How To Window Box: Small-Space Plants to Grow Indoors or Out Book Review

I received this book free to facilitate this review. Affiliate links may be in this posting. Thanks for supporting my blog.

Chantal Aida Gordon & Ryan Benoit are authors of the popular garden blog, The Horticult. It chronicles their learning experience about gardening and design. I personally love their blog and want to incorporate more of a "plant-infused lifestyle" into my everyday existence.

You don't have to have a lot of space to garden and window boxes create the perfect space for plants both outside and inside your window sill. Chantal Aida Gordon & Ryan Benoit's new book, How To Window Box: Small-Space Plants to Grow Indoors or Out, is a nod towards traditional container gardening, but with some exuberant flair. The book takes window boxes and breaths new life into them.

Book Contents.

This small hardback book is just under 6 x 9 – and less than 180 pages, but has a tremendous amount of  information. There are 16 total designs that this tiny book features: from herbs to succulents to carnivorous plants, to jungle plants to woodland plants and other plants in between. This book has a window box for everyone. Projects range from super simple to challenging. This book shows how to: choose plants, know where to purchase them, arrange them, cultivate them, make window boxes for them, use lighting, know how much to water them, know where these plants will likely thrive, fertilize them, prune them, do other fun projects to maximize your space, etc. The photos are colorful and inviting and help give reference to the plants and completed window box projects.

Inside Sneak Peek.

I am loving this gardening book! I highly recommend it to others that: don't have a lot of space to garden, need more ideas for container gardening, want to bring more plants indoors, want to brighten your window spaces, or just love gardening. I can't wait to try out the projects in this book!

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BUY IT
You can purchase How To Window Box on Amazon for $10.52 (at time of post).



DISCLOSURE/DISCLAIMER: Thanks to Blogging For Books for sending me this book for free to review. My thoughts are mine and my family's own opinion and have not been altered by anyone else. I did not receive any other compensation for doing this review. Affiliate links may be in this posting. Thanks for supporting my blog.

Free Botanical Interests Coloring Book Offer

Botanical Interests provided me with this promotional information and offer to share with my readers. All opinions expressed are my own or those of my family. Affiliate links may be in this posting. Thanks for supporting my blog.

Botanical Interests loves art! Gardening is both science and art, resulting in endless, colorful possibilities. To keep your artistic side inspired, they create beautiful coloring books based on their seed packet art. This is their way of saying “thank you” for continually inspiring us and making their lives so colorful these past 20 years!



Share your final images on Facebook or Instagram using #sowcreative. They would love to see where your imagination takes you!

Creative tip: Give your creation a stained glass effect! Using a cotton ball, apply a small amount of oil (e.g., baby or vegetable) to the backside of the paper. This technique can make a regular piece of paper translucent.

DISCLOSURE/DISCLAIMER: Thanks to Botanical Interests for providing me this promotion information. My thoughts are mine and my family's own opinion and have not been altered by anyone else. I did not receive any other compensation for posting this promo. Affiliate links may be in this posting. Thanks for supporting my blog.

Benji & The 24 Pound Banana Squash Book Review and Giveaway

I received this book free to facilitate this review. Affiliate links may be in this posting. Thanks for supporting my blog.

Benji & The 24 Pound Banana Squash is a hardcover children's book that is by bestselling author Alan C. Fox with illustrations by Eefje Kuijl. This adorable book is the story of a child named Benji's experience of growing a banana squash from start to finish. Benji & the 24 Pound Banana Squash is based on a real-life event that happened when Alan Fox was eight. It teaches kids about patience, love, dedication, and perseverance and how much fun it is to grow their own foods.

My kids enjoying our harvests.

Our Thoughts:
Benji & The 24 Pound Banana Squash is a wonderful story of garden-to-table. I love how Benji is so patient even though he sees nothing come from the seed he plants at first. After a while he reaps the reward of his determination and nurturing.

We loved this cute book and its lovely illustrations. The book starts from the beginning where Benji picks the perfect spot in the ground and plants the seed to his family sitting around the table eating the cooked squash with butter and brown sugar. The pictures are fun to look at too. One picture shows Benji trying to dig the hole himself with the shovel and he fell over on his back flinging dirt and earth worms into the air. Another shows his dog bouncing a ball on a small trampoline as Benji carries the large squash inside the house. My kids will treasure this book.

Teela and Zari enjoying the Benji & the 24 Pound Banana Squash book.

I recommend this sweet and endearing story to anyone. It is perfect for those who want to teach their children about where their food comes from or even help them grasp the concepts of being more patient...because it will certainly pay off in the end. It is wonderful for those city folk that want to give a piece of country life to their kids.

BUY IT
Purchase The Benji & the 24 Pound Banana Squash book for $17.95 on Amazon.




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Only one entrant per mailing address, per giveaway. If you have won the same prize on another blog, you are not eligible to win it again. Winner is subject to eligibility verification.

Please click on this post link if you do not see the script for Rafflecopter below. Also, if there is anything that is wrong with it let me know by emailing me: finamoon AT gmail DOT com I will try my best at fixing it. Thanks for being awesome readers!

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DISCLOSURE/DISCLAIMER: I received this book for free to facilitate this review. My thoughts are mine and my family's own opinion and have not been altered by anyone else. I did not receive any other compensation for doing this review. Affiliate links can be found in this post. Thank you for your support of this blog!

Water My Soul: 90 Meditations from an Old Order Mennonite Book Review

I received this book free to facilitate this review. Affiliate links may be in this posting. Thanks for supporting my blog.

Water My Soul: 90 Meditations from an Old Oder Mennonite by Darla Weaver is a devotional book that is all about growing and nurturing a spiritual garden. Each daily inspirational devotional includes a Scripture reading, prayer, and journal prompt or response suggestion. These 90 meditations take on a personal feel with stories from Weaver's life of spending her days with family, gardening, cooking, and living as naturally as possible off the land. Her wise words about such topics as humility, forgiveness, patience, etc. reverberate throughout this lovely book.

