Blog

 You don't need a lot of land to have a garden. Pots are a great way to grow all your favorite fruits and vegetables.

The pots allow you to grow your vegetables anywhere. You can keep the plants out of reach for animals. Weeding will also be a little easier. If you are one who has a bad back you might want to place the pots on a table that is waist high. This allows you to water and weed without putting the strain on your back.

Placing your fruits and vegetables in a pot is great If you live in an area where the ground is not not garden friendly. For more potted garden ideas go to Google and punch in "potted garden".

 As I was sitting in the doctors office yesterday waiting for the doctor I started realizing that, "Wow! I'm getting old fast!". I realized that I need to start eating better.

I am finding out more and more that you are what you eat. I am coffee dependent worry wart that can't seem to remember where she sat her coffee cut 20 seconds ago. I eat on the run and have not seen green on my plate in a long time! My eyes are going fuzzy and by the time I get home from work I am ready to crash! I realized today that I like my fruits and vegetables a lot more than I like the 4 walls of a germ fest doctors office. Today I lift my glass to eating better!

and little tan bottles filled with pills.

Gardens can say a lot about who you are. This spring I am going to build a garden that tells a story about my life. I am going to include DIY created pieces of art. I don't have everything planned out yet but, I know it will all come together with time. My DIY art will tell a story that express the personality of my 2 children, my husband, and our dog.

One of the art projects  will include a toy truck and blocks. My 1 year old son Justice loves to run his trucks all over the furniture while grunting and making funny sounds. The blocks will remind me every day of how much he loves to climb and explore. 

My daughters Abigale who is 2 will have her spot in my garden as well. I have a few creative ideas I want to use to express who my daughter is. They include a dog and books because she loves to carry around her favorite pink dog. The book remind me of how much she loves to read.

I am undecided on what I will do for my husband. I thought about placing a kitchen plate  in the garden to remind me that he does a great job washing the dishes after dinner. I also want to place something Navy to represent the time he served.

Fedor our 5 year old English Bulldog is getting a old chewed up boot with a cactus planted in it. The chewed up boot is to remind me to pick up the kids toys at night so he does not eat them. The sharp cactus in the boot is to keep him from taking the boot from the garden. He loves to chew!

My plan is in place and now it is time to figure out what materials I can use that will look good in my garden and be weather friendly.  I look forward to sharing my garden story with you this Spring!

We eat a lot of bananas' at our house.  I never realized how much easier it is to open a banana from the bottom rather than the top.

It never dawned on me to  try  opening  it from the other end. That was until a family member mentioned it while I was struggling to open it from the top and reaching for a knife. 

I was surprised how much easier it was to open. I felt really silly when they informed me that even the gorillas know that it's easier to open it from the bottom. I guess I will have to pay closer attention the next time we go to the zoo.

I was  watching the hit TV show Duck Dynasty with my family last night and I started thinking about family values. The older actors on Duck Dynasty are out of touch with technology and believe it's hurting our children. I personally believe that technology is important yet we are loosing old traditional values by spending too much time in front of screens and a lot less time face to face with family and nature.  This is when I started to think about ways I can enrich my family's life.

I am going to try harder in 2013 to spend more quality time with my family and nature and less time in front of a screen.

 If you are anything like my family this time of year you are dealing with an annual sickness. It never fails. Every year around this time my kids get  sick and then we all get sick.

After awhile you are great at diagnosing the problem.

My family has been on and off sick for about two months now. 

As I was sitting in my lazy boy tonight holding my sick 2 year old I started to wonder what else I can do to help her feel better. I decided to get online and do some searching. I found a few good tips that I wanted to share. I have not tried any of them yet. 

I am going to take my daughter to the doctor on Monday if she does not start feeling better.

- sore throat: gargle with salt water or drink mint tea.

- Cold and Flu Symptoms: You can try a grapefruit. cut a grapefruit and boil in water, next add honey and drink.

- To treat nausea try  drinking the juice from canned peaches. Burnt toast and black tea are said to neutralize toxins if you come down with food poisioning.

 Here are a few easy steps you can take to care for your beautiful Christmas tree. 

 Picking a Christmas tree is very important to the tree lovers in your family.

Here are a few easy steps you can take to keep your tree looking good for as long as possible. 

