Have you ever wanted to grow raspberries or blackberries but thought it was too hard? This great video from GrowOrganic tells you how:
If you have tried growing berries, how did it go?
Growing berries
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Seed bomb!
Last week I was traveling and stopped in at West Elm (we don’t have any in Des Moines – sad!). I love their current succulent & air plant items. Have you seen all their terrariums? Cute!
The only thing I purchased (my suitcase was already full!) was a wildflower seed bomb. I wanted some last year and never grabbed any. It’s a very cool idea and I’m excited to see if it works. It’s basically a ball of various seeds you can toss to one area and the seeds will work their way into the soil.
For me, I’ll be tossing these bombs across the creek in my back yard to the wilderness area I can’t easily get to. I hope it works. Have you ever made or purchased a seed bomb? Did it work? Any tips for me?
High on soil?
Anyone who’s ever worked on their lawn or in a garden or planted flowers has noticed that deep, earthy smell of soil. Do you like it? Do you find it refreshing? I love it and feel that it’s calming.
This recent article discusses what it actually is about soil that triggers such emotions. I found it very interesting. There’s actually a soil bacteria clinically proven to trigger happiness. Who knew!?
The week of love….
I adore my husband and family every single day but I admit I really enjoy the annual celebration of love, aka Valentine’s day (or as I like to celebrate it, Valentine’s week)!
How do you celebrate your loved ones? Will you spend time together? Exchange gifts? All of the above?
If you exchange gifts, bulbs, potted plants and cut flowers are always great gifts for the garden fanatic. Here’s some other fun gift ideas: poppy candles, a grow pillow, a cookbook focused on using your garden gems or donate to your loved one’s favorite charity.
I think the most meaningful part of valentine’s week, to me at least, is hearing you are loved so much. Small messages all week will make your loved one feel adored. Here’s a very cute way to express that feeling. Other sweet things to do – download fun new apps on their phone, tuck a note in their wallet/lunch, bake something special, make plans for something fun to do together or spontaneously head out on a picnic or hand-in-hand walk.
Here’s a great list of valentine events at botanic gardens around the U.S.!
What are you planning?
Good organizations for info
What groups & organizations do you stay in touch with, beside your favorite brand – NatraTurf – of course, to get good green growing info? Here’s a few we like:
Midwest Ecological Landscaping Assoc.
Northwest Center for Alternatives to Pesticides
b. organic with Michele Beschen
Cool conference in Chi-town!
We’re working on a conference, with our parent company Calcium Products, for March called Lawn & Landscape Summit. The experts will be discussing emerald ash borer, green ways to care for your lawn or garden, fertility and soil care without chemicals and more. There’ll be lots of question & answer time as well.
Tickets are available thru the website (see link above) or at the door, as space allows. March 30 is geared toward professionals or experienced folks and March 31 is a shorter day and geared toward the general public. Check out the site for speakers and schedule and keep an eye on it — we have a few great speakers we’ll be adding soon! I’ll keep you posted here too as the date draws nearer.
How to keep growing when you’re away
January was a crazy-busy month with lots of travel, a nasty virus that had me on the couch a few days and lots of little stuff that seemed to fill the days. So today I looked around and realized my poor lil houseplants were missing me. I have 10 plants + succulents in the main living space of my house and they’ve all gotten a bit of water splashed at them but not a lot of love lately. My paper whites are so tall the stalks are falling over. This weekend I’ll be doing some pruning and tidying and really assess how they’re doing and give them some love.
When I’m out of town I ask my hubby or house sitter to water the plants and check on them but they often get overlooked.
Anyone have tips for making sure your plants get the care they need when you’re swamped or out of town?
Make the most of the sunshine!
I just read about a study saying human skin cells are best able to handle the sun’s UV rays in the morning. This Reader’s Digest article I read it in says it’s a DNA-protecting protein that seems to be at it’s highest level soon after waking up that makes the difference.
Obviously getting too much UV exposure is still dangerous BUT I think this makes a good reason to mow the lawn, work the garden, walk the dog or shovel the snow in the morning!
Just a random fact I enjoyed learning so I’m passing it on to you, my lovely readers! What time of day do you usually get out to do the yard work or tend the garden?
A surprise in the cupboard!
My little brother got me a paperwhite bulb+pot set for Christmas. You may remember the drill—tuck the bulbs into the pot and hide the pot in a dark cupboard for two weeks so the bulbs start to take root. So I tucked my bulbs in pot and put it in the cupboard on new year’s day. Imagine my surprise when I opened that cupboard yesterday to get something and found these sprouts! The pot is also now cracked so I don’t know WHAT went on in that cupboard.
Have you had good luck with paperwhites? What bulbs or seeds are you starting indoors?
Cya at the Northern Green Expo!
Our parent company, Calcium Products, has a booth at the Northern Green Expo in Minneapolis, Jan. 4-6. The booth will focus on info for professional turf managers who care for parks or golf courses or run landscape business but many of the products are similar to our homeowner line and we’d be happy to discuss them with you. Plus it sounds like a very cool show; if you’re interested in natural options you’ll probably be able to get lots of good info—there are 825 booths at this show! If you’re in that neck of the woods, please stop by and introduce yourself! We’re in booth #1111.
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NatraTurf offers the same soil science mastered in the agriculture world to families who want chemical-free lawns and gardens. Our products are manufactured at employee-owned plants in the midwest. We make products easy-to-use and simple to understand. And, at NatraTurf, you can be sure, it’s natural and organic or we don’t make it.