Seed Starting: Onions

I started my onions in January as usual but unfortunately, the winter has been lousy.  Last year, I started scallions and red onions in plastic water jug "green houses" and they did really really well.

So I did it again this year.

Feb 2014: Winter Garden Update

Winter SUCKS!  This winter especially!!  My raised beds have had it rough. :-(  As a warmer day today, I just had to go out!!  I was very curious as to who survived, what I needed to do better, etc.  There were some serious surprises, which makes me even more enthusiastic about growing and the mysteries and resilience of plants!!  Sometimes, some plants scare the living crap out of me!!

This guy!! This guy is my rogue cilantro in Bed #1!!  This guy has been under maybe 5 to 8 inches of snow up until yesterday. If you recall, I didn't replant these seeds.  They just started growing in Sept.-ish. Just showed up! So I didn't bother to use extenders or anything since I was planning to rest the bed and just grow a cover crop (vetch).  I thought for sure the cilantro would die from freezing, snow, and wind, but NOPE!!  A true survivor.  This is guy wins the award this year!

2014 Obession: DIY Natural Toiletries

Last year I discovered soapmaking.

In a big way.  I have become totally obsessed now with the process and the final product.  It's not only so much fun, but it feeds part of my creative side as well as the wanna-be chemist in me.  That and since I've been using my homemade soaps on the regular, I can't go back to the store bought stuff.

And So It Begins....

It's that time again!  My favorite time.... SEED STARTING TIME!  The time when the sunlight changes again, and spring is right around the corner and I look forward to new beginnings.  There's so much to plan for this season since I will be expanding the garden once again.  This year, I plan to have a permanent bed for herbs and grow in addition to my normal culinary herbs like thyme and rosemary, stevia, epazote and calendula.  I'll be adding leeks and shallots and experimenting with true cantaloupes.  Purple I think is my color this year since I somehow added purple veggies to the list- purple carrots, purple broccoli, purple tomatoes.  Every year, I've been getting better at planning the garden so I hope I can apply what I learned the years before to have a bigger and better garden!!

Helloooo 2014!!

Happy New Year!!  It's 2014! This year is a no resolution year again.  As you may recall in 2013, I chose not to make resolutions because I SUCK at keeping them.  I do want to make my 2014 a year of change and moving forward with my life goals.  I ain't getting younger here! I am going to start exercising more since I will be turning the big 40 this year. 40. Sigh.

So, looking back on 2013.....

Seed Bomb Sunday!

Sorry for the little hiatus.  I had every intention of continually posting but between life and the holiday season, I lost track of time and now it's the middle of December.  Sigh.

Anyway, in the handmade, gift giving spirit, I decided to make seed bombs for a friend who loves zinnias but due to physical limitations can't garden as much anymore.  I thought the seed bombs would be perfect since you can just throw it out in a bare, sunny space and let them just do their thing.

Homemade Soaps and Lotions

I've been obsessed with making natural, homemade soaps for a long time. I've talked about it and talked about making soaps as part of learning homesteading skills and I finally got around to learning this year.  And now I'm totally hooked!