My Thoughts:
This, A Plainspoken Devotional, book is a lovely addition to my bookshelf or coffee table. I love the simple truths within the pages. Weaver's love of gardening and the Lord is so apparent. I share this love with her. I love to spend my days in the garden making it more beautiful and when I do I feel myself getting closer to nature and in turn closer to the the Creator of all things. I love the imagery of the author's stories. She paints a wonderful picture of her simple and Christ centered home life. I am always in awe of Plain People and how they live rooted so deeply in their Christian faith while living so simplistically. They always have much wisdom and so much to teach us. Weaver is no different, she has much to teach and so much to give. I am so glad to have Water My Soul devotions to start my day with.

BUY IT
You can purchase Water My Soul from Amazon for $12.99. Also available at Herald Press and Barnes & Noble.



DISCLOSURE/DISCLAIMER: I received this book for free to facilitate this review. My thoughts are mine and my family's own opinion and have not been altered by anyone else. I did not receive any other compensation for doing this review. Affiliate links can be found in this post. Thank you for your support of this blog!

Lawn Jaws: Fool-Proof Weed Puller Review

I received the Lawn Jaws free to facilitate this review. Affiliate links may be in this posting. Thanks for supporting my blog.

Weeds, bad grasses, and invasive plants have a way of taking over a property, lawn, or garden and growing in places that are undesired if not dealt with properly. Lawn Jaws have serrated shark-like teeth that grip weeds by their roots and pulls them out of the ground. This handy weeding tool helps you get to the root of the problem with its back slanted shark-like teeth and 40X larger teeth coverage (52 large teeth covering the whole length of the garden pliers's jaws) than needle-nose pliers. It also has custom slots for dirt and debris to pass through and rounded, ergonomic rubberized handles to make sure you get a firm hand hold that will not pinch fingers. These will last too because they are rust resistant and are made with a stainless steel durable alloy with a chrome finish.

My favorite use for Lawn Jaws, pulling unwanted spiny, thorny, or prickly plants!

I have found that in my organic gardening toolkit Lawn Jaws are very convenient. Since I do not want to use toxic chemicals in my garden or property I use integrated pest and weed management which means using the least harmful method around to garden or landscape. Lawn Jaws helps me be free of weeds without a lot of work and without having to use the more damaging herbicides like Roundup. I found that most of the weeds I pulled with the Lawn Jaws completely came out of the ground root and all. I love that these were especially helpful at getting out unwanted spiny, thorny, or prickly plants that were hard to pull by hand. Lawn Jaws make pulling weeds so much easier than pulling weeds by hand because you really do get a better grip.

BUY IT
Purchase Lawn Jaws for $15.99.



DISCLOSURE/DISCLAIMER: I received this product for free to facilitate this review. My thoughts are mine and my family's own opinion and have not been altered by anyone else. I did not receive any other compensation for doing this review. Affiliate links may be in this posting. Thanks for supporting my blog.

The Bee-Friendly Garden: Design an Abundant, Flower-Filled Yard that Nurtures Bees and Supports Biodiversity Book Review

I received this book free to facilitate this review. Affiliate links may be in this posting. Thanks for supporting my blog.

The Bee-Friendly Garden: Design an Abundant, Flower-Filled Yard that Nurtures Bees and Supports Biodiversity by Kate Frey and Gretchen LeBuhn is a gorgeous book filled with pretty pictures and useful advice to help anyone create a yard or garden filled with flowers that bees love. This book creates a great conversational piece. It would also be a lovely little coffee table book.

The layout of the book is fairly straightforward. This 224 page softcover book starts out with a preface to why the authors made this book and an introduction that tells us the benefits of a bee-friendly garden. There are 6 chapters that talk about bees, plants for pollinators, what bees require in a garden and how to make your garden safer for them, bee garden design, and how to help the bees by protecting and promoting. After the chapters there is a resource list, plant lists divided by region, photography credits, and an index to help you find things easier within the book.

Here is the chapter layout:

• Chapter 1: Our Friends, the Bees
• Chapter 2: Plants For Your Bee-Friendly Garden
• Chapter 3: Bee-Friendly Plants for Edible Gardens
• Chapter 4: Bee Garden Basics
• Chapter 5: Designing Your Bee Garden
• Chapter 6: Beyond Your Own Backyard - Becoming a Bee Activist

I love pollinators! Not just bees, but some species of ants, bats, beetles, birds, butterflies, flies, moths, wasps, as well as other unusual animals are also essential and beneficial to flowering plants. If we didn't have these creatures then there wouldn't be much to eat or look at. Unfortunately bees and some of these other creatures need our help to survive. With the rise in colony collapse disorder (CCD) in honeybee populations and decline in native bees we need to be vigilant in protecting them, promoting ways to help them, educating the public, and creating a safer, more inviting world for them to live in.

National Pollinator Week is June 20 - 26, 2016 and even though I believe that pollinators should be celebrated, protected, and promoted every day, this week is special. It is a time that we all should put aside to help these creatures out. I will be incorporating lessons in my homeschooling about pollinators during that week. My children have already been assisting me in the garden. I believe we have an obligation to teach our children when they are young about what good they can do to help out in the world.

On my own property I have started to invite more species of pollinators to my garden and yard. I spent two weeks ripping out English ivy to procure the way for flowering plants that bees love, like ajuga and columbine. I have planted a large pot of violas for my porch and am slowly adding more and more flowering plants to my landscape. Little by little I see more dancing, buzzing bees around my garden and not just honeybees, but native bumblebees, sweat bees, miner bees, and mason bees too. I have also noticed another pollinator, the hummingbirds, loving some of my flowers. Pollinators do so much good in my gardens that I want to give back to them and plant even more nourishment so they will thrive.

I have learned that planting flowering plants for the pollinators will also benefit me and if you do the same it will benefit you as well. Some benefits include: increasing and improving the quantity, quality, flavor, size of produce for food producing plants; your landscape being more abundantly beautiful throughout the seasons, learning how to have organic and pesticide free plants, your plants helping enrich the soil and bringing in beneficial insects, birds, and butterflies; and being healthier and happier as you reconnect with the outdoors making your gardens grow. I love how this wonderful cycle helps with our threatened food security and the very well being of this planet!

This book is a wonderful addition to my collection. It has helped me better understand how I can make a difference in my own landscape and in turn help some of the 4,000+ species of native bees in North America as well as the honeybees too. It helps us become ever more mindful of the plants we should (and should not!) plant to help the precious bees flourish. By purchasing, reading, and implementing the words in this book you will be taking one more step in preserving these wonderful pollinators and sustaining the world. Even a tiny change for the better is better than no change at all.

