the summer touring and writing about botanical gardens around the country. We recently spent some time in Missouri and discovered this little gem of […]
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14 tips to Make Caring for Shasta Daisies a Breeze
The Shasta daisy has lovely summer blooms. Caring for Shasta daisies is easy. It is a fairly low maintenance perennial plant that naturalizes to give more and more blooms each year. It is a great plant for filling in garden beds and bare spots in your garden. Is your birthday in April? You are probably […]
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Growing Dill – Planting, Storing and Harvesting Dill Weed
The flavor dried dill just can’t compete with that of the fresh herb. Let’s check out some tips for growing dill. Fresh dill is a very popular kitchen herb. It is highly aromatic and really easy to grow. Fresh herbs are something that I grow year round, both indoors and outside, either in pots or […]
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Blue Angel Hosta – Growing Hosta Blue Plantain Lily – Giant Hostas
This giant hosta variety is called Blue Angel Hosta. This plantain lily is one of the larger mounding varieties that is perfectly happy in the shade. A recent trip around the JR Raulston Arboretum provided me with a chance to look at their magnificent collection of hostas. I have a large collection of hostas in […]
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How to Clean A Cement Bird Bath in Just Minutes
It is easy to clean a cement bird bath to make it a safe and fun place for birds to enjoy. All you need are a few common supplies and minutes of your time. After a long summer of use, a bird bath can be getting pretty grimy this time of the year. Algae grows […]
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Growing Tarragon – Planting, Using, Harvesting Tips – French Tarragon
Tarragon is a perennial herb with an anise-licorice flavor that is often used in French cuisine. Follow these tips for growing tarragon in your kitchen herb garden. This herb comes in several varieties, depending on the region that it is grown. I find French tarragon the hardest to find for sale. It is worth sourcing […]
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Borax Ant Killers – Testing 5 Different Natural Ant Killers Against Terro
If ants are invading your home and you don’t want to use harsh chemicals, home made Borax Ant Killers may be the answer, but how effective are they? I decided to test five of them to find out! Using more organic ant killer remedies is something that many environmentally conscious homemakers have an interest in. […]
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Home Made Miracle Grow – Make your Own Homemade Plant Fertilizer
Make your own home made Miracle Grow as well as several other plant foods easily with epsom salt, baking soda and household ammonia. It’s time for another fun vegetable garden hack. This DIY Miracle Grow fertilizer is a more organic way to feed your plants. The homemade plant food recipe is easy to make and […]
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Attracting Monarch Butterflies – Start Seeing Monarchs Day – First Saturday
Would you like tips for attracting monarch butterflies to your yard this year? I’ve been seeing them in my garden for a few weeks now. The first Saturday in May is marked National Start Seeing Monarchs Day. What an appropriate national day for this time of the year! This day was chosen to raise people’s […]
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Growing Spring Onions – Tips – Trimming – What is a Spring Onion?
Growing Spring Onions is a garden project that starts early in the year. You’ll end up with small bulbous onions that have a much milder flavor than a normal yellow onion but can be used in the same way. I use onions all the time in my recipes, and fortunately for gardeners, they are very […]
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Regrow Spring Onions in Water – Fun Gardening Hack
Growing onions is a pretty easy from a gardening standpoint, but did you know that you can also regrow spring onions in water? At times like these, when some food items are in short supply, knowing how to get more bang for your buck is a win in anyone’s book! Using parts of an onion […]