Tag Archives: herbs

Fresh Herb Bouquets

Posted on July 9, 2015 by Julie

It rained again yesterday and the week before that it rained, too.

That might not sound like a big deal to many of you, but rain during the summer in Texas is usually a little out of the ordinary.

But this year has been anything but ordinary!

My yard has never been so green and lush.

When we came home from visiting my parents in Minnesota last week we found that our yard was a bit out of control!

My herbs, in particular, needed a substantial pruning. Some had begun to flower and others were wild and unruly.

When I do a big pruning like this, I’m left with an abundance of fresh herbs. Of course, I could give some away to friends, family and neighbors (and I do!) but here’s another suggestion – make herb bouquets!

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POSTED IN: bouquets, floral arrangements, Flowers, herbs

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Easy DIY Garden Markers – Make Something Monday

Posted on June 9, 2014 by Julie

When the kids are home during the summer, we like to make something on Mondays. It gives us something to do and plan for so we don’t sit around with nothing to do and nowhere to go. Sometimes we make a craft and other times we bake something. It just depends on our mood!

This summer, on the blog, I’ve decided to bring that theme here. Every Monday, I’ll share something I have made during the week that you can do alone, with a friend, or with kids.

Today, I’m sharing my easy DIY garden markers. I made them this spring after I planted my little herb garden. I’m so happy with how it has come together (see my raised garden bed post here). It’s not fancy, but it functions so well and as things grow larger, I love it even more.

I can easily move around to pick and clip as needed — which was a much-needed change after the last few years in an overgrown space!

After I planted the two beds, I wanted to put large markers next to everything so they would still be visible even when the plants grew taller and fuller. My goal was to be able to send the kids outside to clip things for me and they would know exactly what each plant was.

I already had some 12-inch wooden stakes in the garage, but I decided to buy 18-inch ones instead because I wanted them to be nice and TALL.

TUTORIAL

Supplies:

18 inch wooden stakes (found at home improvement stores for about $8 for a package of 20)
chalkboard paint
paint or chalk ink pen
paint brush

Directions:

paint about 12 iches of the stake with chalkboard paint – front and back
write name of plants on each stake with pen

I love how big they are — they are easy to see even when the plants grow large.

You can use any paint pen…I used a chalk ink pen, which did run a little when the plants were watered and rained on. You can see a few smudges, otherwise the writing is still clear and easy to read.

This is a quick, easy, and inexpensive project — even the kids can do this!

What’s growing in your garden this year?

Happy Summer!

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POSTED IN: garden, garden markers, garden stakes, herbs, lavender, parsely, raised beds, thyme, tomatoes

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DIY Raised Garden Beds

Posted on June 3, 2014 by Julie

I have a gorgeous garden. It’s full of beautiful flowers, herbs and vegetables. I’m talking about the garden I have on my garden Pinterest board, that is. Do you have one of those, too?! Everything is perfect, weeded and beautiful there, isn’t it?!

In real life my garden is coming along. I’ve spent hours and hours outside this spring. I have ripped out dead plants, relocated them, planted new shrubs and gotten rid of some types that were taking over the world and needed to go.

I’m particularly happy with how my little kitchen garden is coming along.

It’s not much to look at right now, but it makes me happy every time I see it. It’s clean, it’s tidy and it’s full of potential.

This part of my yard was beyond overgrown (sorry, no before pictures…I spontaneously started clearing one morning on a whim). I could barely even get to the herbs that were growing there, much less plant new varieties.

I decided I wanted to make two raised beds to keep things tidy and easier to maintain. I didn’t need them to be tall…I just wanted them to help define the space and give me ample room to walk around to weed, clip and pick as needed.

My DIY raised garden beds were so easy, I made them myself in 30 minutes.

To make 2, 3′ x 6′ boxes you will need:

Materials:

6, 6-foot long, 1 x 6 cedar fence pickets
16, 1 1/2 inch galvanized screws
drill

Directions:

Cut 2 boards in half so you will have 4 3-ft boards
Place the boards on a flat area on the ground in the form of a box.
Butt up two ends together and drill two pilot holes where you want the screws to affix the two pieces together.
Screw in the screws

When the boxes are put together, place them on the ground where you want them to go and fill with dirt. (If the ground is uneven, you may need to dig a little here and there so the box itself is level.)

Before I filled my boxes, I tilled the existing soil and then added some compost and then topped it off with some bagged garden soil. After I planted I put a layer of weed block on the walking paths and covered with a heavy layer of mulch.

The area looks so much better now and I love how it functions!