Tag: gardening

  • The Walled Garden

    The Walled Garden

    I’ve been enamored with the idea of a walled garden forever. Okay… not actually forever. It’s only been since my first trip to France (over 20 years ago) when I saw how beautiful they could be. Before that, walls around yards defined property lines, increased privacy, and gave cats a place to sit. And that…

  • The Year-Round Spice Garden (with free PDF seasonal chore calendar)

    The Year-Round Spice Garden (with free PDF seasonal chore calendar)

    Variety is the spice of life. Likewise, spices can add immense variety and edible interest to your meals and your landscape year round. There’s a lot of crossover between spices and herbs in the kitchen. However, for garden planning purposes, it’s good to have a clear distinction between the two in mind. Herbs vs. Spices…

  • Know the #1 Cause of Weeds

    Know the #1 Cause of Weeds

    Depending on what kind of weeds are common to you area, you might have thousands to millions of weed seeds lurking in every garden bed. Yet only a fraction of them sprout at any given time. And some never do. Do you know why all the weeds don’t germinate at once? SHORT ANSWER: The conditions…

  • Natural Garden Planning

    Natural Garden Planning

    Seed catalogs are arriving. So now is the perfect time for planning what to plant in your outdoor garden. Right? I used to think so until I realized that gardening isn’t like placing an order on Amazon. You can’t pick the plants you want and install them like you would a power cord or an…

  • Hoarding

    Hoarding

    Supposedly, the average American household hoards an average of 300,000 objects. That number sounds astounding. But when I did a rough count of the non-food objects in our small kitchen I got to 800 in short order. And I’m an anti-consumer! When you factor in spaces like garages, basements, closets, sheds, and even rented storage…

  • Live More Sustainably

    Live More Sustainably

    Want to live better while improving our shared environment? It’s easier than you think. Issue Two of Epicurean Living includes ideas on how to garden sustainably and regeneratively. There are tips on cooking and snacking to save time, money, and benefit your overall well-being as well as our environment. Plus, it’s full of ways to…

  • Epicurean Living (Free eBook!)

    Epicurean Living (Free eBook!)

    Hi all, I know there are still plenty of challenges from the pandemic, extreme weather, and just the ordinary stuff that comes with being human and caring deeply about our world and loved ones. But I hope you are finding moments of grace and pleasure, getting time to homestead, enjoying being with friends and family,…

  • Carbon Gardening

    Carbon Gardening

    Last week, the IPCC released its latest report on climate change. In the most basic terms, it says we need to get to net negative carbon emissions ASAP and prepare for things to keep getting worse over the next few decades. As I skimmed the report, a burning desire to go out to the garden…

  • Choosing the Right Plants for Your Garden

    Choosing the Right Plants for Your Garden

    Choosing the plants that will grow well in your climate, weather, soil type, and garden is quite complicated. That’s why a big part of becoming a good gardener is learning how to read your landscape, understand your conditions, and carefully select plants that are most likely to thrive where you live. If you want to…