Making natural living easy.
This post may include affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I’ll earn a small fee at no extra cost to you.Split or cracked tomatoes are a common garden problem that’s easy to solve. Here are 5 simple ways to keep your tomatoes from splitting or cracking. Why do tomatoes crack and split? Tomatoes start splitting when the fruit inside grows faster than the skin. This happens when the tomato
Yes, Dads are hard to shop for. But trust me–he doesn’t want another necktie. Here are 20 of the very best gifts for Dad that he’ll love, use, and pass on to the next generation. Thank you to Garrett Wade for sponsoring this post. Who has trouble figuring out the best present for the guys in your life? *every woman on the internet raises her hand* Me too! Whenever I
These 8 indoor plants clean the air while they beautify your home. These house plants are easy to care for, and they improve air quality and reduce toxins too. Includes recommended varieties and growing tips. The Benefits of Air Purifying House Plants House plants are like nature’s air filters. We all learned in school that plants take in carbon dioxide and produce oxygen, which is part of their air cleaning
Yes, you can plant vegetables in September! These 15 veggies can handle the heat without a problem. Includes best varieties, planting tips, and recipes for your harvest. So many people give up on their garden once September rolls around. It’s true that some of the more tender veggies can’t take the heat, but there are many tasty vegetables you can plant in September. Are you a brand new gardener? Not
Yes, you can freeze bell peppers and save them for your favorite recipes! It’s easy to freeze peppers from your garden or the store with these tips. This year, for the first time ever, my garden produced more bell peppers than we could eat. Great problem, right? But it didn’t take long for the family to go on strike and refuse to eat them. I didn’t want my precious peppers
Homemade glass cleaner is an easy way to reduce toxins in your home. This natural, streak-free glass cleaner gets windows and mirrors shiny clean, with no fumes or dangerous chemicals. If you can’t find your 5-year-old and it’s really quiet, you can guess that there’s mischief happening. When this happened, I wasn’t surprised to find that Jackjack made a HUGE mess on the bathroom mirror. I don’t mind messes, but
Making compost is easy, and a great way to convert kitchen and garden waste into nourishing soil. However, there are some things you can’t compost–learn what they are and why you shouldn’t compost them. Compost is a rich, dark mixture of decayed organic matter that’s used to fertilize soil. Because it’s made with a variety of natural materials, it contains many nutrients and minerals that plants need to grow and
Castile soap is natural, inexpensive, and oh-so-versatile. Here are 10 clever uses for castile soap–from body care, cleaning, and pet care to ant repellent (yes, really!). Castile soap is a must-have ingredient when you start making and using natural cleaners. It’s made from natural vegetable oils and lye (as opposed to other soaps traditionally made with animal fat, like tallow). The name comes from the Castile region in Spain, which
DIY weed killer is easy to make, and this natural mixture is safe around kids and pets. This homemade weed killer spray even works on tough weeds like bermuda grass and nutgrass. If I told you that the 3-year-old and I spent an hour yesterday spraying all the weeds in our yard, you’d probably have a conniption fit. “You WHAT? Those weed killers are full of terrible chemicals! I can’t
It’s easy to make compost for your garden! Composting is a great way to convert kitchen and garden waste into nourishing soil. Here are three simple ways to make compost. Thank you to Smart Pot® for sponsoring this post. Once you start gardening, you’ll hear folks talk about composting and the benefits of adding compost to your soil. It sounds like a mystery or some sort of difficult equation, but
There are lots of vegetables you can plant in August! Even though it’s hot outside, these vegetables can handle the heat and will give you a tasty harvest this fall and winter. Includes recommended varieties, planting tips, and recipes. It’s August already…where has the summer gone? If you’re in the middle of canning up your garden’s bounty, you might not be thinking about what you can plant this month. Good
This natural scouring powder or scrubbing powder is simple to make, with a bright lemony scent. It’s great for cleaning sinks, tubs, pots and pans, and more! Does your family replace the standard name of a product with the brand name? When I was growing up, we referred to every brand of scouring powder as “Comet.” It didn’t matter if we were using the store brand scrubbing powder, Bon Ami,
