Blog Posts

Making gardening a family affair

2/9/2017

Depending on where across the country you live, gardening can be a year-round activity or pretty much contained to the spring and summer months. But even if you’re looking out the window right now and see only cold rain or snow, you can begin designing a garden that will burst into bloom as soon as the weather warms up. Start making plans now, and include the kids in the early stages to get them involved and excited. Your local nursery and home improvement stores already have big displays of vegetable and flower seeds, and you can get absolutely lost exploring all of the options available online. Make it a project to plot out your yard and decide where you’re going to put everything.

7 Comments

The buzz on Beessential & $50 lavender gift set giveaway!

2/6/2017

What's the only thing better than all natural body products made without any harsh chemicals, parabens or dyes? How about a natural skin care line with ingredients like beeswax, honey, olive oil, lavender and aloe that doesn't sting you with the price tag? That's what so great about Beessential. The price point. You get the high-end, made in America quality minus the boutique price. How about $2.99 for a shea butter and beeswax lip balm that's been rated #1 by Total Beauty for three years running? That's what I'm talking about! Reasonable pricing for awesome all-natural products. So I'm buzzing with excitement for your chance to win this lavender themed prize pack from Beessential valued at over $50. Set includes two body creams, one body wash, three beeswax lip balms and a candle. To enter, leave a comment on our Facebook page or sign up for our newsletter. For two entries, do both. Let us know you have entered by telling us the last beauty product you've bought!

289 Comments

Indoor plant survival guide (let's stop killing our plants!)

1/30/2017

Orchids and cacti happily growing on a windowsill.

We've all killed plants. Especially during the winter. We take our houseplants out in May and bring them back indoors when fall hits, but by November many are dead. Why is this I ask myself? Light and water issues. Although I want to blame pests, insects and diseases; I'm at the root of the problem! I'm still sad over a Mandevilla plant that I bought back from down South only to kill. We can't afford to fly to Florida and so we drive. This allows me to bring back tropical plants. They cost a fraction there of what I'd pay locally in Buffalo, NY. Then I get busy and those plants tend to bite the dust for lack of water. Pathetic Laura! So I've also learned over the years to keep it simple. Know the plants' needs and meet them. Now let's talk about houseplants, how-to water them, the light they need and that last under-discussed factor.....drum roll please.....humidity. Let's kill fewer plants starting today!

9 Comments

High-tech help from Click & Grow with herb garden giveaway!

1/22/2017

Time to push the herb easy button. Because you live in an apartment. Or just have a small space. Maybe gardening is a new venture for you and your first taste must be quick and easy. Then let me introduce you to Click & Grow. They make an amazing indoor growing system that allows you to grow fresh herbs, fresh fruits or flowers with zero effort. What blows my mind is having fresh herbs growing in the privacy of my own home in January. I love cooking with fresh herbs, don't you? This was never a viable option for me before as Buffalo, NY is a really cold place right now. So I can vouch for the Smart Herb Garden! Literally within minutes of arrival on your doorstep you will have this unit up-and-running. To enter, like the Raise Your Garden Facebook page and share this post or sign up for our newsletter. For two entries, do both. Let us know what fresh herbs you miss most during the winter! And international readers, you are welcome to enter! Feel the love.

262 Comments

5 plants to put you to sleep & help you beat insomnia

1/16/2017

I don't sleep. Much. Ever since having a baby 7 years ago and being forced out of bed 5-6 times a night to nurse...my body revolted against rest. Now that my daughter is older, I just get up that 5-6 times to pee. Makes me wonder. Does anyone out there actually get 8 hours of straight sleep at night? And I want a natural night's sleep. Agree? No meds. Did you know that incorporating just a few plants in your bedroom can put you out at night by creating a more restful environment? Just think how you feel after a good night's sleep. Like you can conquer the world. Right? But visa versa? Uh-huh...you're tossing and turning unable to catch any zzz's with that racing mind. All you can think about is everything you didn't get done the previous day. Awful. Then you wake up miserable and cranky unable to face the day! Well we have five plants to try today to help you gain a a more natural night's sleep. Here's the rundown!

