Category: Gardening

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Garden Tip for Fuller & Bushier Plants

selective focus photography of green basil leaf garden hacks

Think you don’t have a green thumb? Think again! This simple garden tip for fuller & bushier plants will transform your garden and really impress those neighbors. Welcome to the Home Adventures gardening blog.

selective focus photography of green basil leaf

Axillary Plants

Take a look at some of your herbs, flowers, and vegetable plants. If they have a tiny leaf or stem growing between the main stem and a leaf attached to the main stem, then you have an axillary plant. Axillary literally means armpit! Taking advantage of this type of plant can really improve the shape of said plant.

Axillary leaves on an herb

What Kinds of Plants are Axillary?

There are a whole host of plants that have this stem structure! Here is a list of some common ones:

Flowers

  • Bee Balm
  • Roses
  • Lilies
  • Hibiscus
  • Snapdragons
  • Tulips
  • Daisies
  • Marigolds
  • Zinnias
  • Peonies
  • Carnations
  • Hydrangeas
  • Lavender
  • Sunflowers
  • Lilacs

Vegetables

  • Tomatoes
  • Peppers
  • Cucumbers
  • Eggplants
  • Squash

Fruit

  • Raspberries
  • Blackberries
  • Grapes
  • Blueberries
  • Strawberries

Herbs

  • Basil
  • Mint
  • Oregano
  • Thyme
  • Cilantro (Coriander)

The Ultimate Garden Hack

Developing plants that are fuller, bushier, offer more blooms, and bigger fruit is as simple as looking for the point where you have an axillary point. This is the easiest garden tip I like to look for this early in the season and periodically check back for more opportunities to prune throughout the growing season.

Garden Tip for a Larger Plant:

Growing a fuller plant with either more leaves or flowers involves snipping the main stem at an axillary point, in order to encourage the secondary stems to grow. As you can see in the photos below, by snipping the main stemp (center), you encourage two new stems to grow (left and right photos). For herbs, especially basil, it’s also an easy way to prevent it from bolting (flowering), thus prolonging the plant’s life and use.

garden tip
Bee Balm Pruning Result
Simply Snip the Main Stem
Herb Pruning Result

Garden Tip for Larger Fruit/Vegetables:

If you are more interested in larger fruits or vegetables, pruning the axillary stems will help the plan to concentrate more energy into the fruit instead of into growing more stems. You may hear gardeners call the axillary offshoots of a tomato plant “suckers”.

Egglant Sucker
Tomato Sucker

In the dog-days of summer, these suckers can run wild if you aren’t checking every day. Even then, there might be some that escape your inspection and can start to grow quite large. With tomatoes, you can pick the sucker off and plant it in the ground to start a whole new plant.

Enjoy the fruit of your labor with minimal effort!

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An Easy DIY Garden Bed

Screwing the fasteners in place. An easy DIY garden bed.

Have you seen those cedar garden bed kits at Home Depot or Lowes? Or the really fancy ones on Amazon? Yeah, I did, too. Then I saw the price tag. Yikes! But cedar garden beds don’t have to be outrageously expensive and you don’t even need a full set of tools. I’m here to give you pointers and tips for an easy DIY garden bed that won’t break the bank, either.

person digging on soil using garden shovel

You’ve seen the simple garden beds I made the first year of my garden in it’s current location. In 2022, I expanded the veggie garden even more and really gave it an upgrade. Yes, I have some fancy tools, but you don’t need anything out of the ordinary to make your own garden beds. It’s a straightforward process to make these easy DIY garden beds, and I know you can do it, too!

The best thing about doing it yourself? You can customize it into a one-of-a-kind piece that works for you and the space you have. Below you will find an example of an 18″ tall bed I helped a friend make with minimal tools and the 6″ high beds I built in my own garden. Let’s get started!

The basic supply list:

  • Cedar fence pickets
    • Garden stakes
  • Fasteners
Cedar fence pickets
Wood garden stake

Cedar Fence Pickets

Head down to the home center and pick up some basic cedar dog-ear fence pickets. They are cedar and usually less than $3. They come in 6-foot lengths, which is great for a bed. It’s the cornerstone of this easy DIY garden bed and the piece that is often the most expensive in those kits.

