Backyard Vitality • 29th January 2021

Try This Simple Trick to Save 60% More Water in Your Garden

Spring gardens often thrive due to April showers. The same can’t always be said for later season gardens that often lack the blessing of rainfall. If you live in an area that is particularly dry during the hot summer months, you know how much time and expense is required to keep plants well-watered. Luckily, there is one thing that you can do at the beginning of the season that will save time and a great deal of money by slashing your garden’s water consumption by up to 60%. A drip irrigation s

Backyard Vitality • 27th January 2021

Don't Make These Common 7 Indoor Seed Starting Mistakes

Depending on where you live and what plants you are growing, it is getting close to seed starting time. I love this time of year, when I can start plants indoors to transplant them lovingly into my spring garden. Seed starting time means that garden planting time is just around the corner. No matter when seed starting time is for you, the tips below will help you avoid some common mistakes so that you can give your plants the best start possible. Here are some of the most common mistakes made w

Backyard Vitality • 25th January 2021

How to Get 4x More Tomatoes by Doing This One Simple Trick

How to Get 4x More Tomatoes by Doing This One Simple Trick Are you dreaming of bigger, tastier tomatoes? I often find myself thinking about ways to have a massive harvest of gorgeous and juicy fruit. Because of this, I have spent the better part of the last ten years studying how to have the best tomatoes ever. Much of what I have learned has come from trial and error. From this, I have a newfound understanding and appreciation of just what tomatoes need to thrive. If you ready for the best tom

Backyard Vitality • 22nd January 2021

How to Make Your Own Chemical-Free "Miracle Grow" Plant Food

When it comes to plant fertilizers, there are plenty to choose from. However, not all plant food is created equally. There is good reason to be overwhelmed with all of the options out there, especially if you are a new gardener. There are two broad categories of plant fertilizers – inorganic and organic. One type of plant food reigns far superior in my books, and that is organic. Let’s look at why and how you can make your very own miracle plant food using common household items that plants love

Backyard Vitality • 20th January 2021

7 Ways to Use Sugar in Your Garden

It’s a new year; perhaps the year you will cut all refined sugar from your diet, which is a great thing to do. Your resolution to be healthier, however, may leave you with a few extra bags of white sugar – you know the kind that you loved (past tense) to put in your favorite cookies? No worries, that same sugar that you are trying to nix out of your diet is the very thing your garden needs. Here are seven ways to put that banished sugar to work for you in your garden. Nematodes are also known

Backyard Vitality • 9th November 2020

New Lettuce Recall Involves Potentially Fatal Strain of E.coli

Haven’t we all had enough stress for one year? An out of control virus that just won’t go away, civil and political unrest, and now….. An increasing number of food recalls continue to threaten our health and wellbeing. Do you buy produce at Walmart? If you have shopped over the weekend at Walmart and purchased single head romaine lettuce – don’t eat it! The most recent fresh produce recall applies to Tanimura & Antle bagged single head lettuce. E.coli was found during a test in Michigan that wa

Backyard Vitality • 16th October 2020

Avoid Salmonella Sickness: Grow Your Own Herbs

Consumers need to be on their toes now more than ever as the bacteria outbreaks and food recalls show no sign of slowing down. If you have recently purchased parsley or Herbes de Provence from World Market, Walmart, or any other grocer in the United States, it may be part of the latest food recall. A customer tested as ample of High Quality Organics’ parsley, and salmonella was possibly discovered. On October 12, Sauer Brands Inc. announced a voluntary recall due to the possible salmonella cont

Backyard Vitality • 16th October 2020

16 Ways to Use Lavender in the Garden, Kitchen, and Bedroom

16 Ways to Use Lavender in the Garden, Kitchen, and Bedroom What if I told you that you could grow your very own 100% natural sleep and anxiety aide in your garden? Lavender, a well respected culinary and landscaping herb, is also recognized as an insomnia remedy and a tension and stress buster. Its versatility makes it a must in any garden. Common types of lavender fall into these four main groups – English, Spanish, French, and Lavandin. English lavender is a popular garden type and grows we

Backyard Vitality • 11th September 2020

Replace Dangerous and Expensive Herbicides and Pesticides With this Simple Kitchen Solution

Every year there are 136 million pounds of pesticides used on North American gardens and lawns. Surprisingly, homeowners are reported to use about three times the amount of pesticides as farmers. In fact, the majority of wildlife poisoning and water contamination is not from farms or other large organizations — it’s from single-family homes. Traditional gardening products, including chemical treatments like insecticides and pesticides, come with some serious risks to humans, pets, wildlife, and

backyardvitality.com • 8th June 2020

Top 11 Homemade Fertilizers

How you feed your plants makes a tremendous difference to the quality and quantity of your harvest. Organic fertilizer can provide your plants with the nutrition that they need to grow and thrive, defend pests, and resist disease. Nutritional deficiencies in the soil may be the root cause of poor quality produce. One hard truth about gardening is that plants do need to be fed well to produce a good crop. Synthetic chemical fertilizers give quick and handsome results, but they do not enrich the