10 Comments

Made from Earth vitamin enhanced face firming serum giveaway!

1/9/2017

I'm finally committed to 100% organic gardening. And more recently, I've decided it's time to banish all harmful chemicals inside my home too. When you think of how many chemicals your skin is exposed to everyday, it's time to shudder in horror. So I was on the hunt for an organic, holistic and chemical-free company that made products for my face, hair and skin that didn't have those harsh ingredients. The other stipulation? The products have to work. Otherwise, what's the point? So I stumbled upon Made from Earth and they graciously sent me a few products to review. I'm even more excited that they are giving away my favorite product from the lineup, a face serum...yours for the win! (Are you ready to eliminate a few wrinkles and spoil your face, especially around the eyes?!) To enter, like the Raise Your Garden Facebook page and share this post or sign up for our newsletter. For two entries, do both. Let us know in the comment section of this post you entered by telling me anything about your skin regimen.

159 Comments

What's in/what's out for gardeners 2017!

1/3/2017

Houseplants are hot right now. They really satisfy from potting, growing, watering, rearranging and repotting, plants are fun. To keep you on trend, we've compiled a list of what's in and what's out in the New Year. Of course, lighting is always spot-on in style. You can't get enough of it indoors or out. And in case you didn't notice from the above photo.....the unique is reigning supreme. Trains in the garden? Sure. Why not. Just don't leave them out in the rain or snow. But seriously, this train garden is chugging with innovation. Keep reading to find out what else is going to spruce up your space in the coming year.

13 Comments

Light up your life with HomeRight & $90 ElectroLight giveaway!

12/29/2016

Sometimes you get what you deserve. There I was sniggering at the 80-year-old guy ahead of me getting carded at the grocery store for buying Mike's Hard Lemonade only to find out I was next. My license? Huh....I ask the clerk? Yup. It's for the lighter you're buying. Whaaat? I'm thinking. I'm really getting carded for a $5 cheapie fire starter for my candles? Yep again. They need to check to see if I'm an arsonist. Nope. I'm not. But I do like to be able to easily start a quick fire when needed. Whether it's in my fire pit or fireplace, being able to get that fire going pronto is wonderful. So we were thrilled when HomeRight sent us an ElectroLight power tool to review and hope you are the lucky winner of this incredible giveaway. To enter, like the Raise Your Garden Facebook page and share this post or sign up for our newsletter. For two entries, do both. Let us know you have entered by telling us when you last started a fire.

262 Comments

Merry Christmas!

12/26/2016

Joy to the World....the Lord is come! As we celebrate the season, we are so thankful for His marvelous gift. Hope you had a wonderful Christmas with your family. We are super excited about 2017 and the new joys our family is expecting!

4 Comments

DIY sprayed foam insulation to lower your utility bills

12/20/2016

So Tom is trying to make a finished room in our basement. Why? Toys have taken over our lives and just about every room in the house. Granted, our house is a good size. I'm certainly not complaining and am thankful for what we have. But it would be nice to get organized and have a place for the girls to play while I'm folding laundry and trying to make dinner. The problem? In Buffalo, NY the basement can get quite cold, in particular, those outside walls! No one wants to go down there if it's freezing in winter or conversely, too hot during the summer! Fixing up the basement can greatly increase the usable square footage of your home. If not a play room, how about a craft room? A home office? A mini-movie theater? A game room with ping pong and floor hockey? The possibilities are endless. This is our journey in transforming a space that was essentially 100% storage and turning it into a fully functional space for the kids. Watch as our basement evolves!