BUY IT


DISCLOSURE/DISCLAIMER: Thanks to Blogging For Books for sending me this book for free to review. My thoughts are mine and my family's own opinion and have not been altered by anyone else. I did not receive any other compensation for doing this review. Affiliate links may be in this posting. Thanks for supporting my blog.

Permaculture for the Rest of Us: Abundant Living on Less Than an Acre Book Review and Giveaway

Permaculture for the Rest of us: Abundant Living on Less Than an Acre by Jenni Blackmore is a wonderful book on how to live a sustainable, self sufficient life with less than ideal circumstances. This book is an insightful, down-to-earth, user-friendly guide. If you have small acreage, have poor soil, don't live in the ideal climate, have a lack of water, are discouraged or overwhelmed by other permaculture resources, or just don't know where to start, this book is for you!

Jenni takes you on her journey from how she got started to what she did and encountered herself through trial and error over the course of 20 years. She is a great teacher for those of us that are novices to permaculture because she tells from experience. For those of us that are experts I am sure this book will provide a great refresher. In her book Jenni talks about building soil, planning, planting a veggie garden, seed saving/swapping, easy starter crops, her suggestions about what and when to plant, greenhouses, poultry and meat rabbits, ethics and principles of permaculture, & harvesting and preserving. Her book doesn't cover every aspect of permaculture, but it covers enough of the basics to get a great start. With main information consolidated into sidebars of what she calls, "executive notes", this book is an educational easy read.

As I am still learning a lot in my own journey in permaculture, I found this book to be a wonderful resource of sage advice and wisdom and while reading I highlighted my favorite parts. When I was reading I heard her mention keyhole gardens and hugelkultur and I had never heard of these garden bed methods, so I started pinning them on my Pinterest Garden Path board so that I might incorporate them into my own techniques down the line. I already have 8 raised beds, but they are rectangular, which is fine for what we have done with them. As I am learning though I feel compelled to mold and shape my land how I see fit with the knowledge amassed under my belt.

I am learning about soil and soil building to make my own fertile soil. I even went to "Soil School" after I became a Master Gardener in my state, so that I could learn more about soil. I might be a geek, but I think it is fascinating. Permaculture for the Rest of Us goes into some depth about this in chapter two, "The Nitty Gritty on Building Dirt". Most of this was review for me, but only because I had taken these classes.

My farm already has one laying hen and 10 chickens we raised from chicks, of which I hope will provide me and my family with many eggs soon as the hens of the flock start laying. They have already supplied me with rich manure to add to be composted for my gardens. I love Jenni's idea for a "Hen-poster", a compost pile set up in the chicken run. The chickens scratch at it and mix it while adding chicken manure to it as well. What a great idea! I want to set one up now too. I love her and her husband's ingenuity.

I think Permaculture for the Rest of Us: Abundant Living on Less Than an Acre is a wonderful addition to my library as it would be to yours. It opened my eyes to some techniques and things that I could do, or do better on my own property. I love Jenni's encouragement and her friendly, genuine demeanor. She helped me feel welcome and more capable to accomplish even the most surmountable of tasks.

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I run giveaways with Rafflecopter on my blog. Please click on this post link if you do not see the script for it below. Also, if there is anything that is wrong with it let me know by emailing me: finamoon AT gmail DOT com I will try my best at fixing it. Thanks for being awesome readers!

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DISCLOSURE/DISCLAIMER: I received this product for free to facilitate this review and an opportunity to give away another copy. My thoughts are mine and my family's own opinion and have not been altered by anyone else. I did not receive any other compensation for doing this review and giveaway.

Localish Plant Sales on Saturday - One in St. Helen's and One in Portland Oregon

Spring Garden Fair

The 20th Annual Spring Garden Fair is happening on Saturday, April 30, 2016. It will be held at the St. Helen's High School Commons located at 2375 Gable Road, St. Helen's Oregon, 97051.

Dozens of local vendors will offer annuals, trees, shrubs, perennials, vegetables, ceramics, trellises, garden art, herbs, containers, hanging baskets and more.

Certified Master Gardener's will offer 5,000 tomatoes in over 30 varieties for only $1.50 per plant; tomato and general gardening information, raffle tickets, hourly prizes and displays.

Raffle tickets are on sale now for $1 each from many Master Gardener's.

Free parking - please carpool

Free admission - ATM on site - shop indoors and out 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Brought to you by the Columbia County Master Gardener Association.

Incredible Edibles Plant Sale

The Incredible Edibles Plant Sale is also happening Saturday, April 30, 2016 from 10am til 4pm. It will be held at the Westminster Presbyterian Church on 1624 NE Hancock Street, Portland Oregon, 97212 (between 16th and 17th Avenue).

This FREE event is a great opportunity to buy organic herb and veggie starts for your home garden so you can harvest nutritious, fresh-picked goodness for your table! You’ll find both heirlooms and hybrids among our proven varieties of tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, eggplants, squash, greens, lettuces, herbs and more.

‘Get the Real Dirt’ from OSU Extension trained Master Gardener Volunteers who will be on site to answer your gardening questions.

Plant. Grow. Eat. workshops (Scheduled throughout the day)....

• 10:30 am - “Kale-palooza!” Learn some great tasty, simple ways to use the nutritional iron horse of the garden…kale! Plus see a chiffonade demo so you too can master the technique at home. Presenter: Greg Sweeting, Chef, OSU Extension Master Gardener Volunteer.
• 11:30 am - “Tips for the Beginning Veggie Gardener” A great workshop for those you know who are beginning gardeners. They will learn tips and tricks on how to “get growing” with their very own vegetable garden. They will learn just how easy it is to have nutritious veggies to harvest. Presenter: Susan Ristau, OSU Extension Master Gardener Volunteer. 
• 12:30 pm - “Eat What You Grow” The joy of simple preparations for your homegrown edibles. When your produce and herbs are this fresh it’s a delight to create simple meals with them at the center of the plate. Presenter: Katherine Deumling of Cook With What You Have.
• 1:30 pm - “Bountiful Berries” Learn all the steps needed to harvest a bounty of berries in your garden from an expert home grower. Strawberries, blues, Marion, and raspberries! Oh my! Presenter: Bob Deultgen, OSU Extension Master Gardener.
• 2:30 pm - “Delectable Ways to Enjoy Your Bounty” Get inspiration on how to utilize your bountiful veggie harvest with quick, delectable preparations. Presenter: Joe Hickey, Chef, Noble Rot.