So why cedar? For decades, vegetable gardeners have avoided pressure-treated wood products when building their beds, thanks to a 1991 paper from Cornell (the agricultural experts!). It brought to light the use of arsenic in the pressure-treating process. By the early 2000s, the manufacturing process changed and arsenic is no longer used. So is it safe to use? The risk is significantly diminished since then, but cedar is a fantastic, natural alternative. Cedar is rot-resistant and keeps bugs away.

Personally, try to avoid using any kind of pressure-treated wood in a vegetable garden. If it’s for flowers only, then I do recommend opting for pressure treated boards.

Garden stakes

In my previous post, I recommend some garden stakes like these 1×2 stakes. I also like these 2×2 stakes, which I used because my garden is on a hill and the soil is sand. I didn’t want them to move at all!

Garden stakes like these are great because they come in multi-packs. The length you need will be dependent on how tall you want your beds. Technically speaking, you don’t need to make them very tall, but, the beauty of a custom build is a custom design. I believe, for the most part, the garden stakes commonly available are untreated. If you can get your hands on cedar stakes, awesome. It’s possible you might have to replace the stakes at some point if you purchase the untreated stakes, but certainly not by the next year.

Fasteners

First of all, what are fasteners? It’s an all-encompassing word for things that fasten to or fasten things together – aka nails and screws.

As you will see in the next section, the type of fasteners you buy will depend on the type of tools you have access to. One thing that you do need, regardless of tool, is galvanized fasteners. These are designed to be used outside and in all weather. Screws are not the most ideal for this type of board, as it is quite thin and brittle, but it will work if you do nbot have access to a nailgun.

Below I have a couple of examples of ways to build your beds; regardless of your final design, the basic concept remains the same.

Galvenized brad nails
Exterior screws

Before You Start:

Safety First

As always, take appropriate safety precautions. Gloves, glasses, and ear protection (with power tools) is a must. Take the time to scope out where you want your bed to live.

Recommendations

  • It’s very likely that the spot is not 100% flat so using a level is key to really making the beds look nice.
  • Having a garden shovel or trowel is a great tool to have on hand to help find level.
  • A mallet or heavy hammer will help make driving the stakes into the ground go by much faster.
  • If you do not have a saw at home, most home centers and lumber yards will gladly make cuts for you for free.
  • Measuring tape – you can attempt to eyeball it, but you might end up re-doing a lot of your work. Trust me, I know.
  • A second pair of hands! Many hands make light work and if you can find a friend to help it will make finding level a lot easier. BUT it’s absolutely possible to do this on your own.
  • Don’t be intimidated! This is an easy DIY garden bed and once you get the first board set up, you will fly through it. Take your time and if you mess up, then your garden will look like mine! A little wonky but totally authentic and made from my two hands.

Choose Your Adventure

If you don’t have a lot of tools:

Supplies:

  • Galvanized screws
  • Garden stakes
  • Fence pickets
  • Screwdriver or drill
  • Hammer or mallet
  • Level (optional)
  • Speed square (optional)
  • Saw (optional) – any kind will do if you have it

Step 1

Start by hammering in the first stake for one of the front corners of your bed. Take it slowly and keep checking that the stake is going in straight, or plumb. To do this, use your level by lining it up vertically alongside at least 2 sides of your stake. Hammer it in approximately as far down as the height of your bed.

Measuring the depth of the stake
Measuring up the depth of the stake

Step 2

Measure out the location of your other front corner stake. Before hammering it all the way in, you will want to see if it is squarely in line with the first stake.

Begin by pushing the stake into the ground far enough that it can just stand on its own. Then carefully hold up your board against both stakes. You can use a speed square or even your level to check for square – do both sides of the right angle on your square touch the wood perfectly? Then you are square!

The bottom board right before use it to check for square corners
Getting ready to check for square

If not, you can make an easy adjustment by moving around the garden stake that is not completely hammered into the ground yet. Once you know you’ve got your stakes lined up, sink that sake into the ground exactly as you did in Step 1.

Step 3

Take your board and place it right up against your stakes. It’s time to check for level. Using your level, look to see if that little bubble is right in the center. Depending on the size of your level, you may have to move it around to be absolutely sure that the board is completely level across the top. The smaller the level, the more you will need to move it around.

Use a level to be sure that your boards are, in fact, level.
Leveling with the level

This is where the trowel comes in handy. If you notice a gap between the board and the ground at one end, you can use the trowel to move around the dirt. Either dig into the ground where the board already touches the ground and slightly bury this end or transfer some dirt to fill in the gap.

