People frequently hear how important schedules are for children. Not only is this true for children of all ages, but it is important for several reasons. Children like repetition because they know what to expect. There aren’t any surprises, and ...
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Growing Your Own Popcorn
Popcorn has more than 100 strains that vary in flavor, tenderness, presence, color, shape, and hulls. Regardless of the color of the kernel, once popped, all corn is white – don’t let commercial cheese or colorings fool you. There are two strains of corn most often chosen for popping—mushroom and snowflake. Mushroom pops small and round and is preferred by companies that make caramel corn. Snowflake pops up large and fluffy. It is served at the movies and sold for home use.
Read More »Growing Beautiful Melons
Melons have been enjoyed for more than 4,000 years. They originated in the hot valleys of southwest Asia, specifically in India and Iran. Early American settlers grew honeydew and casaba melons from seed brought with them from home as early as the 1600s. The first mention of melons in recorded history was found in John Ayto’s Dictionary of Word Origins in 1395. It suggests that the word was derived from the word Melos (the Greek Cyclades Islands, best known for...
Read More »Saving Seed For Future Harvests
Maybe you are too young to remember, but there was once a time when packaged seed was rare. In those days, next year’s harvest depended on successfully harvesting seed from this year’s vegetables. Saving seed may not be as necessary ...
Read More »Organic Weed Control
There are many reasons for killing weeds organically besides just environmental concerns—asthma, allergies, children, and pets. Whatever your reason, chemical-free weed control is possible. We can provide you with several options for combating the weeds in your yard and garden. ...
Read More »The Kitchen Herb Garden
Start building your herb beds with whatever bed style that you like best. Clear the bed of any weeds and debris that may have accumulated over the winter. With your hand cultivator – claw – loosen the soil down six ...
Read More »Making A ‘No Dig’ Garden
“No dig” gardening is an easy way to organically grow your own fresh veggies, no matter where you build your bed. This type of garden plot can be built almost anywhere in a few hours and will require little to ...
Read More »Schooling From Home: Your Options and How to Get Started
Parents in the U.S. are taking their children out of traditional schools now more than ever. In the last ten years, the number of students homeschooling has more than doubled. There are many reasons parents are doing this, from wanting ...
Read More »Surviving and Thriving on Very Little Food
There are over 5,000 known varieties of the potato, but today we eat less than a dozen of them. There are over 15,000 varieties of beans in existence, but you’ll find only five or six of them at your grocery ...
Read More »Gardening and Your Zone
USDA Zones Planting zones have very little to do with gardening; they were designed to measure average winter temperatures throughout North America and which plants survive when planted in those zones. The official name for these zones is the USDA ...
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