Kids Grow...
Drop by the Kids Grow station and discover incredible garden science with hands-on activities for the kids.

Feed Your Soul with a Variety of Food Vendors...
Thrive Sauce and Bowls, Salvador Molly's, Nossa Familia Coffee

Garden Inspired Art...
A Little Sun!, Victory Garden of Tomorrow

Great Music...

• 10am      Sellwood Marimba Band a festive kick-off! 
• 11 am      Brian McEvoy, Jesse Robinson, Bret Malmquist, country and folk—with a little bit of honky-tonk! 
• 12 pm     Rick McNutt Quartet, Latin-jazz to move to! 
• 1 pm       Possum Six Pack, old time, traditional, toe-tapping tunes!  
• 2 pm      Arco PDX, classical orchestral and chamber music with a contemporary attitude! 
• 3 pm      Bill LaCroix and Dan Kimbro, serendipitous old-timey music!

Check out the veggie varieties they have on order!

Also enter their raffle while you are there! There are over 100 donors and tickets are just $5! You pick which prizes to try your luck on.

RSVP to the event e-vite on Facebook and like them on their Facebook page too.

Brought to you by the Multnomah County Master Gardeners.

OTHER PLANT SALES COMING UP IN OREGON BY COUNTY & DATE:

• Lane: April 30th, 9am - 3pm, Lane County Fairgrounds (Eugene)
• Jackson: April 30th, 9am - 5pm and May 1st, 10am - 4pm (many plant vendors), Jackson County Expo (Central Point)
• Clackamas: April 30th, 9am - 5pm and May 1, 9am - 4pm (lots of plant vendors), Clackamas County Event Center (Canby)
• Polk: May 6th and 7th, 9am - 4pm, Polk County Fairgrounds (Rickreall)
• Hood River: May 7th, 9am - 1pm, OSU Extension Service Office at 2990 Experiment Station Drive (Hood River)
• Wasco: May 7th, 9am - 2pm, City Park (The Dalles)
• Douglas: May 7th, 9am - 4pm (many plant vendors), Douglas County Fairgrounds (Roseburg)
• Benton: May 7th, 9am - 2pm, Benton County Fairgrounds (Corvallis)
• Tillamook: May 7th, 9am - 2pm, Tillamook County Fairgrounds (Tillamook)
• Curry: May 14th, 10am-7pm at the High School (Gold Beach)
• Clatsop: May 14th, 8:30am - 2pm (garden vendors and seminar), Clatsop County Fairgrounds (Astoria)
• Lincoln: May 31, 9am-2pm, Newport National Guard Armory (Newport)

  
OF NOTE: If these are too far from you, try your local Master Gardeners and see if there is a plant sale in your area. Many of them are happening this weekend! Just do a search by county and state or call your local  Department of Agriculture Extension Office for more information. You might also find a website or newsletter you can join for your county chapter to get information on other plant sales, events, and classes.

You too can become a Master Gardener, just call your local extension office to find out more information. Also if you live in Oregon, here is the Oregon Master Gardeners Website to look up the chapter in your neck of the woods. The chapter meetings are open to all, not just members, and they usually have an interesting speaker to listen to and learn from.

DISCLOSURE/DISCLAIMER: I received this information and images for this post. My thoughts are mine and my family's own opinion and have not been altered by anyone else. I am a OSU Columbia County Master Gardener and wanted to share this information with my readers.

What I Learned At Soil School 2016

Did you know that:

• There are 1 billion organisms in every pinch of soil?
• There are 22 thousand different soil types?
• Mollisols are the most productive soil on the planet? 
• Legumes like fava beans are nitrogen fixing for the soil and are a great cover crop if you need that nutrient? 
• Like your veggie garden you should rotate cover crops too? 
• Some slugs and snails pollinate some plants? 
• Slug/snail slime absorbs 40-100 times its volume in water and therefore the best way to get it off your skin is actually using dirt? 
• 90% of flowering plant reproduction depends upon pollinators?
• There are over 4000 different species of native bees, 600-800 live in Oregon? 
• 70% native bees nest in the ground and need bare dirt? 
• Native plants are 4 times more likely to attract pollinators? 
• The best worms to use for vermicompost and a worm bin is the red wiggler or Eisenia fetida? 
• The ideal conditions for the worms in vermiculture is keeping them in a shallow bin with air holes and drainage holes in 59-77 degree temperature, 75% moisture, slightly acid PH, lots of oxygen, grit for their digestion, and their favorite compostable foods added?

I learned all this and more at Soil School, which is offered every year in Portland Oregon for farmers with small farms, landscapers, gardeners, grounds managers and anyone else who wants to improve their soil. I learned about it through my Master Gardeners Program. It is a jam packed learning day with a complimentary breakfast, snacks, and lunch. It costs $30 for a single person and $50 for two people.

This year it was held at the Portland Community College Rock Creek Event Center on April 16th, 2016 from 8am-3:30pm. My husband and I signed up. We all where treated to the "not to be missed" key note speaker, James "Dr. Soil" Cassidy who taught all about, yes you guessed it, SOIL! Then we broke up into our various classes of which we had to pick 4 each out of the 12 offered.

I took Using Cover Crops, Slugs & Snails, Planting for Pollinators, and Vermiculture. My husband, Brian, took Soil Testing & Analysis, Irrigation, Invasive Weed I.D. and Organic Weed Control. Then after we compared notes and I brought home a lot of printed information, a lawn sign and some other cool swag. We had a lot of fun and learned a bunch! Brian also won a door prize at the end which was a boot brush and scraper combo! We can definitely use that on our farm!