18 Comments

Recycling pallets for creative Christmas & Winter DIY projects

12/14/2016

It was love at first site. There we were at church and I was smitten with all the innovative Christmas pallet projects being displayed. Stunning! Pallets are being used for so many purposes these days. And pallets are cheap if not free to acquire. So when you're decorating for the holidays, it's a fantastic way to literally deck the halls on a dime. Why spend a paycheck at Pier 1 when you can get your creative juices flowing with pallets? This post focuses primarily on Christmas and winter ideas, but I'm sure you've seen all those America Flag painted pallets on Pinterest....right? And they look great! So here's a bunch more ideas to get you in the holiday spirit.

6 Comments

Winter decor with Desert Steel & evergreen luminary giveaway!

12/7/2016

Deck the halls with....pine tree evergreens. Fa la la la la. You get the drift. Christmas bling. You can never overdo it. Right?! Bigger is better. And if you happen to drive by my house and think it's tacky, I'm okay with that. But the week after Christmas? I start getting this feeling that it's time to take my decorations down. And it hurts. Which is why I love Desert Steel. Their Evergreen Luminary takes you from pre-Christmas to post holiday with ease. Simple and stunning steel. You can leave it up till March and it still looks good and will suit your surroundings in or out. Of course you can leave your real live tree up until March as well and trust me, I know plenty of people who do...but the dead needles will wreck havoc. So I'm happy for you and your chance to win this lovely luminary ARV $70 from Desert Steel. To enter, like the Raise Your Garden Facebook page and share this post or sign up for our newsletter. For two entries, do both. Let us know you have entered by telling us when you take down your Christmas tree!

159 Comments

13 foolproof tips to pick the perfect live Christmas tree

11/30/2016

Do you have a Charlie Brown Christmas tree complex? When looking for the family Christmas tree each year this is my struggle. I lean towards selecting the sad, wilting tree because otherwise that tree won't have a home for Christmas. Then I have to stop. Pause. Think. And come to my senses. The tree is not a kitten. It does not have feelings and I'm not doing myself a favor by hauling home the worst one on the lot. Besides, live Christmas tree prices are typically $50 and up. In many cases you pay by the foot so I might as well get the best tree for my dollars. But what do you look for? What should you look for when picking out the perfect tree? These are my top tips so that your tree doesn't sap your holiday cheer.

13 Comments

Whipping up the good life with 4-piece Product of GIR giveaway!

11/27/2016

It's time to stress out! The holidays are here. You know what this means. Lots of shopping, cleaning, cooking and baking. As if your life wasn't hectic enough. So to make your time in the kitchen just a little more joyful and a little less taxing, Get It Right is back better than ever. They want to reward you and all your culinary efforts this season with this fabulous $55 4-piece spoon set from their marvelous product line. And yes, once again, they got it right. So if you are the lucky one, you have struck gold this season. Or copper for all you Poldark watchers out there. To enter, like the Raise Your Garden Facebook page and share this post or sign up for our newsletter. For two entries, do both. Let us know you have entered by telling us what you're cooking and baking these days!

168 Comments

Pick or purge? ~ the art of garbage

11/19/2016

The term "spring cleaning" has always baffled me. At this point, I've been cleaning all winter. Enough already. Time to get outside and play when spring finally strikes. Done with cleaning. Cleaning is a fall job so that I can purge all the junk I don't want to store all winter. Because storage space is prime. So I like to re-evaluate what I've got and toss what's no longer needed before winter comes. Especially with all the new stuff that arrives around Christmas. After all, you only have so much room in your basement, garage, shed and attic (if you even have all of those storage options). It's time to free yourself of the junk that you don't even know you have. Here's the essential checklist of what you should consider purging before the snow flies to save you space, time, energy and frustration. And if you ended up buying a second pair of hedge clippers because you couldn't locate yours when the time came to do the job then you know exactly what I mean. Too annoying!

6 Comments

Echo $330 tool giveaway will blow you away!

