The Duck and the Pumpkin Blossom features a rubber duck nestled among pumpkin vines next to a pumpkin blossom in my garden. At the beginning of 2013, I made a resolution to post a weekly photograph of a rubber duck. Because my daughter loved rubber duckies so much, my goal was to post a picture […] More
Spring is right around the corner! Once the weather gets warmer, my kids and I love heading outside into our yard. While my children play, I enjoy tending to my gardens. Both my kids also like “helping” me with gardening. With two little helpers following me around, I always seem to find myself in need […] More
I am an avid gardener. In the past, I have tried my hand at sweet corn, pumpkins, watermelon, cucumber, squash, zucchini, strawberries, beets, basil, cilantro, tomatoes, peppers, and more. I have grown plants from seeds and used seedlings purchased from garden stores to start my fruit and vegetable beds. Sadly, the weather this summer has […] More
I have a large yard and multiple small gardens, so I need a long hose to water all my plants. Fortunately a 100-foot hose reaches most of my yard, but lugging around a heavy-duty hose is often a pain, especially on really hot days. The idea of an expandable hose seemed really intriguing to me. […] More
My garden hose sprayer broke back in April, which really bummed me out because I have a number of gardens that I water regularly. I personally prefer sprayers with multiple settings so that I can choose the best spray for each type of plant. I was therefore excited when recently offered the opportunity to review […] More
As an avid reader and gardener, I love sharing books about gardening with my two young children. Both my preschooler daughter and toddler son have been helping me outside in the yard with my plants all spring and summer. My daughter especially loves reading books that relate to our current activities and endeavors. Thus, when […] More
I love gardening. Ever since the weather warmed up, I have spent at least a few minutes each day in my many gardens. I also love taking care of the landscaping around my yard. In addition to trees and bushes, I have been hard at work the past few weeks adding a butterfly garden and […] More
Swiss chard, whose scientific name is Beta vulgaris cicla, is a leafy green vegetable with red, white, or yellow leaf stalks. A member of the beet family, Swiss chard is an extremely nutritious but often overlooked food. Low in calories as well as in saturated fat and cholesterol, Swiss chard is an excellent source of […] More
Spinach, whose scientific name is Spinacia oleracea, is a family of nutritious leafy green vegetables. Like other leafy greens, spinach is an easy vegetable to grow in a home garden from spring through fall. Although high in natural sodium, spinach is low in saturated fat and very low in cholesterol. The leafy green is also […] More
Watermelon is a delicious, cool, sweet, healthy treat on a hot, sultry summer day. Last year I attempted to grow watermelon for the first time in my home garden. Although a large portion of the calories in the fruit come from natural sugars, watermelon is very low in saturated fat, cholesterol, and sodium; is a […] More
My favorite plant to grow in my home garden, pumpkins — whose scientific names are Cucurbita pepo, Cucurbita maxima, Cucurbita mixta, and Cucurbita moschata — refer to a family of gourd-like squashes whose colors range from bright orange to tannish yellow. I love cooking with pumpkin in the fall and winter and decorating my house […] More
Basil is a delicious herb that I enjoy putting on pizza or cooking into a pesto sauce. The herb is low in saturated fat and very low in cholesterol and sodium and provides protein, vitamin E, riboflavin, niacin, dietary fiber, vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin K, vitamin B6, folate, calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, zinc, […] More
