living simply and embracing imperfection
I’m sure you’ve all been waiting with baited breath to see how my seedlings fared after our dog went on his wild rampage. No? Well – at least a teeny bit curious? By the way, thanks to your comments we realized that it was probably a mouse that Samson was trying to get! I don’t [...]
That, my friends, is my sad attempt at a pun. My first title, though, was ‘Dog-saster,’ so count yourselves lucky. Here’s the story: These are my three-week-old seedlings – yeah! Growing and looking good. Nothing wrong with that. I planted them similar to this post all about seed starting, except this year I’m trying a [...]
I spent some time with my seed catalogs this weekend and got all the seeds ordered and bought for the coming gardening season. Woot! None of that business like last year when I didn’t start one seed inside, no sirreee. I learned my lesson as I had to shop at a number of nurseries and [...]
I’ve been enjoying an annual tradition of mine this past month: reading my favorite seed catalogs and dreaming of the coming garden. I especially like seeing what new varieties there are and finding varieties may have been around, but are new to me. Every year I try to grow some things I haven’t grown before. [...]
Welcome to the first Tuesday Garden Party of the New Year! I’m really looking forward sharing another gardening season with you all- I’ve gotten some great ideas and inspiration from what you shared with us last season. Today we’re talking garden catalogs and the seeds we buy every year- in other words, the ones we [...]
We pulled into my in-laws house for a visit recently and noticed there were tomatoes greeting us by the front door. I thought, “Well, that’s creative to plant them in a pot with nasturtiums and sunflowers.” Then I turned to the left and saw that there were tomatoes planted in the front mound that had [...]
One of the things I enjoy about starting my garden vegetables from seed is the thrill I get when they sprout. It’s just such a little miracle. You put this dry, brown thing in more dry brown stuff, add some water and – poof! Plants emerge. Real, green living things. And sometimes they’re pretty old [...]
I just got the first of my seeds started last weekend. If you’ve downloaded the PDF of my Organic Gardening Checklist (located in the sidebar), you know that I’m a little late. *sigh* But I’ve mentioned before that the checklist is the ideal, and well, I hardly ever live up to the ideal. Like, never. [...]
Here’s a new seed starting video from Territorial Seed Company that is another helpful tool in taking the mystery out of starting vegetables and flowers from seed. It has good, basic information, although I will say that I didn’t agree with the watering method used. I know from experience that when watered from the top [...]
The Christmas tree is gone, the decorations all in their boxes ready for the attic, and now I finally get to sit down with my… Garden catalogs! Seriously, my daughter rolls her eyes at this (welcome to life with a 13-year-old), but I restrain myself through the holidays, putting aside the new year’s gardening catalogs [...]
Have you started your seeds for a fall garden yet? In climates like Western Oregon, our vegetable gardens don’t have to end with the summer. Our last frost date is between October 15th and the 31st, depending on the area (and where you’re getting your information!) and with a little planning, we can fill the [...]
Here’s a look at the seeds I started a week ago: This is the first tray with cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli and lettuce. As you can see, some cells have an abundance of seedlings (Red Romaine lettuce has the most), and some have none (cabbage). This is normal (at least in my world!). Not all seeds [...]
Let’s start some seeds! Starting vegetables from seed is somewhat cheaper (although it can be expensive if you buy a lot of specialized equipment the gardening stores and catalogs want to sell you!), but the biggest reason I start my vegetables from seed is control and selection. I can select new varieties I want to [...]
I believe a cottage can be anywhere or anything (condo, ranch, farmhouse) as long as you have a "cottage mentality" which puts people above things, celebrates imperfections, embraces simplicity, and finds joy in everyday life. Thanks for joining me!
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