An infographic by the team at CouponAudit
.
October Gardening: It’s Still Not Too Late To Start
You might not have listened in the beginning of the summer…
…Or in September when I told you it’s not too late to start your garden.
It’s now October and guess what?
It’s still not too late to start your garden
For most of you in the US, your time is running out this year, but you still have some. Utilize it!
The selection might be small, but there is a selection.
Just grow one thing right now. Then come the spring, you’ll be more comfortable and be able to grow that much more.
It’ll be easier to handle and much less overwhelming.
What can you grow?
To figure out what you can grow, you should use my Veggie Virgin Formula.
That will help you to figure out what you can start from seed today.
What can you grow?
To figure out what you can grow, you should use my Veggie Virgin Formula.
That will help you to figure out what you can start from seed today.
Where can I buy seeds?
Make sure you buy seeds that aren’t full of chemicals or genetically modified. 3 sources to buy vegetable seeds.
How To Make a Chalkboard Paint Pot
This is guest post by Becky Striepe
from Glue and Glitter
Growing food is sort of a non-stop adventure, isn’t it?
Just when everything’s planted and flourishing…
…the change in seasons means it’s time to start your garden over with a new round of seeds and seedlings.
Like Mike has mentioned before, you might think you’ll remember what you planted where, but unless you label your pots, chances are you’ll end up with at least one or two mysteries sprouting up.
A container garden is no different. Rather than having to keep track of a bunch of plant markers, you can use chalkboard paint to create a changeable label for your potted herbs and veggies. It’s easy as pie!
Here’s how to make your own chalkboard paint pot
- Materials
- Chalkboard paint. You can pick up a pint at the store or make your own.
- A terra cotta pot. Use a dry rag to wipe it clean of any debris.
- A paint brush. Something medium-sized will do.
- Masking tape or decals. I went with a plain rectangle, but you can use decals if you want your chalkboard label to have a fun shape, like a heart or a star.
- Chalk. White will do, or you can use fun colored chalk!
- Directions
- Tape off your design. If you’re doing a square, you want to be super careful to keep the top and bottom edges parallel to the top and bottom of the pot. That might mean ever so slightly curving the tape as you go around. Take your time with this step. When you’re all done taping, take an extra minute to make sure it’s smoothed down really well, so you won’t have any smudges.
- Shake up your chalkboard paint really well. Not only does shaking keep the color even, but it distributes the tiny grains that make chalkboard paint writeable.
- Grab your brush, and paint! I gave my pot 2 coats, leaving about 10 minutes drying time in between. It will take 2 or 3 coats to get it looking nice and even.
- Don’t wait too long to remove your tape, or you’ll risk removing the paint along with it. Maybe 10 or 15 minutes is a good waiting time after you finish your last coat. To remove the tape, very slowly and carefully peel it away from the pot, being careful not to let any painty parts of the tape touch the pot, since you won’t be able to get that paint off of the porous surface once it’s on there.
- Let your pot dry overnight, then take a piece of chalk and rub the side all over where you painted to prime your chalkboard label. Wipe off the excess with a clean rag, and you’re ready to write on your pot!
About Becky
Becky Striepe is a vegan crafter living in Atlanta, Georgia. Her mission is to make vegan food and eco-friendly crafts accessible to anyone who wants to give them a go. She’s also site director at Eat Drink Better, a site dedicated to exploring sustainable, ethical food choices. You can follow Becky on Twitter or find her on Facebook and Pinterest!
Images courtesy of Glue and Glitter on Flickr.
The Love Revolution: How Revolutions Happen
“Revolutions happen because someone decides to act.” — Joyce Meyer in The Love Revolution
Watermelon Basil Salad
- Here’s what you’ll need:
- Cut up watermelon
- 1 lime
- 1/4 cup of olive oil
- Handful of fresh basil
- Tablespoon of paprika
- Dash of sea salt
- Dash of black pepper
- How to make:
- Put the watermelon into a large bowl.
- Pour olive oil over watermelon.
- Sprinkle sea salt, black pepper and basil over it.
- Squeeze lime on top.
- Tear up and add your basil.
- Toss to coat and serve.
What Can “Garden Writers Today” Do For Me?
“Garden Writers Today” is a website (www.digplantgrow.com) for garden writers (duh) that’s been created to help the garden writing community.
More importantly, it’s been created to help the readers of gardening websites, which is even more important.
They wrote to me and other garden writers across the web asking, “What Can ‘Garden Writers Today’ Do For Me?”
Since the main reason that I keep this blog is for you to help encourage and inspire you to start growing your own food, I pass along this question to you. What can “Garden Writers Today” do for you?
Lemme know in the comments below, and their staff will check it out.
I will start off by saying that they can do a better job of stressing the importance of growing food through natural and organic methods…but I say that in all of my posts ;-p
In the meantime, be sure to connect with Garden Writers Today on DigPlantGrow and on Facebook.