Step 4

If you’ve opted for a short, single board bed, this part will be easy. If you are going for several boards, you might need some extra hands.

In Step 1, you made an approximate guess as to how far in the stakes needed to go for the height of your bed. You may need to push one or both of the stakes just a little bit further into the ground in order to match the top of your level board. This might mean that one stake is 6″ above ground and the other is only 5.5″. Once the tops of your stakes are in line with the top edge of your top-most board it’s time to fasten.

Screwing the fasteners in place
The top of the stake is at or slightly below the top of the board

Step 5

When fastening, use 2 screws, one above the other. This will help ensure a good fastening but comes in handy in a minute.

Begin with your bottom-most board and check again for level. Slowly, screw in your first fastener; ideally the top one first. Try to avoid getting too close to the edge of your board in order to avoid splitting it entirely. Going slowly allows you some control but also helps to prevent massive splitting of the dry board. Typically, this is why brad nails are the better option, but not everyone has access to a nail gun.

Start with the top screw; if your board goes out of level at this stage, you have essentially created a hinge that allows you to move the board up and down with ease.

demonstrating where to apply the fist fastener in order to create a hinge
Apply the top fastener first to create the hinge.

Step 6

After fastening the first screw, go to your other stake – this is where you will use that hinge you created on the other stake to confirm your board is level. Once it is, you can fasten both screws on this stake and go back to the first stake to fasten the board completely. If you have additional boards to install, you can repeat this process. All subsequent boards should be level after ensuring the first one is, but it’s always a good idea to check. If one board was cut crookedly and then sits funny, it might make the board after it also not level.

Step 7

Repeat this process again from Step 2 all the way around your bed! If you have lengths of board that are longer than 2 feet, add at least 1 additional stake to the middle. This will strengthen the board(s) to hold the dirt and also will help prevent any warping. And just like that, you’ve build this easy DIY garden bed!

View from the inside
A view of the boards from the outside of the bed
Remember to screw these in, too!
View from the outside

If you’ve got access to a lot of tools:

Supplies:

  • Galvanized screws/brad nails
  • Garden stakes
  • Fence pickets
  • Drill or nail gun
  • Hammer or mallet
  • Level
  • Speed square
  • Circular saw

Step 1

Start by hammering in the first stake for one of the front corners of your bed. Take it slowly and keep checking that the stake is going in straight, or plumb. To do this, use your level by lining it up vertically alongside at least 2 sides of your stake. Hammer it in approximately as far down as the height of your bed.

Measuring the depth of the stake
Measuring up the depth of the stake

Step 2

Measure out the location of your other front corner stake. Before hammering it all the way in, you will want to see if it is squarely in line with the first stake.

Begin by pushing the stake into the ground far enough that it can just stand on its own. Then carefully hold up your board against both stakes. You can use a speed square or even your level to check for square – do both sides of the right angle on your square touch the wood perfectly? Then you are square!

The bottom board right before use it to check for square corners
Getting ready to check for square
Nice and snug

Step 3

Take your board and place it right up against your stakes. It’s time to check for level. Using your level, look to see if that little bubble is right in the center. Depending on the size of your level, you may have to move it around to be absolutely sure that the board is completely level across the top. The smaller the level, the more you will need to move it around.

Use a level to be sure that your boards are, in fact, level.
Leveling with the level

This is where the trowel comes in handy. If you notice a gap between the board and the ground at one end, you can use the trowel to move around the dirt. Either dig into the ground where the board already touches the ground and slightly bury this end or transfer some dirt to fill in the gap.

Step 4

If you’ve opted for a short, single board bed, this part will be easy. If you are going for several boards, you might need some extra hands.

In Step 1, you made an approximate guess as to how far in the stakes needed to go for the height of your bed. You may need to push one or both of the stakes just a little bit further into the ground in order to match the top of your level board. This might mean that one stake is 6″ above ground and the other is only 5.5″. Once the tops of your stakes are in line with the top edge of your top-most board it’s time to fasten.

Slightly above the top board
Screwing the fasteners in place
Slightly below the top board

Step 5

Regardless if you are using brad nails or screws, plan to use at least 2 per either end of each board, stacked vertically. This will help ensure a good fastening but comes in handy in a minute. With any project using thin, brittle board and screws, be sure to go slowly and don’t place your screw too close to the edge, in order to avoid as much splitting as possible.