Classes and Speakers: 

• Key Note, Soil Structure/Composition/Test Analysis: James "Dr. Soil" Cassidy (OSU Soil Instructor)
• Soil Testing & Analysis, Landscaping with Native Plants: Weston Miller (OSU Extension)
• Using Cover Crops: Kim Galland (NRCS)
• Organic Weed Control, Lawn Conversion: Mary Logalbo (West Multnomah  SWCD)
• Stormwater Management: Clair Klock (Clackamas SWCD)
• Composting/Organic Matter: Dave Alba, PNW Organic Land Care Coalition
• Slugs & Snails: Claudia Groth, OSU Master Gardener
• Planting For Pollinators: Kammy Kern-Korot, West Multnomah  SWCD
• Irrigation: Dean Moberg  (NRCS)
• Vermiculture: Glen Andresen (Metro Area Master Gardener)
• Invasive Weed I.D.: Rob Emanuel, (Clean Water Services)

Sponsors:

• East Multnomah Soil & Water Conservation District  
• Tualatin Soil & Water Conservation District 
• West Multnomah Soil & Water Conservation District  
• Oregon Tilth 
• OSU Small Farms Program
• OSU (Oregon) Master Gardener Program 
• Metro Master Gardeners

Wordless Wednesday Fresh Garden Artichoke

Teela with freshly picked artichoke from our garden.

Teela being silly with the artichoke.

Wordless Wednesday Garden Goodies

A purple cabbage from our garden.

Zucchini from our garden.

Devotions from the Garden: Finding Peace and Rest from Your Hurried Life Book Review

Devotions from the Garden: Finding Peace and Rest from Your Hurried Life by Miriam Drennen is a gorgeous hardcover book that is filled with beautiful color photographs of lovely gardens, words of wisdom, and scripture. I also love that it has a fuschia colored ribbon attached to the book that you can easily bookmark your place with. This 223 page treasure would be wonderful gift for anyone that loves gardening and biblical values.

I have been sitting down and reading a passage every morning and the devotions in this book are very uplifting and inspiring. Devotions in this book are garden themed and have different Christian stories, metaphors, and analogies pertaining to each, along with a biblical scripture. Each devotion is about two pages long with a title and scripture at the top along with the devotion and a devotional prayer at the end of each. There is a total of 90 devotions with such garden topics as: The Mantis, God's Greenhouse, Composting, etc. They offer deeper reflection and meditation upon God and what was taught in each devotion all throughout the day.

Taking the time to ponder everything around us and ourselves is sometimes hard in this chaotic fast-paced world we live in. Sometimes we need to slow down and focus our thoughts to nature and prayer. The Garden is the perfect place to escape. Find tranquility, bring yourself closer to Christ, and grow your faith in Him with the Devotions from the Garden book.

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The author, Miriam Drennen, also has a similar devotions book called Devotions from the Beach...and Days You Wish You Were There.

DISCLOSURE/DISCLAIMER: I received this book from the BookLook Blogger review program for free in exchange for my honest review. My thoughts are mine and my family's own opinion and have not been altered by anyone else. I did not receive any other compensation for posting this review. This post contains affiliate links which means I may receive a commission if you click a link and make a purchase. Thank you for supporting my blog!

The Postage Stamp Vegetable Garden Book Review

Spring is almost over and summer is just around the corner. I cannot believe how the time has flown by so quickly!  My Mother's Day garden is growing very well. I still have a lot to do, but the main part is out of the way. Weeds still need pulled around my flowers, the soil needs tended to, and more seeds need sown and planted. I absolutely love growing in raised beds and containers because it means a lot less weeding. I love gardening! It is a favorite pastime of mine. Digging my hands into the soil and feeling the earth beneath me, relaxes me. It has always had this calming effect on me. 

The newly revised edition (which now includes a whole chapter dedicated to heirloom vegetables and herbs) of the Postage Stamp Vegetable Garden book by Karen Newcomb is a great resource with a lot of ideas to grow tons of organic vegetables in small spaces and in containers. This book is a very practical do-it-yourself (DIY) guide. In the beginning there is an introduction which introduces the history of small gardens. Eight chapters covering different topics, from planning your garden to controlling pests and other maladies, follow to host the bulk of knowledge being put forth. An appendix a and b containing how to compost and seed sources, a glossary, about the author, and an index ends the book.

Table Of Contents

Introduction   1
Chapter 1 Planning Your Postage Stamp Vegetable Garden   5
Chapter 2 The Postage Stamp Soil Mix   35
Chapter 3 Getting Your Ground Ready   43
Chapter 4 When and How to Plant   50
Chapter 5 Watering Your Postage Stamp Vegetable Garden   64
Chapter 6 Heirloom Vegetables and Herbs You’ll Love to Grow   68
Chapter 7 Plants That Like Each Other   165
Chapter 8 Controlling Pests, Diseases, and Critters   172
Appendix A How to Compost   186
Appendix B Seed Sources   195
Glossary   204
About the Author   211
Index   212

In retrospect, I really should have read The Postage Stamp Vegetable Garden book before I planted my garden. Since it got a late start though, I was rushing to get everything in the ground. I went with a more conventional row design which isn't really the best way to plant. This book could have helped me tremendously in: planning the arrangement of my garden and maximizing my crop production.

I love that this book makes it easy to have a garden in a very small plot that produces a lot while taking very little work and water. Karen Newcomb recommends beds that are 4 by 4 feet minimum to 10 by 10 feet maximum. She also states that from a 5 by 5 foot bed you can produce a minimum of 200 pounds of vegetables, if it is properly prepared and maintained. This is really amazing if you think about it. There are also some very helpful crop stretching techniques that are talked about in the book like: French Intensive Biodynamic Gardening in a small space, vertical gardening, intercropping, succession planting, catch cropping, container gardening, raised bed gardening, window sill/box gardening, patio gardening, companion planting, etc. The book also talks about taking advantage of better planting times: planting by season, zones, and moon cycles. Watering techniques, soil enriching techniques, and how to organically get rid of or deter: pests, diseases, and critters that might devour your garden are also included in this book. I loved the part of this book that covered other plants to consider growing because I am well aware of the advantages of adding pretty edible flowers and plants that attract beneficial bugs and hummingbirds to pollinate and possibly eat some pests. I love the idea of having a garden also for the hummingbirds, butterflies, bees, etc.

The Postage Stamp Vegetable Garden book has great garden plans, charts, and tips to keep your garden growing gorgeously. I will just mention that if you like a lot of color photos or pretty pictures this will not be the book for you because it uses a simplistic three color (browns, grays, and greens) printing process for the drawings and charts throughout the book.

