It is that time of year when last year’s leeks are going to seed in southwest Idaho. One of the advantages of always being behind in garden clean-up, is that I accidentally discover how to make the most of unexpected re-seeding. Unlike flowering lettuce, leek flower pods look like exotic birds. The stalks shoot up […]
Giant Polar Fleece Penguin Comes Up Daisies
I heard on the radio yesterday that it’s only 6 months until Christmas!! So, for all of us endearingly optimistic lets-make-all-the Christmas-gifts project people, it’s time to get started! Here is one project I actually finished on time last year: A giant polar fleece penguin from the book Wild and Wonderful Fleece Animals: With Full-Size […]
Blooms in Succession Throughout the Season Provide Therapy for the Old Straw Bale Garden
A straw bale raised bed is one way to add dimension to your garden, but it begins to lose it’s original form after a season. The straw turns a dirty grey, while sections of the sides randomly abandon the mother bale. The soil in the middle sinks, no matter if it was tamped down, and […]
Simple Arched Trellis for Grapes or Pole Beans
Green beans are one of the most reliable warm weather home gardener’s crops in Southwest Idaho. I like to start with bush beans, for some beans to eat earlier in the summer, but pole beans are the staple of late summer and freezing for winter. The trick has been to find a trellis that: […]
Helpless Female Works on Transforming Chicken Coop into Anti-Fox Chicken Bunker
I had never seen a live wild fox up close until last week. Now I am intimate enemies with it. I was caught off guard and felt all the helplessness of seeing it show up in broad daylight and kill chickens while I was a few feet away in the house. So, we moved the […]