Begin with your bottom-most board and check again for level. Start at the top of your board and place your first nail; if your board goes out of level at this stage, you have essentially created a hinge that allows you to move the board up and down with ease.

demonstrating where to apply the fist fastener in order to create a hinge
Top fastener first
Applying them vertically

Step 6

After applying your first fastener, go to your other stake – this is where you will use that hinge you created on the other stake to confirm your board is level. Once it is, you can apply additional nails to this stake and go back to the first stake to fasten the board completely. If you have additional boards to install, you can repeat this process. All subsequent boards should be level after ensuring the first one is, but it’s always a good idea to check. If one board was cut crookedly and then sits funny, it might make the board after it also not level.

Step 7

Repeat this process again from Step 2 all the way around your bed! If you have lengths of board that are longer than 2 feet, add at least 1 additional stake to the middle. This will strengthen the board(s) to hold the dirt and also will help prevent any warping. And just like that, you’ve built this easy DIY garden bed.

View from the inside
A view of the boards from the outside of the bed
Remember to screw these in, too!
View from the outside

If you’re feeling creative and are looking for inspo:

Read about my vegetable garden upgrade or follow me on Pinterest!

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Returning the Nutrients

Photo of a lavender plant with leaves around the base

Part II: Putting the Garden to Bed

There is no better garden than next year’s garden.

Unknown quote, but it’s my favorite saying

But First, a Snack

Before putting the garden to bed, it’s always a good idea to give the soil and any perennial plants a snack before bed. They might not “eat” during the winter, but they will be awfully hungry upon waking and it saves you time and effort when you do it now.

Photo of the garden bed and my rake

For the garden beds, I give everything a good rake and add some all-purpose fertilizer. The soil put in a lot of hard work this summer, giving everything it had to my plants, so I make sure to mix in some fertilizer and compost at this stage. This gives ample time for the fertilizer to absorb and compost to decompose. I’ll do this part again in the spring, too.

The Perfect Comforter

After putting down some fertilizer and compost (don’t forget the compost around the base of your perennial plants like the lavender and hydrangeas!), I get ready to put down a thick layer of leaves. We have a ridiculous number of trees on our property and they don’t all lose their leaves at the same time. This means I am moving leaves for the better part of a month. When I get tired of blowing the leaves and bagging I take the opportunity to create the most perfect comforter for my garden. I like to use put the bag attachment on my push-mower and chop up the leaves before dumping them on the beds – but you don’t have to do that if you can’t.

Why Leaves?

First of all, they are bountiful – at least in the part of the country where I live. I find there is no point in buying anything expensive or fancy when Mother Nature is providing me with the best all-natural and organic mulch.

Second, as these leaves decompose over time, they prevent weeds from sprouting up and unwanted seeds from landing on the soil to sprout down.

Third, like any store-bought mulch, they do a great job of maintaining soil moisture and temperature.

Fourth, the leaves ultimately breakdown and add to the nutrients in the soil as another form of compost.

And just like that, you’ve put the garden to bed for the winter. Remember to turn off and unhook any hoses you have out and tidy up any trash. I’ll see you in the spring when we help the garden to wake up!

Photo of a lavender plant with leaves around the base
Happy Lavender
A photo of the lemon verbena plant with tubing around it before covering the plant
Happy Lemon Verbena
Photo of leaves in the garden beds
A warm and happy bed
Photo of a garden bed with leaves as a preparation for winter.
So many leaves put to good use

<<Part I: Planting the Garlic

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Say Goodnight and Sleep Tight

garlic and cloves on white surface

Part I: Garlic Planting

It’s November and getting quite cold in upstate New York, so it’s time to put the garden to bed. It was plentiful this past summer and the best gift I can give it is to give it a good rest and a treat.

But First, the Garlic

I’m still learning to be a better gardener every year. I make sure to jot down my notes in my garden notebook so I can implement changes in next year’s garden. Some veggies always do well and others, never. Some, like carrots, I am convinced can do well, I just haven’t found the right method or technique. Garlic is one of those plants for me.

Fresh garlic scapes from the summer

I am obsessed with garlic. I put it in everything, I make garlic confit and garlic olive oil. Next to salt and pepper, garlic is a guarantee in every dish I make. It was a logical next step when it came to expanding my garden. The summer of 2022 was my third season growing garlic. To date, the only thing I have successfully harvested and used has been the scapes. But I know I can figure this one out. I feel confident that this year would have been a success, if it were not for the extreme heat and drought of July and the fact that we were away on vacation during one of the hottest weeks, thus cooking my garlic to a crisp.

