Beginner Gardener

Tomato Basics for Beginner Gardeners

Tomato Basics

I will never forget the time I took a bite of my first ever homegrown tomato. I grew up not liking tomatoes, but when I tasted that tomato, I realized I must not have ever tired a real tomato.

It was amazing. The color was so red. The flavor was sweet, juicy, and incredible. The tomato had been cut into slices with a bit of salt and pepper added. From that moment on, I knew I needed to grow my own tomatoes and find out everything I could.

Tomatoes are a staple for most home gardens. There are so many ways to use tomatoes such as: salads, sauces, salsas, and just straight out of your hand. With the right knowledge and care, growing tomatoes can be fun, easy, and extremely rewarding.

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Erosion

Erosion: 5 Effective Ways to Control and Prevent It

Erosion: Definition, Causes, and How to Prevent it
Erosion

People and businesses all around America have hills and slopes in their yards. These added dimensions can be helpful to separate a home form a busy street, add extra privacy.

However, these hills can also be susceptible to erosion and runoff that is hard to control and the damage that soil washing away can cause is devastating.

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Window box with flowers

4 Tips for Creating Stunning Window Boxes

Window Boxes

It is said that “flowers are our greatest silent friends.” Finding ways to plant flowers around your home or business can be an amazing way to uplift all souls and spirits and liven up just about any space.

One great way to plant flowers is by using window boxes. A window box is typically a rectangular shaped container that can be placed in small spaces or large spaces, and are typically placed outside a window. However, they can be placed on anything from a fence or a deck. They can turn a house into a stunning home with the aid of some vibrant colors and sweet smelling flowers.

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6 of the Most Fragrant Trees and Shrubs in Spring

Fragrant trees and shrubs

As I was taking a walk with my family this weekend, we strolled through the neighborhood. It’s such a great time of year to see how other people landscape their yards. We love looking for new and creative ideas to do in our own home.

We walked past one yard and what was so striking had nothing to do with how great they manicured their yard, while it did look great. What kept me standing there, closed eye, and looking completely insane was the amazing fragrance of one of the trees in the yard. It was breathtaking. I wanted to bottle up that smell and take it home with me. The scent was so powerful and strong that it demanded all of my attention. I didn’t want to move, I wanted to breathe that in for as long as possible. It was then that I decided I had to have one of those amazing trees in my own yard.

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How to Create a Stunning Layering Bulb Garden

layering bulb garden

Have you every tried a layering bulb garden?

Can you imagine planting your flowers in such a way that you get to enjoy a new flower pop up every few weeks all summer long? Think of it as each part of summer as singing a new note and a new flower comes dancing up from the ground with perfect timing.

Tulips in bloomThis can happen when you choose to layer your perennial flower bulbs. While daffodils and tulips might be the first flowers that come to mind when you think spring flowers, there is so much more that can be done.

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Tips for Buying and Growing Easter Lilies

Easter LiliesWhat flower comes to your mind when you think of the Easter holiday? If you are like most people, you might have mentioned the Easter Lily (Lilium longiflorum).  Chances are, you might be looking at buying this beautiful, white flowered plant with Easter around the corner.

Easter lilies have an amazing fragrance that might and bring back some sweet memories. In this post, we have pulled together some fun information about the history of Easter lilies, some helpful tips for buying Easter lilies, as well as tips for planting them in your own garden.

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9 Gardening Tasks for the Month of January

January Gardening TasksIf you live in a part of the country anything like mine right now, you might be sitting inside watching a white blanket of snow cover everything in sight. Gardening can feel like it has to sit on the back burner in months like this one.

While a January in Austin, Texas is going to be much different than in Seattle, Washington, or Detroit Michigan, there are some great ways to keep your gardening spirit alive even in these low key months. Here are 9 of our favorite gardening tasks that any climate zone can accomplish in the month of January.

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Secrets to 7 Winter Squashes

Secrets to 7 Winter Squashes You May Not Know

Winter squashes

We have a fall tradition in our family to hunt for the most colorful, strangest, and ugliest gourds and squash that we can find. The shapes, sizes, and colors that each one comes in fascinates, humors, and connects us.

We will visit grocery stores and farms and on each trip we bring them home, add our homegrown pumpkins, and butternut squashes to the mix and create a beautiful fall décor display filled with shades of green, yellows, and oranges.

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