11/12/2016

Do you know what the problem is with having seventeen trees under a 1/2 acre lot? Leaves. Tom and I both love the shade trees provide, but come Fall, the leaves are an issue. Left alone, they'll kill the grass. Besides, in my neighborhood, it is severely frowned upon to leave them. So we have two options. 1.) Rake them or 2) Use a leaf blower. Raking is a great workout but is time consuming. Using a leaf blower gets the job done in about one twentieth of the time. I remember the first time I saw my neighbor use a leaf blower and thought to myself, "wow, I knew there was an easier way." So I'm over the moon thrilled for your chance to win this stellar leaf blower from Echo valued at $330. In fact, it has a 4.9 rating out of 5 stars and that includes 378 reviews. Wow!! To enter, like the Raise Your Garden Facebook page and share this post or sign up for our newsletter. For two entries, do both. Let us know in the comment section of this post what you did to enter! And let me tell you why leaves make me feel a little guilty.

383 Comments

How-to harvest sunflower seeds

11/10/2016

So I planted about fifty sunflower seeds up against my garden fence this past summer with the hopes of big, beautiful sunflowers in the Fall. But zero plants came up. Oops! I think the super hot summer combined with my lack of watering skills contributed to the defeat. But I'll try again next year. Until then, enjoy this guest post written by Kylie from grohelps. I'm looking forward to my second chance next year! Fingers crossed. So let's learn together how-to harvest these seeds and maybe we'll find ourselves giving each other high-fives next season! Until then, I'll be buying my sunflowers from Wegmans.

3 Comments

Rock art with acrylic and spray paint

11/5/2016

Isn't it funny how you can spend $25 and up on a toy for a child that gets played with a few times then tossed? Even if they requested that specific toy! My kids, ages 4 and 6 love playing with non-toy items such as twigs, leaves, sticks and rocks found outside. More so than any pricey and plastic-y toy. They spend hours whacking each other with twigs in the backyard or rock painting in the driveway at little cost to myself. Best of all....it's "real" fun. Imaginative play. Recently, my mom has been experimenting with painting rocks and the results have been impressive. It's incredible how painted rocks can come close to resembling just about any image you dream up. So far, we've tried pumpkins, turtles and a duck pond, all of which came up to scratch. And we have lots of unique ideas for you today!

11 Comments

How-to grow bulbs with DutchGrown & 3-winner giveaway!

11/1/2016

Planting bulbs is like investing money. Sacrifice now with a big payoff down the road. Except the reward comes a lot quicker with bulbs than dollars. Months later, you reap big, beautiful blooms. Just when you think you can't take one more snowfall, you'll see your tulips peeking through the grass and hope is revived. So we are thrilled that our friends at DutchGrown are back with this incredible 3-winner giveaway. The first place winner alone gets a whopping 200 jumbo darwin mix tulip bulbs and 25 tulip ice cream bulbs with over a $110 value! Just in time to plant before the ground hardens to melt your heart come Spring. And scroll down to see the pictures of the Ice Cream bulbs, so spectacular they are sure to stun! To enter, like the Raise Your Garden Facebook page and share this post or sign up for our newsletter. For two entries, do both. Let us know in the comment section of this post what you did to enter!

327 Comments

9 reasons to roast crunchy & addictive pumpkin seeds today

10/27/2016

It's that time of year again. Time to roast your pumpkin seeds. And with Halloween peeking around the corner, now is when you want to roast away. I can think of few snacks more delicious or nutritious than roasted pumpkin seeds. They are the perfect mid-morning snack while running your errands. Or pack in your lunch, the kids lunch, and to give your husband the fiber he needs. Salty, scrumptious and crunchy, who needs potato chips? Best of all?! It's such a cheap and easy mini-project and they'll last for months in airtight containers. Pumpkins are in abundance this season, for sale everywhere. Farmer's are desperate to dump so you'll be able to get a few at a great price, probably for $1 or $2. Here's how and why you should get roasting today!