How to Plant Garlic

Garlic is a bulb, obviously, and like any flower bulb, they are planted in the fall. This is because bulbs need vernalization in order to root properly and develop bulbs come spring. Basically they need the cool temps to start growing roots before going dormant in the winter. This gives them the best chance to grow and be ready in late summer. Garlic takes a long time to grow.

Map of USA Hardiness Zones.

I live in Zone 5b, but you should take a look at your zone and decide the best time to plant. According to the USDA Hardiness Zone map, I should be planting garlic around mid- to late-October. However, I’ve noticed in the last couple of years I’ve had to push that back into November because of warm falls. I don’t want my garlic to prematurely sprout and, ultimately, rot or not develop properly. It’s become harder to guess when the ground will freeze, but my goal is to get the garlic in the ground 4-6 weeks before then. Typically this means the daytime temperatures are now in the 40s or 50s and the nighttime temps get close to or just barely dip below freezing.

What Kind of Bulbs Should I Use?

There is no law against using garlic from the grocery store, but you will probably be disappointed. I did that my first time growing garlic and, while the garlic did sprout, I didn’t get much in the way of scapes and the bulbs were microscopic. These garlic bulbs tend to be of poorer quality for growing and may be designed to stay small or not grow much at all. Think about it – the last thing you want to buy in the grocery store is garlic with green shoots coming out.

garlic and cloves on white surface
Choosing the right garlic can sometimes come down to trial and error

I’ve taken a couple of approaches. In the fall of 2021, I planted some garlic that had been gifted to me from friends who grew their own garlic. This was the garlic I was most excited about but then died in the drought. I did get some fantastic garlic scapes, however, so it wasn’t a bust.

This year I am trying out two types of garlic bulbs: one from the Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds collection (German Extra-Hardy) and one from my local farm store, which specifically sells seed garlic. Both types are hardneck varieties.

When planting garlic, or anything in my garden for that matter, I don’t follow the rules of keeping everything far apart. Sometimes it works (like with potatoes or carrots) and sometimes it doesn’t (like zucchini). I absolutely take the approach of “well plants in nature don’t follow this rule and they turn out alright.”

Photo of a garden bed with leaves as a preparation for winter.

In this case I buried the garlic bulbs, points up, about 2 inches into the ground and a few inches apart, mostly in rows. This bed is entirely dedicated to the garlic, so I didn’t feel that organizing them was necessary. What’s awesome about garlic is that you don’t need a bed or formal garden to grow it – just a big pot, soil, and sun. You will want well draining soil to keep the bulbs from rotting. My natural soil in the ground is sand, but over the years I have added some garden soil and compost, so it’s a good mix.

Missed the timing for this year?

Don’t sweat it! Get ahold of some garlic bulbs ASAP and get a big pot. You can plant some garlic in the pot and keep it in the house or in your garage for a couple of weeks so it can get established, then put it outside to freeze.

Part II: Returning the Nutrients >>

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A Vegetable Garden Upgrade: How I Took My Garden to the Next Level

A vegetable garden upgrade

If you saw my post from 2021, you will remember my affordable and DIY alternative to those fancy cedar garden beds. I was so happy with my previous creation, that I decided to do an entire vegetable garden upgrade and add some more beds and put up a more permanent fence.

The TL;DR:

Vegetable Garden Upgrade Back to Basics

I’ll be honest, when I went back to my original beds from last year, I have no idea why I measured the depth of each bed less than 36″. To make things easier, I decided to go with 36″ because it was half a full board. Building more beds behind my original beds was super simple and only took 3 cedar boards per bed. I also decided to shore things up a bit more and add 24″ stakes as the main supports and one in the middle of the front boards to prevent warping.

The first iteration of my garden, two simple cedar beds.
My 2021 Garden

No More Free Lunch

I love where we live, especially the wildlife that pass through our property. I don’t love how they often think of my property as an all-you-can-eat buffet. Our biggest offenders are deer, rabbits, and gophers. Now that I think I have the final footprint of my vegetable garden mapped out, I am ready for a more permanent fence.

I put together a total of 8 garden beds, with some room for 2 more beds at the back for another year (I just ran out of time ahead of the growing season!). To solve for the gopher problem, I committed to digging a 24″ trench around the entire garden area. Why 2 feet? From what I’ve read online, 18″-36″ is the key depth to keep those pesky critters from digging into the garden.

