After threatening to rip out my strawberry patch last year due to lackluster production, I think I’ve finally figured out the key to getting a good crop. Despite having 60+ strawberry plants, I never seemed to get more than a handful or two at a time, barely enough for a nice dessert, let aloneRead more
Okay, so that title is a tad cheesy, but it was late when I was writing this. I did my annual mason bee house-keeping a little late this year, but things were looking pretty good despite the neglect. We seem to have had quite a few new masons setting up residence, probably twice as many larvae asRead more
It’s been busy around here with at least some garden prep and planting happening daily. In addition to the vegetable garden, I’m trying to set up a cutting garden, hoping to grow enough to provide flowers for my mom’s bed and breakfast, in addition to our eggs. The potatoes are in, the early tomatoes are tucked awayRead more
Just when I was finally starting to get my blogging groove back, my darn computer kicked the bucket (and took all of my freshly uploaded photos intended for new posts with it)! We’re working on getting that info off of the hard drive, but in the meantime, I thought I’d share a photo that IRead more
The view out my window when I woke up this morning didn’t exactly shout “spring!”, but the angle of the sun has changed noticeably in the past few weeks and I’ve been dealing with a pretty bad case of spring fever. This can mean only one thing – time to start thinking (obsessing) about theRead more
Thanks to everyone who left a comment on the Hothouse Flowers review post. After using a random number generator to select a winner, the book goes to Jennywenny of Foray into Food. Jenny, if you can forward your mailing info to me at freerangeliving@gmail.com, I will pass it along to the people at TLC Book Tours,Read more
If you’ve watched the news at all in the past couple of years, you undoubtedly will have heard that bee populations have been dying out for reasons unknown. I was told by a local bee keeper this spring that our area actually suffered a 100% loss among domesticated hives this year, and it wasn’t aRead more
Back in early October when the weather was dreary, I eagerly planted the first crop of the summer garden. Garlic may take a long time to turn from one lowly clove into a plump head packed full of them, but it’s worth every minute of the time involved – there aren’t many meals in thisRead more
Don’t worry, I’m not going to get all Pretty Woman on you, I just have to take a minute to mention one of the most useful garden tools I’ve ever had. This hand forged half moon hoe has been a godsend when it comes to weeding (my least favorite chore), making routine garden maintenance a breeze.Read more
I had no idea when I decided to participate in the Kinder Gardens project how little I would actually have to contribute. It’s not like the kids haven’t been in the garden over the past month, but as far as having something concrete that I can report on, no dice. My daughter picked out a bunchRead more