Baking Soda as a Weed Killer

Due to all the rain, we have been searching for a natural way to combat all the weeds. There are several everyday household products anyone can use such as baking soda, vinegar, and dish washing liquid.

 THE BAKING SODA TEST:

DAY ONE: We poured the baking soda along the edge of the rock border of our walkway and our stone path.

 

 DAY THREE: The baking soda seems to be working.  The weeds are turning brown.

   DAY SEVEN: The baking soda has killed all the weeds.

RESULTS:  Baking Soda as a weedkiller is a fantastic alternative to using chemicals and pesticides as well as safe for the environment.

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Compost Tea

We have had so much rain, we don’t remember how long the compost has been in our wheel barrel waiting to be used.  The good news: We have a wheel barrow full of compost tea. (We weren't intentionally making it.)

What is compost tea?

It is a liquid fertilizer that is simple to make. 

How To Make Compost Tea:

Ingredients: compost and rainwater and a container to hold it all (wheel barrow)

Wheel Barrow Compost Tea

Put compost in the wheel barrow. 

Let rain collect in the wheel barrow. 

Allow the mixture to marinate.

Collect the water by being eco-friendly and reuse milk and juice jugs.  

Water your plants like normal using the compost tea.

FYI

Searching on the web, you will find many different ways to make compost tea.  Some articles we have read advise to use the compost tea right away or within a few hours.  We have used ours several days later and have not had any adverse reactions.

Take note of your plants health.  

Please send us feedback letting us know how the Compost Tea worked for your plants.

We’d love to hear from you!

Checklist

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Harvesting

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Container Garden

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Rain Barrels

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DIY Soil Testing

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Disease Prevention for your Garden

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Garden Spiral

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Basil Oil Recipe

Basil Oil Recipe

For those of you who like to drink wine, here is a recipe for French bread dipping oil using fresh basil from your garden:

You’ll need:

Oil Dispenser (I bought our oil dispensers at Dollar Tree.)

A good Olive Oil

Freshly Ground Black Pepper to your liking

Fresh Basil Leaves

A pinch of Sea Salt 

Homemade Basil Oil

Add the freshly ground black pepper, sea salt, basil leaves and olive oil into the dispenser.

Refrigerate for approximately a week allowing everything to infuse.

Pour into a ramekin and enjoy.

Harvesting and Drying Herbs

We have had a lot of rain which has stunted our vegetable growth.  The only thing we have been able to harvest in a large amount has been our herbs.  We have freshly ground: sweet mint, peppermint, spearmint, oregano, tarragon, thyme, basil, and rosemary.

To harvest the plants, use pruning shears to cut the stalks or pull off the individual mature leaves.  Make sure you have a container to put your freshly cut herbs in.
Thoroughly wash your bounty using a colander.
Pat dry with paper towel. 
Spread the leaves on a dehydrator tray and allow to dry for approximately 6 hours. 

Freshly Dried Herbs

(I used a separate tray for each herb instead of drying them individually.  This led to the smaller pieces drying and falling through the trays to the bottom. I ground all the leaves together and made an herb mixture.)

 OR

Get brown paper bags, a Sharpie, and some yarn.
Write the name of the herb and the date on the outside of the bag.
Wrap the ends around the opening of the bag with the yarn so that the herb is hanging upside down in the bag.
Allow to dry for approximately two weeks.

Drying with Paper Bag

Once dried, take out your mortar and pestle and place a paper towel underneath it.
Remove the leaves from the stalks.

Pulling Leaves

Crush the leaves.
(The paper towel will catch any leaves that fall out.) 

Ground Herbs

Store in airtight labeled container.





DON'T FORGET to put paper towel and any stems in your compost.

This past Spring,we started an herb and vegetable garden. It has been a great way to get the monsters (the kids) to go outside for some fresh air.  The garden is still a work in progress. With all the rain, I can't seem to keep up with the weeds. Ugh! But I love it!

Hello and welcome to our blog!

 Any comments, thoughts, suggestions, advice, or humor is greatly appreciated!