Blog Archives

DIY reclaimed wood succulent & cacti planters made from driftwood & logs

5/31/2018

Reclaimed wood. Just google it to see its popularity for yourself. I'm not sure when reclaimed wood became such a "thing" but it sure did. Everything from mirrors to headboards to bookshelves is made out of reclaimed wood these days. Such wares are then sold in the hundreds to thousands of dollars range online. Hard to believe! So let's claim some of this wood by making DIY succulent and cacti planters to enjoy! After all, you are coupling two of the biggest trends circling now. Reclaimed wood + succulents. You can't loose. While out and about to various nurseries and garden centers this past week, I discovered that retailers manufacture fake logs containing fake succulents. But I can't go there. Tacky to my taste. I prefer the real deal with real plants nestled into real wood. Do you agree? And many thanks to Altman Plants who supplied all the stunning succulents and cacti for this post. Altman Plants are dreamy. No doubt because they've been in the plant business for 40 years! So lots of pictures today for eye-popping visual stimulation. Besides, you know how vain succulents are! Always doing selfies. Such posers. Boasting their brilliance on Instagram. But I digress. Let's get started.

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EcoBorder rubber landscape border giveaway - Oh my!

5/23/2018

Do you compare yourself to others? It's hard not to. Especially when it comes to the landscaping. But I choose to defer judgment. After all, a woman with three kids under 8 isn't going to have the perfect yard. So while taking the baby on a walk this morning she unearthed something interesting. A landscape company pulling out the concrete edging of one of her neighbors homes. What will they replace it with I wonder? Unsure. But I know what they should replace it with. EcoBorder. Not only because EcoBorder is going to give them that sharp landscape edge they crave but because they wouldn't have needed to hire a landscaper at all. EcoBorder is easy to install ~ DIY at its best. Heavy duty. Sharp and sleek. You will be so pleased if you are the winner of your own edging from them. And with Father's Day approaching, win for yourself or dad. (Then you can nag him to go out and install it already.) To enter, like the Raise Your Garden Facebook page and share this post or sign up for our newsletter. For two entries, do both. You can earn one entry per day by commenting on any of our blog or Facebook posts. Let us know that you've entered by telling us the color of EcoBorder you'd choose! Do this by scrolling down to the bottom of this post. Please tell us how many entries you've earned. Contest ends June 20th!

269 Comments

The secrets of seed thinning ~ it's not for wimps!

5/18/2018

Crowded seedlings before thinning

Grab a box of tissues. You're gonna need it! Because seed thinning is the one garden task that might leave you a sobbing mess. Gardening typically is the hobby that helps me unwind and relax. Then it's time to thin the seeds and I get all sad. It's kind of like choosing which of my three kids I would save! But then I stop. Pause. And think. They are just seeds. And our goal is likely the same ~ to grow strong, healthy and happy seedlings. Seedlings that are grown indoors to be transplanted in the garden and seedlings that are sown directly in the ground outdoors. Both require thinning. Crowded seedlings suffer a plethora of problems if they aren't thinned out properly. It's a simple skill you'll want to master. So if you don't know how to thin seedlings or why you'd even need to know, this is the post for you! Let's take a deep breath together because seed thinning isn't for wimps.

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Eye-popping poppy solar garden lights from Desert Steel & $150 giveaway!

5/13/2018

Solar light fan? All hands up in the air! They light up my life. What a gorgeous way to get your garden aglow adding beauty, safety, and depth to your outdoor living space. Can you own too many solar lights? Nope. They look great no matter where you choose to place them whether that's the perimeter of your landscape, in a pot, planter or flower box, and perhaps best of all...a pathway. Sure, I love real flowers too, but reality is they'll die on me sooner than I'd like. Not so with these Desert Steel poppy solar lights that will last virtually forever. Oozing warmth and serenity with each step, solar lights make the garden an inviting space. Today, I'm excited for the winner of the poppy garden solar light set from Desert Steel. Yes, that means you win 3 lights (ARV $150). To enter, like the Raise Your Garden Facebook page and share this post or sign up for our newsletter. For two entries, do both. You can earn one entry per day by commenting on any of our blog or Facebook posts. Let us know that you've entered by telling us the color of your eyes. Do this by scrolling down to the bottom of this post. Please tell us how many entries you have earned. Contest ends June 6th!

502 Comments

Food safety 101 with eggs, bacon, milk and more....

5/8/2018

I eat 5 scrambled eggs for breakfast every morning. If you don't believe me, just ask my mother. Tom eats 4 eggs with bacon when available and the girls eat one each. The baby even eats one whole egg! That's a dozen eggs each day. Whoa. That's a lot of eggs! With my moms country egg connection I buy eggs at just $2 a dozen. These are free-range, organic eggs coming from chickens who are treated like pets. We all win. But where do you store 12 dozen eggs? Buying 8-12 dozen eggs at a time doesn't work when you have a tiny fridge. Then there's all the other groceries that require refrigeration to consider. After all, you can't just have a fridge stuffed with eggs. Big challenge arranging and rearranging all the perishables to fit in all the food. Frustrating! Massive fail anyhow. Then I remember reading that eggs straight from a farm don't need to be placed in a fridge. But is that true? With the recent outbreak of E. coli in Romaine lettuce, food safety has those wheels turning in my brain! So here's what I learned about eggs with a few other food safety tips to spare. I'd love a comment about how you keep safe in the kitchen!

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Simmer down with Nesco slow cooker giveaway ARV $50!

5/3/2018

Can you fall in love with a slow cooker? I think it's possible. Folks. Let me level with you. This family eats a lot of food. My kids are perpetually starving. They actually expect three solid meals every day plus snacks. Ridiculous. Food prepared in a slow cooker is both tasty and easy. But I broke mine. Smashed to smithereens when I slipped and dropped it on the tile floor. It was my grandmother's and I inherited it when I bought her house. Sad day. I went without a slow cooker those seven years. What a shame. So I reached out to NESCO to see if they'd send me one to review and they said yes! A proposal made in heaven. I hope you win this amazing 6 quart digital stainless steel slow cooker today! (ARV $50). To enter, like the Raise Your Garden Facebook page and share this p ost or sign up for our newsletter. For two entries, do both. YOU CAN EARN ONE ENTRY PER DAY BY COMMENTING ON ANY OF OUR FACEBOOK POSTS! Let us know that you have entered by telling us what you like to cook! Do this by scrolling down to the bottom of this post. Please tell us how many entries you have earned. And you're gonna love this stellar chicken delicious recipe my family is raving about so keep reading! Contest ends May 20th!

213 Comments