There is so much to consider when planning a garden. I wish more people out there would grow their own food because the benefits are just so great! The benefits of growing your own organic garden include: better health, less stress, feeling better, saving money, getting fresh air and exercise, eating healthier and safer and saving the environment. Even someone living in the city with very little space really doesn't have an excuse. This book is chocked full of helpful information to maximize yield organically and ecologically friendly in small spaces. I would recommend anyone who wants to have a wonderful organic garden to read this book, especially those who don't know where to start because they are just in the beginning stages.

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DISCLOSURE/DISCLAIMER: I received this book from the Blogging for Books program for free in exchange for my honest review. My thoughts are mine and my family's own opinion and have not been altered by anyone else. I did not receive any other compensation for posting this review. This post contains affiliate links which means I may receive a commission if you click a link and make a purchase. Thank you for supporting my blog!

My Mother's Day and Birthday Gifts

This year my Birthday and Mother's Day fell on the same day, May 10th. My Mother's Day gifts consisted of blueberry pancakes and french toast made by my oldest son in the morning, a beautiful handmade card and newly planted Marigold from Teela, and 6 garden beds full of new soil, herbs, tomatoes, vegetables, and strawberry plants from my husband. We had to majorly upscale the garden this year because we found last year that two beds don't really feed a family of 6 very well. We are also planning on putting in 6 more if we get around to it. The orchard we planted last year is in the background along with some chopped wood we are going to sell. Isn't it pretty!

We have raised bed gardens! Yay!

The card Teela handmade was absolutely adorable. The front had a heart glued on and on the inside she drew a forest scene with trees, nests of baby birds, mama and daddy birds, bees buzzing around a hive, butterflies, a sun, ladybug, bunnies, a deer, squirrel, and flowers. On the back she drew a heart filled with smaller hearts and three people holding it at the bottom, one person swinging off of it, and another climbing a ladder that goes to the top where you can apparently slide down a rainbow on the other side. Very clever :)

My Marigold plant and Mother's Day & Birthday Card from Teela.

My husband also took me to Burgerville in Kelso Washington so that I could participate in their annual free Mother's Day Strawberry Treat. They had a sundae and a shortcake you could pick from. I got the sundae this year. Yummy!

My Free Mother's Day Burgerville Strawberry Sundae. Yummy!

After I got my sundae and brought it home we ate my favorite Extreme Veggie artichoke pizza from our local Hometown Pizza and sang some My Little Karaoke with my family. I am really thankful for my family and grateful for everything they do for me.

How was your Mother's Day??

Planting a Fruit/Nut Orchard and Edible Garden with Food Stamps (SNAP EBT)

My daughters and our homemade raised beds.

A while back we made 2 raised beds for a garden (the third in this picture never got finished) out of used lumber we had lying around. Back then we didn't know how we were going to furnish the soil or plants because we didn't have the means or the money to that we knew of. We just knew we wanted a garden and that we loved the idea of a raised bed garden to tide us over until our greenhouse was built and the aquaponics system was put in.

Then we got on Food Stamps (SNAP EBT) because my husband, Brian, has been out of work because of a disability (an orthostatic intolerance). We, like many other people on food stamps, did not know at first that we could buy food bearing/producing plants and seeds with our food stamps at the stores that accept them. We found out through a friend, that bought a salsa garden for himself with food stamps, that it was possible.

Our fruit orchard is taking shape.

We decided to test the system out and see if we could get larger food bearing/producing plants like trees and large bushes. We came home from Fred Meyer with three gorgeous Earliblue High Bush Blueberry Bushes, their last ones in stock. We also went to both local Walmarts subsequent days afterward and picked up 8 Heritage Red Raspberry plants, 4 thorn-less Sawtooth Blackberry plants, 3 Sweet Cherry trees, 1 Profusion Flowering Crab Apple tree, 2 Granny Smith Apple trees, 1 Honey Crisp Apple tree, and 1 Bartlett Pear tree all with our food stamps! My neighbor also gave us 2 Desert King Fig trees that are going in the ground soon.

Thorn-less Sawtooth Blackberry plants: we planted these in the kids area where the large trampoline is.

Blueberry bushes and raspberries.

We have ran into a few snags when using food stamps, unfortunately though. Some of the plants had been marked down and were in the discounted section. The tags showing the discount didn't ring up the plants as a food producer and so the checkout person had to find the original tag to the plant and then take the discount off manually. We also tried to buy two beautiful Semi-Dwarf Eureka Lemon trees (the common supermarket lemon variety) from Fred Meyer, but even though it is without a shadow of a doubt edible and was even growing fruit on both trees when we showed it to them we couldn't get them because the tag didn't indicate anywhere on it that it was an edible. Instead, it called the tree a "patio plant", indicating ornamental. We are still fighting this one. We also found that at the time we found out about this program it was a bit late in the season and a lot of the Spring stock of plants were picked over and already taken. Very few places that take food stamps also carry food bearing/producing plants. We wish more gardens with nurseries and farms that sell their plants would take EBT. We did find one in the area that wasn't a large chain store, called Pikku Farm in Woodland Washington, but we haven't been able to get a hold of them by phone yet.

The cashier at Fred Meyer cut the tops off large paper sacks and stuck the folded top into the bottom of the sack for transport.

We also picked up some Sage (Common, 2 Pineapple, and Blue), 2 plants of Basil, 6 Brussels Sprout plants, 6 Broccoli plants, 6 Rainbow Swiss Chard plants. These we planted in our raised beds full of aged manure and soil. Our friend gave us some beets from her garden to eat and some she pulled out with the large ones were too small and so we put them back into the ground in our raised beds along with a bunch of scallions that had the roots on them still. We already had a cherry tomato plant in the corner growing.

Raised bed gardens with the blueberries and raspberries in the background.

My daughters with the raised beds and the compost pile in the background.

I love that all this planting and growing our own food will help us never go hungry. We also are teaching our kids where food comes from and how to grow and harvest it. Soon we will have a sustainable orchard and garden all thanks to the SNAP Gardens: Food Stamps Grow Gardens program.

