Ways to reuse household items

 These pictures are great ideas for reusing household items for the garden. Pretty awesome!!!!





Fall Garden: Starting the Garden

Fall Season Seeds

Hope you guys have had a great week!!! The weekend is almost here and you can start your fall garden. It took me some time to put mine together. I can't wait to see the progress of both my fall garden and yours at its prime. Trust me you will feel happy with the results. And pleased that you are feeding your family organic veggies. You know where the veggies came from what was or wasn't added to it. It makes making dinner even more special. You can even taste the difference from supermarket brands.

Compost Added

Lets get started, you don't need to start with this many seeds. You can try 3 or 4 fall season crops like lettuce, radishes, and carrots. These seem to be the easiest for beginners. 

Mixing it together

1. You want to add organic matter or compost on your garden bed especially if you have used the same space during the beginning of the season. 
2. Once you have added it you will need to till the old with the new.
3. Than make rows to add your seeds.
4. Add your seeds but do not cover until all seeds have been put into a single row. This way you don't mix seeds or step them.
5. Once all seeds have been added you can cover up the seeds gently trying not to disturb the seeds.
6. Label your veggies so its easier to identify once its growing.
7. And water with a mist everyday for about 2 weeks or until you see the garden sprouting. 

Adding seeds in rows

Covering up the rows

Adding a mist of water

I will give you picture updates as the L.A.G. garden is coming along. And please share your photos too.

Happy Gardening!!!!

Pruning your herb garden

So by now your herb garden is giving you a plentiful harvest!!! It's time to prune for cooking or sharing. My favorite part of sharing from my herb garden is the reaction people give me when they start cooking with the herbs. They're shocked by the flavors they get with just using a pinch. While supermarket herbs you can use a handful and not get the same flavor you just got from  that very pinch you just used from the garden.

Basil: 

• You can pick off leaves individually or prune all around the plant. 
• Just remember to never prune more than one-third of the plant.
• Or if just taking the leaves to take every 3rd leaf.
• Flowers should be edible.

Oregano: 

• This herb can be invasive if not controlled.
• The flowers are also edible and do not need to be removed. 
• You can prune up to 2- 3 inches from the ground.

Parsley:

• You can prune all over the plant or just pick the stems as far down as you like.
• Letting it go to seed you will get more plants next year since its a biennial.

Cilantro:

• The seeds are edible and they are called coriander. 
• If left to seed it will fall on the ground and will begin to germinate and start new plants. 
• Its better to sow seeds about every 2-3 weeks. It will be your herb with the shortest life span.

Lemon Thyme:

• It's the same as the oregano.

Mint:

• It's the same as 

Remember to prune your garden once the sun isn't hitting it directly. And don't prune after rain or watering. This is to prevent your herbs from getting a disease. It is very good to prune your herbs because it will encourage new growth.

Happy Gardening!!!!

Fall Garden: GARLIC

Hope you guys had a wonderful weekend!!! There are only a few months left before we get a chance to plant garlic. I've learn that the best time to plant garlic is in the fall. It will call for a big success in the coming summer. The first time I tried to grow garlic it was at the beginning of summer. It wasn't successful for a few reasons. I planted too late for spring and to early for fall. And than I tried to look for a harvest before it was ready. Hope these tips help you!

GARLIC PLANTING:

• You want to plant at least one month before the ground freezes. This gives the garlic a chance to develop a root system before it goes dormant.
• Garlic does not grow from seeds. You use a single clove from the garlic.
• You can purchase the cloves from your local garden center. Or you can go to the farmers market and pick up some organic garlic bulbs.
• Separate each clove and no need to peel the skin off. Each clove will give you a garlic plant.
• You will dig a six inch hole add a little compost. Put the point of the clove towards the ground and cover it back with dirt. Add more compost on top as a mulch.
• Put a clove every 4 inches and do at least 4 rows of 2ft long each. This will give you a good harvest.
• Give your cloves a good shower and your set.

Garlic Scapes

Come the spring you will see the plant poking through. The beauty of garlic you can use the garlic bulb and the garlic scapes for cooking. You'll will know its time to harvest when your garlic plant starts to fall over and the scapes are turning yellow and slimy.

Happy Gardening!!!!

Lasagna Gardening

How do you grow pasta in a vegetable garden?

LOL....you don't. Hope you guys didn't miss me the past few days. But feel free to contact me with questions or comments when you don't hear from me. Now back to the blog and what is lasagna gardening.

Lasagna gardening is actually a technique for us gardeners who don't have time to dig, till, and pull weeds. Its a form a composting directly into your garden bed.

The best time to start this is during the fall so it gives your garden bed time to decompose for spring planting. This method is a perfect way on growing organic. The results will be a loose rich soil with plenty of nutrients.

Here's the recipe:
1- Cover your garden with 3 to 5 sheets of newspapers. No need to worry what's underneath whether its weeds or your lawn. That's the beauty of this technique.
2- Wet this layer good so it doesn't blow away & it will give you a head start on the decomposition process.
3- Put a thick layer of "green" materials like grassing clippings, raw vegetable scraps, raw fruit scraps, tea bags, egg shells, and coffee grounds.
4- Than a layer of "brown" materials like dried leaves, straw, shredded newspapers, shredded egg cartons (cardboard) and aged hay.
5- Continue to alternate the "green" and "brown" layers until at least 2 feet tall.
6- Than add a good layer of compost.
7- And mulch would be the very last layer.

You can start a lasagna garden in the spring as well but more compost & soil will be needed to be able to plant your seedlings right away.

And no worries if you don't have enough materials. You can always ask your family, friends and neighbors to help you with some of these materials. I'm sure they will be more than happy to give it away.

Happy Gardening!!!!!!!

Supplies for our 2012 Fall Garden

I have made a list of the things we will need for our fall Garden:

1. Compost or Top Soil
2. Mulch
3. Seeds of the cold season crops
4. burlap

Love and Gardening will start with these seeds:

1. Lettuce
2. Radishes
3. Carrots
4. beets

Please try selecting veggies that is fast in maturing this way we can get the most of our crops before the winter comes.

Did you pick your fall garden spot?



Fall Season Spot



I finally removed all of my onions for this season. Most which I am giving away since lately we have not been cooking as much as we like too. That is actually the best thing to do instead of throwing away all of your crops. Share your excess crops with family, friends, neighbors, & the community if possible. My parents love it too since its organic & they know when it’s time to harvest well before me.



Red & White Onions



So now that I have said my goodbyes to my onions (picture to the left) & hope my family and friends enjoy the healthy harvest. This spot (picture above) will be 1 of my spots for this fall's garden. I have yet to till the soil & amend it with compost. It’s important to amend your soil if you have used the space for other crops. You want to put back nutrients so your new crops thrive as well as your first set of crops. I kept the scallions in the front since they grow all season long. I may move the leeks to this spot as well.

So if you haven't picked a spot yet. Start planning because this is the prime time to plan & start our fall garden.

HOE HOE HOE those crops away!!!!