A photo of a 4-foot long tree root that was cut from the ground to make the trench around the garden for the fence. All part of the vegetable garden upgrade
The first giant tree root

I purchased this galvenized fencing to put in the trench. I went with a 4-foot tall fence so that some stuck up above ground to dissuade any gophers that are inclined to climb and stop bunnies from nibbling their way in. This was a critical step in my vegetable garden upgrade. There is nothing worse than watching , waiting, and tending to the garden only to have it completely sabotaged by some furry friends who don’t even have the decency to finish eating that squash.

Let me tell you, getting this fence into the ground? This was the hardest part. And my soil is sand. But when I get an idea in my head, I go all out. I will NOT lose this game to some furry residents. I also had to contend with tree roots. Some of these roots were easy to remove with hand clippers, others required the Sawzall. But boy, oh boy, I was getting a work out removing some of the heftier roots by the biggest stump. It was completely unavoidable. This is the sunniest spot on the property where I can put a garden and I was all in on this vegetable garden upgrade.

The one that almost defeated me

The Deer Fence

From there, keeping the deer out was relatively simple! These green t-posts were perfect for the job. Because this fence is for keeping visitors out, I installed each post with the studs pointing out. Each post is also 2-feet below ground, leaving me with a 4-foot high fence. A simple deer barrier was hung on the posts. The barrier came as an 8-foot wide roll, so I just doubled up the fencing as I went around the garden.

The end-of-season result. Well worth the effort!

The Final Steps in the Vegetable Garden Upgrade

To get in and out of the garden with ease, I made a simple door by attaching the end of the barrier to a garden stake. This attached to the middle post with clips. You could get an extra t-post and make an actual doorway, but I’m not fussy and the deer don’t have that kind of dexterity!

Voila! My vegetable garden upgrade is complete. Just in time to plant the carrots, too.

What if I don’t have all of these power tools?

Come back next week!

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Mid-Summer Gardening: A Check In

mid-summer gardening

As promised, I am updating you all on the traveling home adventure of restoring my mother-in-law’s flower garden. I’ll be honest, I was skeptical that it would be successful. Lavender is very fussy and it was absurdly hot the day I did my heavy pruning. Both activities cause a LOT of stress on plants and they might just give up the ghost right then and there. If you haven’t seen the state of the garden before I got started, check out my first post here. Mid-summer gardening can be full of weed-pulling, so I braced myself for a boring visit.

garden rehab - wrong shoes
Once again, I forgot my sneakers.

At First Glance

I was so nervous when I pulled in. My spouse had been by the house a week or two earlier to mow and he said things “didn’t look dead” but that wasn’t a very helpful description.

The Bloody Cranes-bill (a type of geranium) was in full bloom and had already spread quite a lot since I was last in the garden. I hate to pull healthy plants, but I absolutely needed to in this case. I did grab some for myself to transport back home. You can see the before and after below of how much the geraniums had grown and spread. I took the right-hand photo from behind the retaining wall you see in the left-hand photo.

garden rehab - overgrown
Weeds ‘n’ things
Bloody Cranes-bill in Bloom
Bloody Cranes-bill in Bloom

I was pleasantly surprised by the progress of the lavender. So much so, I did a little dance and cheer! Not only had they not died, I saw evidence of new growth and flowers starting to grow up from the shrub.

As I left the shrub last time with some baby growth
The blue blobs in the photo are flowers!!

The shrubs were still wonky-shaped from years of competing for sunlight. My goal is to give them another haircut after all the new growth has been established and eventually remove all of the crooked part s of the plant. Eventually, these beauties will be back to fighting shape

Where I left Things

I didn’t have as much time to work in the garden this time around. I went through and did a quick weeding and clean-up. I snagged some peonies or my garden as well. I’m going to take a look in again sometime in early fall and get things ready for the winter.

It’s looking well, all things considered.

To be continued…

As I mentioned, I plan to give it another clean up before winter. My hope is that it will be ready to be put to bed with minimal effort, since I can’t be sure when I will be back in later fall. Stay tuned!