UncommonGoods Recycled Glass Bumblebee Nightlight and Tube Kneeling Pad Review

We received products free from UncommonGoods to facilitate this review.

UncommonGoods is a unique online store with some very unusual items (some handmade) that you don't find in every day shopping usually. Their products make great gifts for the holiday and Christmas season! Click here to see some unique affordable gifts they have under $50. They also have some really interesting facts or what they call "Uncommon Knowledge" posted around their website and feature some of the artists and designers of their handmade goods in highlights on some of the pages on their website and their print catalog. They are committed to the environment and print their catalogs on recycled paper and there is also products in their store that are made of recycled materials. In their Better to Give Program they donate a portion of each order to your choice of non-profit organizations: American Forests,Women for Women International, City Harvest, and the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN).

I was recently approached by them to pick something from off of their website that was under $65. I picked two items. One was the Recycled Glass Bumblebee Nightlight and the other item was the Recycled Tube Kneeling Pad.

Bumblebee Nightlight, seeds, and packaging.

The Bumblebee Nightlight arrived in a recycled cardboard box with shredded newspaper all around to protect it from breakage. It came with the 4 watt bulb needed to create the ambient light. It also came with some weedy wildflower seeds to spread around for the bees to collect pollen grains to pollinate the flowers with and nectar to convert to honey. I love this! My bees are going to be very happy! Wildflowers are some of my favorite flowers and I love that I can give back to the earth and help the bees at the same time.

Bumblebee Nightlight with room light on and with it off.

The Bumblebee Nightlight by Vawn and Mike Gray of Reborn Glass located out of Cape Coral Florida is definitely something worth buzzing about. It is a gorgeous nightlight that is made with recycled broken bottles that were rescued before they reached the landfill. Each one is unique and are fused and formed in the kiln. The art glass is textured with its purple blooms and adorable plump bumblebees. Its curved form hugs the light perfectly and I love the warm soft glow it makes. So Bee-autiful :) Click here to see some unique lighting from UncommonGoods.

The Recycled Tube Kneeling Pad in use.

The Recycled Tube Kneeling Pad by Flat Tire Décor located out of Milwaukee Wisconsin is a great gift for any gardener or anyone who works on their knees. This extremely durable pad is smooth and flexible. The rubber exterior is made of reclaimed industrial tire inner tubes and the inside is lined with a inch thick cushion of anti-fatigue foam. It is also naturally slip resistant, water resistant, abrasion resistant, and easily wipes clean. This cushion is so comfortable for my knees and the curved semi circular shape is contoured where you can shift left to right without repositioning! It works on dirt, cement, brick, wood, stone or other surface. I no longer get my knees dirty when I garden and my knees don't feel stressed. I can garden longer and not feel any pain. Besides gardening I can see this being used for other jobs that have to be done on your knees. I also think that it would be an ideal seat for watching a game in the stands or having a picnic while seated at a park bench or picnic table. It does become hot if in direct sunlight. It also has a study nylon strap that you can carry or hang it from. 37" L x 14" W x 1" D, Strap: 30" L Click here to see some wonderful gifts for women from UncommonGoods.

DISCLOSURE/DISCLAIMER: I received products for free to facilitate my review. My thoughts are mine and my family's own opinion and have not been altered by anyone else. I did not receive any other compensation for doing this review.

Free Burt's Bees Wildflower Seed Packets For Pollinator Week

Photo courtesy of: Burt's Bees. Information about the promotion was provided free as well. All other thoughts are mine and my family's own opinion and have not been altered by anyone else. I did not receive any compensation for doing this post.

Bees are important to our life cycle. They pollinate the plants we and other animals eat. We live in a world that unfortunately favors lawns, monoculture and pavement. The bees need our help to survive and thrive.

Burt's Bees is giving away free wildflower seed packs. Plant these to give your outdoors some color and the bees a feast. You can also get tips on how you can go wild for bees, and learn what Burt's Bees is doing to help our favorite pollinators.

Sent by mail within 6-8 weeks | Subject to availability, while supplies last | Limit one per household | Valid only in the U.S. 

DISCLOSURE/DISCLAIMER: Photo courtesy of: Burt's Bees. Information about the promotion was provided free as well. All other thoughts are mine and my family's own opinion and have not been altered by anyone else. I did not receive any compensation for doing this post. I did register to receive a free seed packet for my garden.

Cheap and Unusual Father's Day Fun (Infographic)

Infographic Courtesy of: CashNetUSA: It's Economic. Information about the infographic was provided free as well. All other thoughts are mine and my family's own opinion and have not been altered by anyone else.

Welcome to the United States of Dad! Here you can find fun and inexpensive ways to entertain your dad this Father's Day. There's no need to spend money on travel; this infographic has provided several options across the country that will keep you and your dad busy on his special day. Don't see an option close by? Use this infographic to spark an idea for fun with your dad, and do a quick online search to find affordable options near you.

This is a great infographic! I love the ideas it presents for Father's Day. You can save money and still have a great time. There are fun trip destinations to go: camping, fishing, hiking, swimming, picnicking, to the zoo, to the rodeo, to parks, skiing, golfing etc. You can also BBQ, garden, camp out, etc. in your own backyard!

DISCLOSURE/DISCLAIMER: Infographic and information about the infographic was provided free courtesy of: CashNetUSA: It's Economic. All other thoughts are mine and my family's own opinion and have not been altered by anyone else. I did not receive any other compensation for doing this post other than the infographic.

20 Mule Team Borax Review and Giveaway

Borax is the common name for sodium tetraborate: a naturally occurring substance produced by the repeated evaporation of seasonal lakes. 20 Mule Team Borax comes from California where one of the world’s largest deposits was discovered in 1913. Absolutely nothing is added. No phosphates, per-oxside, chlorine, or other additive chemicals.

20 Mule Team Borax is a laundry booster and multi-purpose household cleaner. It removes stains and neutralizes odors. Borax naturally softens hard water and improves your detergent’s cleaning power. It also helps keep stains from being re-deposited back onto clothes. It is also a wonderful all natural alternative to color safe bleach. To boost your detergent, simply add 1/2 cup of 20 Mule Team Borax to every load, along with your regular detergent. You can also use 20 Mule Team Borax to pre-soak tough stains.