24 Comments

Border patrol with EcoBorder & $200 landscape edging giveaway

10/24/2016

We finally did it. Yep. Installed our rubber EcoBorder around the perimeter of our landscaping. We could rave about how we think it looks, but you be the judge. Thoughts? When I first posted about EcoBorder in the Spring, we closely inspected the product but hadn't installed it in our yard. Now that we have I can give the full-blown review with that experience under our belts. So we are thrilled to have partnered with EcoBorder again and for your chance to win over $200 in product from them. Keep reading to find out why you'll be motivated to redo your landscaping with EcoBorder right now to spiff up your space. To enter, like the Raise Your Garden Facebook page and share this post or sign up for our newsletter. For two entries, do both. Let us know in the comment section of this post what you did to enter! And this is what I really think about EcoBorder now that we've tried and tested it.

EcoBorder Halloween Sale
Treat yourself to 10% savings by entering "Halloween" into the coupon box
on the EcoBorder website at www.ecoborder.com

292 Comments

Saving heirloom green bean seeds for next year

10/20/2016

If you're anything like us, you're scurrying around doing a gizillion projects before the cold weather hits. Now it's gathering and cooking the last produce, making tomato sauce, hunkering down for winter and harvesting some seeds for next year. I wasn't going to bother harvesting seeds, but while I was picking the remnants of the Roma tomatoes, my 4-year-old started collecting beans pods for seeds. How could I let her down? So I was motivated to dig a bit deeper, learn a little more and find out why we should be harvesting these seeds. And what did I discover? That it's a cinch to do so cross this one off your list today. Here's a few reasons why you should give it a whirl this year and how-to do it. You'll love it. Promise.

5 Comments

7 sensational tools you need today & Gilmour giveaway!

10/18/2016

Let's face it. You're better off buying durable, higher quality tools than cheaper ones. The reason is simple. Cheap tools are constantly getting replaced and that's frustrating. And you're even likely to spend more money over the long haul because you'll end up buying two of something, the second likely being that expensive brand. Just invest in quality from the get-go. Good thing Gilmour has you covered today because they are giving you a 100 foot hose and nozzle valued at approximately $60 to get you started on the right path. To enter, like the Raise Your Garden Facebook page and share this post or sign up for our newsletter. For two entries, do both. Let us know in the comment section of this post what you did to enter. And just to cover your bases, here are seven tools you can't live without.

314 Comments

Last forever pumpkin luminaries & two winner Desert Steel giveaway!

10/11/2016

People have been stalling in front of my house when strolling past and I finally figured it out. They're gawking at my new steel orange and white pumpkin luminaries from Desert Steel. In fact, one lady stopped, paused, ripped out a sheet of paper and made me write down the web address for Desert Steel so she could order. That's the attention they are garnishing. And it's true. They just highlight my curb appeal. During the day, they draw the eye. And during the night all lit up, they stun while glowing. I don't know about you, but I start thinking about decorating with pumpkins in September and leave them up all the way to Thanksgiving. Fall decorating is the best, don't you think? So I'm thrilled for two of you to win two of these beauties from Desert Steel valued at $130. To enter, like the Raise Your Garden Facebook page and share this post or sign up for our newsletter. For two entries, do both. Let us know in the comment section of this post what you did to enter!

438 Comments

Tom's top 10 grass seed planting tips...lush lawn do's and don'ts!

10/6/2016

It never ceases to amaze me that Tom can leave clutter all around the house but if the lawn is less than pristine, he gets all weird about it. I'm not sure how a man who is such a perfectionist about his lawn can carelessly toss socks, lunch containers and papers all over the house, but there it is. And he's perfecting it to a science. He cares that much. Due to a drainage project we had a huge chunk of our lawn torn up to bury a pipe. It was quite an eyesore. Our neighbors wanted to just leave it so the kids could continue to drive their dirt bikes and ATV's on the path. But the mud pit proved too much mess, especially since it's right under my new clothesline. Since early fall is a fantastic time to spread seed, at least where we live, the man was motivated. Here's your essential checklist of what you must do to plant a lush lawn.

8 Comments