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Garden Rehab

crop farmer carrying seedling tray in field

Welcome to my traveling home adventure! Last weekend was my mother-in-law’s birthday. We spent the weekend with her in Vermont and it was incredibly hot – and it was only May! She’s been in down-sizing mode, so I knew I had to be practical with her gift this year. I decided to tackle the very over-grown garden at her rental property. This is definitely going to be a long term garden rehab project. I was also completely unprepared to garden this particular weekend; I thought of the idea to do this on the drive up.

garden rehab - wrong shoes
Sandals were all I had – whoops!

How it started

The people who used to live in this house loved their outdoor plants. I think when the woman was younger and more mobile, this garden bed area was probably really amazing. Everyone I’ve ever heard speak of this lady (who is still with us, just in an apartment these days!) always talks about her garden.

When I saw the garden for the first time last summer, it was already over-grown so I’ve probably been thinking about how to go about it since 2021.

garden rehab - overgrown
Weeds ‘n’ things
Lavender overgrowth

As you can see, the lavender (right photo, lower right corner) was taking over an enormous portion of the garden. Last year I took a few plants home and I harvested an insane amount of flowers. While completely unruly last year, the plants did look generally healthy, at least on the outside. This year, however, I could see that they were not looking as great. I expect it was the combination of lack of regular care and that the plants had finally had enough trying to fight for light.

Some new growth peaking up
Still in rough shape

The weeds weren’t too bad, actually. A few of the spreading plants, like this Lamb’s Ear, were growing into the garden path. I got to the house at 9:00 am in the hopes of not sweating to death, but I was filthy and soaked by the time lunch rolled around.

How it’s going

This isn’t really the time to prune lavender plants, but I wasn’t sure if I would be around at the right time to wait. Plus, the plants were on their way out if I didn’t try to do something now. There was definitely new growth coming up on the old wood, so that was promising. Lavender, like with other old-wood growth plants (think: hydrangea, lilacs, and forsythia), needs those dead-looking branches to develop new shoots. Pruning is very tricky and aggressive pruning to rejuvenate has a high failure rate with lavender. If this plan doesn’t pan out, I am fully prepared to start all over again and buy my mother-in-law some new lavender plants from the garden center.

Here’s hoping that sunlight on the lower branches help fill them out a bit.

I pulled up nearly every bush, closely inspected them for truly dead branches, pruned them, and re-planted them with plenty of air and light in between. After closer inspection, I think this mass of lavender started out as only 3 or 4 small bushes.

To be continued…

I kept a few plants for myself to add to my new terraced garden and left this garden covered in dirt, dripping sweat, and happy with my progress. It took a grand total of 4 hours just to complete the middle section of this relatively small garden. I’ll be back in 2 weeks to see if anything survived and to work on it some more – this time with my proper tools and clothes. Fingers crossed!

Part 2: Mid-Summer Gardening

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DIY Garden Bed

Looking to up your gardening game this summer? Cedar garden beds are the way to go – and they can be easy to create and pretty affordable. Step away from the fancy kit and build your own in a day – for a lot less. Let’s DIY a garden bed!

Up close image of the garden dirt
Watch out for surprise roots!

Our backyard is a pretty steep hill. But it’s also the sunniest spot in the summer and our veggies grow best up there. I discovered this by accident last summer when a mystery squash started growing like crazy on the hill. I already planted some potatoes and carrots before I had the idea to build a terraced cedar garden bed into the hill.

Supplies

Head over to your local home store and pick up some cedar fence pickets. There is a reason why people use cedar for fences – they are durable, last a long time, and are rot-resistant. Thus making them ideal for garden beds.

Grab some wooden garden stakes while you are there, too.

In terms of tools, you’ll need a shovel, mallet, circular saw, tape measure, level, and nail gun (or any tool that can join two pieces of wood, e.g, screwdriver, drill, or hammer)

Prep

I wasn’t looking to make anything particularly fancy. It was a Sunday morning and I had a lot of other jobs to do. Cedar fence pickets are ideal also because they come in 6 foot lengths. That seemed like a reasonable width to my garden bed.

I started out by deciding where my very first board would go. Keeping things simple, I went with a 3 foot depth for the beds. Gearing up to dig, I measured out 3 feet up hill and started digging until I was close to level with my starting point. Once I had dug out most of the soil, I started to check for level. I wasn’t looking for a perfect level, but I also didn’t want to have any major sloping.

Then, I repeated this step for the next tier until I had a rough area to work in. Next, I stacked two boards and checked to make sure they lined up with the next tier. This became the rear retaining wall of the bed.