1. If you have a choice to cut a fresh one or buy a pre cut tree it is best to cut it yourself. Cutting the tree yourself ensures that you have a fresh tree that will make it through the holiday season without losing all its green.

2. If your only choice is to pick from a group of per-cut trees stay away from the ones that have started to turn brown. This is a sign that they were cut awhile ago and may not last long.

3. If you have cut your tree be sure to get it in water within 8 hours of cutting it down. After 8 hours the tree may not suck up the water like it should. If you bought a pre cut tree you should shave off about 1/2 an inch. on the end to help it take in water.

4. Check the water level in your tree daily. If it is low fill it. If the tree is not taking up any water you might have the tree too far down in the stand. The water might be having a hard time getting in. 

                                                     !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!CAUTION!!!!!!!!!!!!

5. Make sure your tree is not around any flames or electrical devices. Be sure to give your tree lots of room. Make sure you turn off all the lights before you go to bed or leave the house. You don't want to take any chances. They are very flammable trees. 

Mister Landscaper has many great Kits for all your low-flow irrigation needs.

All the DIY Mister Landscaper Kits have everything you need to set up your low-flow irrigation system. Below you will find a list of all the kits and what they can do for you.

1.  Micro Sprinkler Beginner's Kit with 2 Green Stake Assemblies covering up to 150 sq. ft.

2. Micro Sprinkler Landscape & Shrub Kit with 5 tan Stake Assemblies covering up to 250 sq. ft. (Each kit sold individually.)

3. Micro-Sprinkler Landscape & Shrub Kit with 5 Green Stake Assemblies covering up to 250 sq. ft. (Each kit sold individually.)

4. The Mister Landscaper 50-foot Micro Sprinkler Starter Kit - Everything you need to water up to 275 sq. ft. of landscape, gardens, shrubs, trees, vegetables, and more is found in this all-in-one kit.

5. After many requests, Mister Landscaper has developed a kit with the sole purpose of making it easier to expand your existing Mister Landscaper irrigation system.

6. Vegetable Garden Drip Irrigation Kit covering up to 100' of vegetable rows. (Each kit sold individually)

7. Patio & Potted Plant Drip Watering Kit will drip up to 8 plants or spray up to 3 plants.

8. You will never have to add water to your bird bath again! The Birdbath Dripper Kit is an incredible way to refill your bird bath with a simple addition to your Drip Irrigation System.

If you want to know more about one of these great DIY low-flow irrigation kits visit www.misterlandscaper.com.

You want to protect your plants from the frost. After all you work very hard all summer to  keep them looking their best. Don't let the frost hurt or even kill your precious plants.

You can take a few easy steps to protect your plants from a frost.

Step 1: Cover your plants with bed sheets if you know it is going to frost that night or day. You may need to use stakes if the weight of the sheet is pulling your plants over. You can also use light blankets or plastic as long as it does not smother the plant. Remember a plant is a living thing and needs air.

 Step 2: Remember to remove the covers once the temp rises again the next day.

Step 3: If it is going to be longer than 1 day of frost you can cover your plants with straw or mulch and remove once the danger of frost is over.

Step 4: You can snuggle your potted plants close together under a shelter to help protect them from the frost.

Step 5: You can use a low watt out door light to help keep the frost off your plants as well. 

Thank you for reading. Have a great winter!

Watering you plants is very important. Without water they will die. If you give them too much water they may die as well. If you water them at the wrong time of day you could hurt them as well.

So, when is the best time to water your plants?

Mornings tend to be the best time to water your plants. The mornings are best for a few reasons. For starters it is cool in the morning so the amount of water lost due to evaporation is lower than if you were to water during the mid-day hours. Some people like to water their plants at night. The problem with watering at night is that the plants remain damp all night and can become damaged due to fungal and bacterial diseases. 

As for how much water your plants should get depends on the age. If they are new plants they will need extra water until the roots take hold. If you have a established plant then the roots may be deep enough to reach the damp soil.  as for how to water your plants it is best to use a drip system instead or a regular sprinkler that waste a lot of water and drenches the leaves which do not need the water. 

If you are looking for a great low-flow irrigation system that will take care of all your watering concerns Mister Landscaper has it all. They have great DIY low-flow irrigation kits as well as timers that will control the time and length of time your plants get water. Mister landscaper has great prices and is made in the USA. you can visit them at www.misterlandscaper.com. They also provide free shipping on orders of $25.00 or more.