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

backyardvitality.com • 6th December 2019

Growing a Potted Ruffled Palm Tree

The ruffled fan palm or Licuala grandis is a beautiful, unique palm with attractive ruffled leaves that add fashionable flair to any interior or exterior design. These palms can stay in a pot indoors or will survive outdoors all year long if you live in a mild climate. Though the ruffled palm can grow up to 10 tall feet when planted, it will usually only reach about six feet if given a large enough container, which makes it the perfect statement piece for your living room. Keep in mind; this is

backyardvitality.com • 27th November 2019

How to Grow Horseradish: The Herb with a Spicy Punch

If you love spicy things, you have to love peppery tasting horseradish ( Amoracia rusticana). This hardy clumping perennial herb dates back over 3000 years and is harvested for its roots that add a zip to a variety of dishes, including roast beef and cocktail sauce. The leaves of the plant are also edible when they are young, but take care not to allow animals to eat them as they are mildly toxic. Because horseradish has long taproots, you must prepare the soil before planting. One of the best

backyardvitality.com • 25th November 2019

Tips for Growing a Pinstripe Houseplant

Though not the most common houseplant, calathea ornata or the pinstripe plant is known for its striking leaves and intriguing visual appeal. Often considered finicky, this tropical beauty will flourish with a little love and attention. If you want a foliage plant that looks great all year long and rewards your effort, or if you simply want a bit of a growing challenge, this is the one for you. Follow these tips to level-up your houseplant game and branch out of your comfort zone with the incredi

backyardvitality.com • 18th November 2019

Everything You Have Always Wanted to Know About Asparagus Ferns

Asparagus ferns are delicate and beautiful, often seen draping over the edges of hanging baskets or sitting high on a plant stand, assuming a stately position in the home. There is something so intriguing and elegant about the asparagus fern, even though it is considered an invasive species in some places. The asparagus fern is not really a fern at all Perhaps you did not know this, but the asparagus fern is not a genuine member of the fern family. It is, in fact, a member of the Liliaceae fam

backyardvitality.com • 8th November 2019

Awesome Alternatives to Conventional Lawns

There is nothing quite like the perfect picture lush green lawn, right? Unfortunately, no matter how lovely lawns are, they are not particularly eco-friendly. The good news is, there are many super cool, attractive alternatives that are totally earth-friendly. Here are some figures from Wildones Natural Landscapers, Ltd. that may have you thinking twice about your traditional lawn. • None 67,000 pounds of synthetic pesticides are used on U.S. lawns each year. • None $25,000,000,000 is spent on

Tropical Health • 21st October 2019

5 Delicious Things You Can Do With Raw Goat's Milk (and how to safely source it)

Raw goats milk is often a hot topic of conversation. Fans of milk pasteurization argue that there is no way to ensure the bacterial safety of the product. Proponents of the raw movement, on the other hand, say that it contains more vitamins, minerals, electrolytes, trace elements, enzymes, protein, and fatty acids than cows milk. Unsurprisingly, the latter is correct. Keeping food as close as possible to its natural state is always the healthier option. Of course, it is important to purchase qua

backyardvitality.com • 16th September 2019

Why Late Summer and Fall is a Great Time for Landscape Projects

Your mind may not be on landscaping as the late summer/fall pushes in and the first nips of cold air bite at your heels. However, this is actually one of the best times to plan and execute a landscape project that you can fully enjoy next season! There are a couple of reasons why I reserve any major landscape projects for the late summer or fall. The first is that it is cooler and easier to do physical work than in the dead heat of summer. The second reason, and probably the main reason, is tha

backyardvitality.com • 11th September 2019

How to Throw the Perfect Succulent Planting Party

Succulents are all the rage these days and with good reason. They are cute, colorful, and full of interesting texture. They are easy to work with and make the perfect live addition to any indoor or outdoor space. Their versatility means that they can be incorporated into any style from rustic to modern and dressed up or dressed down. If you have not had the opportunity to host a succulent party for friends and family, now is a great time. Here are some tips to ensure that your planting party is

backyardvitality.com • 9th September 2019

It's Late Summer: What You Should Be Doing in Your Garden

In some places in the country, hints of fall are on the doorstep, while in others, the summer sun continues to beat down hard. No matter where you live, there are certain things that you need to be taking care of in your garden now. Some of these things will ensure that you have a solid fall harvest, and others will ensure that you prepare your beds for the next season to come. Either way, here is a great checklist to help you give your late summer garden the love it deserves. You may notice th