backyardvitality.com • 5th June 2020

What You Need to Know About Buying Bulk Compost

The generous and consistent use of compost is what makes a yard and garden beautiful. It is nature’s superfood for huge blooms, beautiful shrubs, trees, fruits, vegetables, and herbs. When people ask me how I get my yard to look so beautiful and vibrant, I tell them that I have a secret weapon…compost. Adding compost to the soil improves soil quality and productivity. If you have a small garden space, buying high-quality compost in bags is reasonable, but if you have a larger area, it is wise t

backyardvitality.com • 3rd June 2020

Everything You Might Not Know About Chickens and Their Eggs

Perhaps you are ready to add some chickens to your homestead or even to your backyard garden area. Chickens are a great addition to a country or a city home and can bring much enjoyment along with the added benefit of natural garden pest control and delicious and nutritious eggs. If you have been dreaming of chickens but have some questions when it comes to eggs, let me help you on your way so that you can start enjoying your feathered friends today. Female chickens (hens) that are healthy can

backyardvitality.com • 11th May 2020

Skip the Supermarket: Grow a Kitchen Garden Instead

Now more than ever, growing your own organic, kitchen garden is essential. With stay-at-home orders still in effect, and grocery store shelves still rather barren, there’s no time like the present to embrace gardening and increase your sustainability to help provide fresh, safe products for you can your family. No matter how much or how little space you have, anyone with a patch of sunlight can grow a bountiful kitchen garden. Here’s how. The idea of the kitchen garden has been around for hundr

backyardvitality.com • 4th May 2020

Top Small Greenhouse Projects to Do While You Have Some Extra Time

Many novice (and experienced) gardeners are intimidated by the idea of a greenhouse. Its time to stop putting it off and tackle this essential, practical garden staple once and for all. While you are still working from home, or have a little extra time due to canceled social engagements, use this opportunity to accomplish these small greenhouse projects and make your yard space even more valuable and usable. Having a greenhouse is an excellent idea if you want to grow vegetables, live in an are

backyardvitality.com • 13th April 2020

How to Grow Loads of Potatoes in a Bucket

Potatoes are one of those staple foods that you should always have on hand. They last for a long time (especially when stored properly), are super filling, and can be incorporated into a wide variety of dishes. Plus, they are incredibly easy to grow, even in a tiny space like a balcony, porch, or small yard. All you need is some soil and a few five-gallon buckets, and you are well on your way to a bountiful potato harvest. Potatoes aren’t grown from seed like other veggies. To grow your own pot

backyardvitality.com • 10th January 2020

5 Tips for Buying Healthy Plants Online

If you are like me, you like shopping from the comfort of your own home in your pajamas. I like to avoid the crowds and sensory overload I often get in stores. However, as easy as it is for me to order household items and even clothes online, shopping for healthy live plants is much different. I have tried and failed with online plant shopping, but I have also had some sweet victories. Here are some tips to help you avoid some of my earlier mistakes. Do your homework on the supplier Doing an a

backyardvitality.com • 8th January 2020

Best Lettuce Types to Grow Indoors (plus growing tips)

With spring barely a blip on the calendar, and the fire roaring to chase away the winter chill, you are likely starting to miss fresh produce from your garden and spending time with your hands in the dirt. If you’re tired of the barely edible, pesticide-laden, and sometimes E. Coli-ridden lettuce in the grocery store and miss growing your own food, I have some good news for you. You don’t have to live in the tropics or have a greenhouse to grow lettuce through the winter, with these simple tips,

backyardvitality.com • 3rd January 2020

Upcycled Vertical Garden Ideas that Make the Most of Small Spaces

Small space gardening is all the rage and rightly so! It is amazing how many types of veggies you can grow in a very little space when you grow them upwards. While many plants are naturally inclined to trail – others need a little coaxing at first, but will happily comply as long as they have great soil, plenty of sunlight, enough water, and a good support system. While you can grow an abundance of food using vertical growing systems, there is so much more to enjoy about vertical growing. Many

backyardvitality.com • 1st January 2020

Interesting Truths About Mistletoe You Might Not Know

Oh, the fun you may have had under the mistletoe! The winter season would not be the same without this inspirational kissing decor. Mistletoe is a beautiful evergreen plant with stunning translucent white berries. Often seen as a symbol of renewal due to its all winter evergreen color, many people don’t know much about this rather interesting plant. Here are some fun facts to ponder. How mistletoe got its name – The ancient Anglo-Saxons observed that mistletoe often thrives where birds leave dr

backyardvitality.com • 27th December 2019

7 Things To Do With Your Christmas Tree Besides Tossing it Out

With the Christmas season over and the new year bursting forth, it is time to figure out what to do with that now not-so-beautiful Christmas tree that is shedding needles all over your floor. If you have been accustomed to dragging your dead tree to the curb and waiting for the trash pick up, why not try something different this year that is environmentally friendly and creative? Here are some ideas. Instead of tossing your tree in the trash, take it to a local recycling center where your tree