Over 85% of homes have what most people call “hard water.” Hard water is defined as water that contains calcium and magnesium (ions). Since I live in Oregon I am one of the lucky ones that has soft to only slightly hard water. Even though I do not have that hard of water here, I have found many other ways of using Borax besides keeping my laundry smelling fresh and looking clean too.

Handy Uses for 20 Mule Team Borax:

Cleaning

• Laundry: Add 1/2 cup of 20 Mule Team Borax to every full load, along with your regular detergent.
• Dishes: Dishwasher detergent - put 1 cup washing soda or 1 cup baking soda, 1 cup 20 Mule Team Borax (additionally you could add these optional ingredients: 1/2 cup of table salt and 1/2 cup of citric acid) in a glass jar. Secure tightly with lid. Shake to combine. Add 1 tbsp. of dishwasher detergent to each load. Add distilled white vinegar to the rinsing compartment to give the dishes a sparkling shine (plastic dishes will need sprayed with additional vinegar and rinsed by hand to get the sediment off). Handwashing Dish detergent - fill kitchen sink halfway with hot water and add a quarter of a cup of Borax, and a quarter of a cup of washing soda or baking soda. Mix well until dissolved, then add dishes. Clean dishes normally and rinse thoroughly. You can also use a little Borax on a dish cloth or scouring pad on dishes, pots, and pans that need extra scrubbing power.
• Deodorizer: Add 1/2 cup of Borax to a 12 ounce spray bottle of water and shake until dissolved. Spray on area needing deodorized. Example: Mattresses, Upholstery, clothing.
• Carpet and Upholstery Stains and Deodorizer: Stains - Pre-treat tough stains in carpet and upholstery. Make a paste of Borax and water and rub into stain. Let dry and vacuum. You can also place 1/2 cup of Borax per gallon of water in carpet steam cleaning machines (Warning: You are doing this at your own risk...the risk of possibly breaking your cleaner. The manufacture guidelines and specifics in the manual are usually put there for good reason.). Deodorizer - Sprinkle Borax on carpet, let stand overnight and vacuum.
• Tile and Grout Cleaner: make a paste and use a toothbrush for cleaning.
• Garbage Disposal and Unclog a Drain: Disposal - dump 1/4 cup into disposal and splash in a bit of water. Wait an hour and rinse with hot water. Clogged Drain - dump 1/2 cup into clogged drain and wait 15 minutes. Rinse with hot water.
• Surface Cleaner: Borax is safe to use on most surfaces including tile, ceramic, porcelain, slate, marble, granite and stainless steel. Great for toilets: put 1/4th cup into bowl, wait a bit then swish with toilet brush. It is great for removing soap scum, hard water deposits, and dirt!

Insecticide

• Ants: Mix equal amounts of Borax and powdered sugar, place near ant problem area (especially around anthills) - keep away from pets and small children. Others have said this also works for other bugs too including: silverfish, bedbugs, water bugs and roaches.
• Fleas: Sprinkle Borax on carpet and upholstery, let stand overnight and vacuum. 

Gardening

• Weed Control: Dissolve 10 ounces of Borax in 1/2 cup warm water and place it in a 5 gallon bucket. Dilute with 2 1/2 gallons of water. Fill empty spray bottles or a garden sprayer with solution and spray over problem area evenly and quickly. The borax solution will treat 1,000 square feet. You can cut the recipe in half if you need to cover as smaller area. Don't spray it on other plants you do not wish to kill. Remove weeds by hand around plants that you are planning on eating.
• Boron Supplement/Soil Fertilizer: Depending upon the amount of boron in your soil your garden crops and flowers might be suffering from boron deficiency. Hollow stalks in broccoli or celery, black spots on leaves, rot and fruit-pitting might be indicators of this. Test your soil to make sure and if it is lacking, make a borax solution. Add 2.5 oz. of borax into 5 gallons of water. Spray the solution evenly on plant foliage. Do not concentrate the solution in one area.

Crafts

• Crystal Snowflakes: Twist three 5-inch pieces (one pipe cleaner cut into 3 equal sections will do nicely) of white pipe cleaner together in the middle to form a 6 sided snowflake, then add a 1 1/2-inch piece to each point. Tie the flake with 4" string to a pencil on the opposite side. Find a big enough jar so the suspended flake won't touch the sides or bottom. Fill with 3 tablespoons borax and 1 drop food coloring of choice per 1 cup of boiling water. Hang the snowflake in the jar and make sure snowflake is completely submerged in the solution. Let sit overnight without interruption; remove and hang where you want to display. Science behind it: as the water cools, borax forms crystals that cling to the pipe cleaners.
• Goop: Goop has many names including: flubber, glurch, glorax and GAK. Pour 1 1/2 cups of warm water into a container and then add in 2 cups of white glue. In another container, mix 1 1/3 cups warm water and 3 tsp. of borax. Mix both containers well. Then empty the second container into the first and mix again. You can put in a few drops of food coloring at this point if you like. Stir or knead the mixture by hand until all the liquid has been soaked up and the material looks thick. Some people find that borax irritates their skin, so you should wash your hands after working with it and, of course, never eat it. Be careful as it might stain if you put in the food coloring.
• Dried Flowers: Mix 1 part borax and 2 parts of cornmeal with one tablespoon of uniodized salt. The Uniodized salt helps retain the color of the flower while drying. Spread half of the dry mix across the bottom of an airtight container. Prune back stems and leaves of picked flowers and place the blooms into the container. Carefully sprinkle the rest of the borax mix over the flowers (avoid crushing them). Cover and dry for a week to 10 days.

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Prize: Win 1 coupon for a FREE box of 20 Mule Team Borax (3 Winners!)

I am trying out Rafflecopter on my blog. Please click on this post link if you do not see the script for it below. Also, if there is anything that is wrong with it let me know by emailing me: finamoon AT gmail DOT com I will try my best at fixing it. Thanks for being awesome readers!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

DISCLOSURE/DISCLAIMER: Thanks to 20 Mule Team Borax for sending me product for free and promotion information to facilitate my review and free coupons for this giveaway. This opportunity was provided to me because I am a Purex Insider. By posting I will be entered to win rewards. My thoughts are mine and my family's own opinion and have not been altered by anyone else. I did not receive any other compensation for posting this promo.