In the garden

I just had to get some close up shots of our garden this week!
Everything is just beautiful right now!
I even took my camera off auto and tried my hand at some actual photography!
I really need to figure out my camera a little more.
I've pretty much been using it as a big fancy point and shoot!
Anyone else have that problem? I'm working on it.

Gardening the Natural Way

So, we have been spending a whole lot of time in our garden lately. Digging and planting and weeding! One of our well meaning neighbors saw us hoeing and picking weeds and asked why we weren't spraying them with round-up...

When we told him that we preferred to not spray toxins in our yard, especially around the food we are growing, he just didn't understand. "It's so much easier to spray"..."It won't kill your plants"..."You don't need to do all that work"

We told him about the run off and that we just didn't want to use poisons in our yard. Then we explained that we use vinegar to kill the weeds that are left after we've gone though and 'weeded'.

He didn't seem to understand why we were doing it the way we are, but eventually just dropped it and went on his way.

After this encounter I noticed how many people in our neighborhood were out spraying round-up all over their yards! All around their plants, along their fences, in every crack in the sidewalk!

I was amazed!

Don't the know how BAD round-up is for EVERYTHING?! Their health, their pets, the rivers and our water sources! They must not, or they wouldn't be doing it. Or would they? Do they think that is their only option?...Yes, I was getting a little worked up on my drive through town!

So, now I'm here to share with all of you that plain white vinegar KILLS weeds! 

Weeds + Vinegar + Sun = Dead Weeds! It's that simple!

Let's weigh the facts:

ROUNDUP

Toxic Chenmicals

Kills your soil

Creates 'Super' weeds and bugs

Kills or mutates benifecial bugs in your yard

Not safe to use around kids or pets {I don't care what they might say!}

VINEGAR

It's completely natural and not toxic

 Kills the weeds

Does NOT hurt your soil

Safe to use anywhere!

Oh, and it's cheap!

Seems pretty clear to me! 

So, please give it a try next time you are fighting the weeds in your yard! It works, I swear!

these days...in the garden

We have been spending quite a bit of our time in the garden lately. Our winter crops are in full swing and we are starting to prep our space for what will be an amazing summer crop!

When we moved into this house back in July the yard was a bare lot. Not even a weed was growing in the dead, sad dirt.

The first thing we did, after bringing our potted plants we had already, was plant native plants and wild flowers all over. It was absolutely amazing how fast they took off and how full and happy our yard started to look!

Now most of the flowers are gone, and have been replaced with beautiful winter vegetables. Kale, broccoli, cabbage, sugar peas, carrots, beets, artichokes, berries, lots of lettuce and a few other greens of sorts.

Kule really likes the garden too! His favorite thing to do is sit in the patches of wild flowers. 

All those little sprouts coming up on the side there? That's our cover crop getting the soil ready for planting all our summer fruits and veggies! I can hardly wait for tomatoes and all the goodness summer brings! Like those artichokes down there... THAT is going to be amazing!

Our yard has become a hangout for all kinds of bees, butterflies and birds too! It's fun having these little guys come and visit. I think we need to make them a bird bath next!

They LOVE the sunflowers! We had so many before, now there are only a few left. It's just about time to start planting some more!