Easy Above Ground Gardening

I am looking for an easy way to do an above ground garden. By easy, I mean not building one out of wood. I want it at least 12 inches deep and protected from the ground and ground squirrels underneath.

These 2 have caught my eye. Oh, and also semi reasonable in price.

Trough gardens. At my local farm store are about $75, each. Not bad and good looking.

This amazing wine barrel garden I found via Sunset Magazine, here: http://freshdirt.sunset.com/2010/06/the-ultimate-whiskey-barrel-garden.html.

This serves the Brown-Forman Corporation in Kentucky, where the executive chef Mark Williams serves over 300 employees daily. Check the article it is wonderful, and if you haven't check Sunset Magazine out, it had some great articles on gardens this month on the newsstand.


Dreaming of getting started. Hmmmmmm. Oh, here the barrels are about $35 each.

Which to choose?

Outdoor Dreaming & Dining

My porch last summer, yep those doors. Need new curtains. I just buy the cheap Walmart polyester tab top curtains in the 2 pack for under $20. These have been outside for several years, and just need to be replaced.

Okay, still dreaming about doing my doors, 'nuff said. Except I love the wood screen door, I have one on the back of my house, but sadly it won't fit my front door. Lucky for me it is supposed to be windy, so no painting.

Garden troughs. I love above ground gardening. Hit up your neighborhood, or not so neighborhood farm store, here they are about $75.00, each.

I would so roast marshmallows in this fireplace.

Beauty. Enough said.

Love the pea gravel, love the raised bucket of drinks. Hmmmm, again at the farm store. No worries.

Enjoy.

It's Complicated Kitchen Garden

Still contemplating doors. :( Sorry, can't get motivated.

But, now I am contemplating a kitchen garden like the one in the movie "It's Complicated".

Lot's of work, not sure. Hmmmm.

Swimming Pool Dreaming - In Winter

Swimming pool dreaming in the cold of winter. Ran across this at a blogger's site (don't remember which one) and fell in love. It is by Leslie Willamson Photography.

I love the line of plants by the pool. I know, not very practical. But oh so amazing to look at. And, no one ever gets in my pool, so it is now all about the looks.

Now, hmmm, how to get this same feeling? Something to think about over the winter.


Photo above by Leslie Williamson Photography.

Photo below, my pool, wishing it looked as amazing as the one above.

Dressing up Container Gardens for Fall

I wish I had more time. Truth is, I don't always have time to garden. So, when fall comes, and my pots are starting to sit empty, I fill them with rocks, and free pine cones from down the street. Our neighbors have trees that drop pine cones, so I walk by, take my plastic bag, and load them up. Then, at the end of the season, I burn them in my outdoor fire pit.

What do you do to spruce up your container gardens?

Needs quite a few more pine cones. I only picked up a small amount the other day.

Cinder Block Gardening - Happy First Day of Spring

As anyone who reads me knows, I have an old cinder block house built in 1947. Well over the years we have removed cinder block fences and stacked the bricks at the back of the property an acre away, behind the barn.

Over the years, my neighbors have taken quite a bit of them. However, I have quite a few left. When planning this years garden, (minus the ground squirrels) I was trying to figure out how to do raised. The cost was a little overwhelming until I stumbled upon the idea of cinder blocks.

I have those!! Yay!! Or Yeah!! Now all I need is some wire for the bottom, (to keep out the squirrels), and dirt. I can haul the dirt in our truck.

If only it wasn't snowing in New Mexico today I would get started. When it dries out a bit I will post a before pic of my project, and try and get a during and after.

I love this one below, because it has a wood ledge and looks very clean.

I should be able to make 2 really large ones, similar to the ones pictured here.

Calabacitas Recipe -- Use your Zucchini and Tomatoes

Is your garden over run with zucchini and tomatoes? Well if it is -- Calabacitas is the dish for you!!

3-4 zucchini

1 can Nibblets corn -- or 1 cup frozen corn

1 15 oz can stewed tomatoes - or equivilant of fresh tomatoes, peeled (if your garden is full of tomatoes1 medium onion

1 or 2 cloves garlic

1 tablespoon butter

Cut and saute zucchini, onion, garlic, in butter, until onion is translucent and zucchini is cooked/soft. Then add your stewed tomatoes, and your corn and simmer until flavors meld about 10 - 15 minutes. Then eat and enjoy.

If I have left overs, the next day I add a can of black beans drained and some hamburger meat and serve it up.

Concrete Blocks as Planters

Concrete Blocks as Planters!! Great Idea!! I have some old ones in the back that are taking up way to much room. Now if I could only figure out how to get some water in there for a water feature it would have everything I need.

Planting a Chair as a Garden -- Garden Chair

I ran across this over on Apartment Therapy and fell in love. How cute and retro is this garden chair. Planted with an all year plant it is darling. This could easily sit in a front yard as a back yard.

Great Swimming Pool Design

I love swimming pools. I'm afraid, the one at our house isn't as majestic as these. But, a girl can dream. Dream along with me.

Love that last one with the grass and stone cut through, when I mow I would probably mow grass into the pool.

Vintage China - Collecting -- Serving

I love vintage china. Even more, I love mixing and matching vintage china. Just pick a color pallate, maybe all blues and greens. Or white china with florals. Or china with roses. No matter how you do it you can mix and match vintage china for a dinner party and what fun. Give a buffet party and let everyone use a different china plate. You just can't go wrong with vintage china. Oh, and one of the best things, you can pick it up for a song at some of the Goodwills. Or you can check my Etsy on the right and see if I have what you might want.

Sheffield pattern Salt Shaker.
Dresdania Pattern Bowl.

Crestwood Pattern #1071 Bowl. -- My personal favorite. Like the Eames styling of the bowl.

Easy Fountain Bubbler for Front Porch

One metal pail.

Some Rocks

One very cheap fountain pump.

Sink in ground, plug in and enjoy.

This is right by my walkway to my front door. It produces the most wonderful bubbling sound and does drowned out a bit of the traffic noise. Easy to make, fun to enjoy.

Easy Gardening -- Alyssum

I always forget to water my plants in pots. So this season I got smart and planted nothing but Alyssum. It trails over the pots and looks great. However, I think next year I need to replace this faded green pot. Oh - well. What is your easy gardening secret?

Growing Grape Vines

Here in the southwest grape vines are popular. This year we added to ours and are growing just plain table grapes. We do have a few wine grapes. They are great grown up a fence as we have done. Next time you are at the garden store, check out some grapes.

Gardening - How does your garden grow?

Harvested the very first tomato last night. It was wonderful, made a BLT. It doesn't get any better than that. So how does your garden grow? I can't wait for the watermelon, and more tomatoes, oh and the jalapenos for fresh salsa. I must make a mental note to find a great salsa recipe. Gardens, one of the best things about summer.