Build

Here’s where I started to work with the wood. I took the two retaining wall boards and placed them on my work surface. Using the nail gun, I affixed two garden stakes to the back of the boards. This was to join them together and give the wall something to grab the earth below it.

Two boards joined together
The back retaining wall

I then proceeded to hammer them into the ground and checked for level.

Checking for level.
Love it when it finally levels.

It was a quick job to measure out the halfway mark on the board to cut the sides of the bed. For the sides of the beds, I only used one row of boards. I cut the additional garden stakes down into shorter lengths and nailed one to each end of the 3 foot board.

When I installed the 3 foot boards, I hammered them level and then nailed the front board to the garden stake that was already nailed to the 3 foot board.

Attaching the boards to each other
This adds stability and keeps everything together.

And just like that I had made two tiered garden beds before lunch! Make sure that you line the bottom with weed barrier and bring in some compost and soil for your beds. Enjoy your beautiful garden and impress your friends with a DIY garden bed.

Almost finished product
Just about finished

Because I use our own compost, I will be letting this bed do it’s own thing this season. I am sure some mystery plants will pop up!

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A Good Old Fashioned Tree Planting

green leaf plant on brown soil

Happy Arbor Day! Let’s do some tree planting.

Ever since I was a kid, I make a point to plant a tree on Earth Day. This year, my order of trees and shrubs from the Albany County Soil and Water Conservation District wasn’t ready until the day after.

We live on an acre of land with a lot of older trees that are planted in soil, so they are big and they are leaning. Slowly we have to take them down before they fall down (and we’ve had that happen a few times over the past 6 years).

BUT! we never cut down a tree before making a point of planting or replanting multiple trees. I am really excited about this year’s haul!

Let’s get started!

We’ve got 2 types of cherry, 2 apples, 5 sugar maples, lilacs, and elderberry. The ACSWCD makes a point of selling seedlings, saplings, and bulbs that are all native to the area and are designed to help the immediate area, not just to serve as decoration.

Photo of tree saplings in bundles before planting.
Quite the haul!

I got straight to work planting them, as I didn’t want to have them sitting around any longer than necessary. It’s important to take a moment and plan out where you want your new plants; keep in mind some of them require certain spacing in between (e.g., elderberry needs good airflow) or specifically near other similar species (e.g., the fruit trees in order to promote pollination and fruit production).

We chose the elderberry to provide some privacy, especially in the winter when our Autumn Olive shrubs drop their leaves. And since we got rid of the ugly chain link fence last year, this is a necessity.

Photo of Elderberry seedling
The elderberry is hard to see right now, but it’s the plant that looks like a skinny stick coming out of the ground.
Photo of the street at the top of the hill.
Right now you can see straight up the hill to the road.
Photo of Arbor Vitae and Sugar Maple
Last year’s small Arbor Vitae and a Sugar Maple.

Spacing in general is an important concept, especially with shrubs like Arbor Vitae – it may be tempting to plant them close together, but remember, they will grow and fill out. Overcrowding will make pruning more challenging and might actually cause “bald” spots.

A row of baby lilac bushes
Lilacs spaced out to ensure plenty of room as they grown and mature.

As always, make sure you are watering daily and deeply to encourage wide and deep root growth. Good luck and happy planting!

Tree frog
Ribbit!
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Welcome!

Closing Day, 2015

Welcome to AllieCat Quilts & Crafts, a passion project that has turned into a business.

My name is Karoline and I live in Albany, NY with my husband, daughter, and our two cats, Odin and Freya. I’ve always been passionate about building and creating things, whether they are tangible or not.

I spend my days working my day job for the state where I expend my creative energy into the creation and development of our office-wide database (among other things, but that is my favorite). At home I let loose and create anything and everything for the home. It might be building an organizer to deal with a mess or some fun decor to liven up our living space.

People have asked me, “how did you learn how to do that?” Honestly, a lot of trial and error and being OK with an end product that might be a little messy or a little bit crooked.

When we were looking to buy our forever home, I desperately wanted something old or at least colonial-looking. We ended up in a 1977 raised ranch on an amazing piece of property. Not too much had been updated in the house, especially our bathrooms. In an attempt to bring a little bit of my farmhouse chic style without completely missing the mark with a raised ranch home, I’ve been able to find a way to strike a balance that I think does the trick.

So join me as I experiment in my own home, build things, and share what I’ve learned over the years to help you bring a little farmhouse chic into your life.