Come learn how to remove grass, including several ways to smother, kill, or otherwise physically remove lawn - plus tips on weed suppression & ground cover.
Avena sativa Minimum: 400+ seeds Discover the timeless charm and abundant benefits of Oats (Avena sativa), a versatile and nutritious grain that has been cultivated for centuries. Whether grown for its wholesome grains, as a cover crop to improve soil health, or as a natural habitat for beneficial wildlife, Oats offer a multitude of uses for gardeners, farmers, and homesteaders alike. With its graceful foliage, nutritious grains, and soil-enriching properties, Oats are an essential addition to any garden, farm, or landscape. Key Features: Nutrient-Rich Grains: Oats are prized for their nutrient-rich grains, which are a good source of carbohydrates, fiber, protein, and essential vitamins and minerals. Whether enjoyed as a hearty breakfast cereal, added to baked goods, or used as an ingredient in skincare products, Oats provide a nourishing and wholesome staple for a healthy lifestyle. Cover Crop Benefits: When planted as a cover crop, Oats help improve soil health by suppressing weeds, preventing erosion, and adding organic matter to the soil when they decompose. Their extensive root system also helps break up compacted soil and improve soil structure, making them an excellent choice for sustainable agriculture and gardening practices. Wildlife Habitat: Oats provide valuable habitat and food sources for a variety of beneficial wildlife, including birds, insects, and small mammals. Their dense foliage and nutritious grains attract birds for foraging, while their tall, upright growth provides shelter and nesting sites for wildlife, contributing to biodiversity and ecological balance in the garden and landscape. Versatile Use: Oats can be grown for a variety of purposes, including human consumption, animal feed, cover cropping, and ornamental use. Whether sown as a standalone crop, interplanted with other vegetables, or incorporated into flower beds and borders, Oats offer versatility and adaptability to a wide range of gardening and farming systems. Easy to Grow: With their rapid growth rate, low maintenance requirements, and tolerance to a variety of soil types and climates, Oats are easy to grow and suitable for gardeners of all skill levels. Whether sown in spring or fall, Oats thrive with minimal care and attention, making them an ideal choice for sustainable and self-sufficient gardening practices. Specifications: Botanical Name: Avena sativa Plant Type: Annual grass Height: 2-4 feet Spread: 6-8 inches Growth Habit: Upright Sunlight: Full sun to partial shade Soil Type: Well-drained, fertile soil Hardiness Zones: 2-10 (depending on variety) Benefits: Nutritional Value: Oats are a rich source of carbohydrates, fiber, protein, and essential vitamins and minerals, making them a nutritious addition to a healthy diet for humans and animals alike. Soil Improvement: When used as a cover crop, Oats help improve soil health by suppressing weeds, preventing erosion, and adding organic matter to the soil through decomposition, contributing to improved soil structure and fertility. Wildlife Attraction: Oats provide valuable habitat and food sources for birds, insects, and small mammals, enhancing biodiversity and ecological balance in the garden and landscape. Versatility: Oats can be grown for human consumption, animal feed, cover cropping, and ornamental use, offering versatility and adaptability to a wide range of gardening and farming systems. Nourish Your Garden and Body with Oats (Avena sativa): Experience the abundance and versatility of Oats (Avena sativa) in your garden, farm, or landscape. Whether grown for its nutritious grains, soil-improving properties, or wildlife habitat benefits, Oats offer a multitude of uses and benefits for gardeners, farmers, and homesteaders seeking sustainable and self-sufficient solutions. Embrace the timeless tradition of Oat cultivation and enjoy the nourishing rewards of this beloved grain for generations to come.
Did you know that fewer than 10% of monarch butterfly eggs actually turn into butterflies?! When the butterflies lay their eggs on milkweed leaves, other bugs will quickly eat the eggs or eat the tiny caterpillars when they hatch. Building a butterfly habitat is actually quite simple; all you require is a thin breathable fabric and a simple container. Most materials can even be found around your home. You can use an old lantern or a box for your habitat. Cut windows in the box to ensure airflow. Using a piece of thin breathable mesh or fabric, secure screens to the side with hot glue so your caterpillars have fresh air. Be sure to have a solid surface at the top of the enclosure for the chrysalis to hang from. Once your habitat is built it’s pretty simple to start raising caterpillars. My sister raised caterpillars with her family last year, releasing 177 Monarch butterflies, using an old Pampers box as an enclosure. You can really make your habitat as fancy or simple as money and time allow. If you check your leaves about once a day you could find tiny little white eggs on the back of them. Cut off the part of the leaf that has the egg on it and place the leaf in a container; any container will do! Be careful – this will quickly become a full-time job if you collect too many eggs/caterpillars as they eat an insane amount of milkweed! Eric Carle was not kidding when he wrote the book the Very Hungry Caterpillar! Last year I actually ran out of milkweeds as I didn’t have milkweed in my garden so I had to find pesticide-free milkweed that I could give to the caterpillars. (Yes, if you saw me, that’s what I was doing in the ditch!). You can usually find it in fields or ditches, but be sure to wash it very well when you get home. Making a Monarch butterfly enclosure!You will need: Old lantern or box hot glue gun screening or sheer curtain milkweed paper towels You probably already have a couple of these things around your house. Even though this milkweed plant doesn’t look spectacular now it will grow nice and tall with pretty purple flowers. In the fall it will grow giant seed pods that you can plant back in your garden for more milkweed next year. It’s a perennial so you will be able to enjoy it every year. These beautiful bushes are available at Anna‘s for $14.99 🐛 This is the only plant a monarch butterfly will lay her eggs on because it is the only plant the caterpillars can eat. (Check out our blog post from last week on how to care for a milkweed Plant🌱) Some other great plans for attracting the monarchs are daisies, aster, lavender, and the butterfly bush. Adding some butterfly-attracting plants will help bring even more butterflies to your backyard oasis. Do I have you interested yet? After you’ve built your enclosure, here’s what’s next: Get a small plastic container and start collecting eggs off your milkweed plant. Once the caterpillars hatch and start to grow a little larger put them in your enclosure. If you’re not careful, the big caterpillars will eat the leaves with the other eggs or tiny caterpillars on them. So it’s good to separate them once they get to a certain size. Clean, clean, clean! Clean out your caterpillar enclosure daily to avoid waste build-up. Place a fresh piece of milkweed on the paper towel at the bottom of the habitat and when it’s time to clean it out, gently slide a fresh leaf in. You will need to do this around three times a day. Once your tiny little caterpillars are done crunching and munching they usually go on a walkabout and sit somewhere to split their skin (it can take about a day). Then they come back down to eat again. When they go on their final walkabout they will look somewhere at the top of the cage to hang upside down and will look like little tiny J’s at the top of your enclosure. In the blink of an eye, they will split their skin and transform into their chrysalis. If you don’t spend your whole day watching you’ll miss it because it only takes a couple of seconds. Now that your caterpillars have turned into their chrysalis all you have to do is wait and enjoy. Your little caterpillar will sit in his chrysalis for about 10-14 days. You will know he’s ready to emerge because his beautiful light green chrysalis will turn dark green, almost black. It’s translucent, and you will see the developing butterfly inside. They usually emerge early morning so keep an eye out because it’s another quick process of less than a minute. The fully formed Monarch will be out of the chrysalis, slowly moving its wings to dry them in preparation for flight. Once the butterflies have emerged and are ready to go, open the cage and watch the magical moment as they leave the enclosure! This will bring joy to everyone who sees it. This year we planted more milkweed in our yard! By the end of summer, we will have great big pods shooting out the top of our plants that I can re-plant in my garden to make my milkweed garden twice the size next season. If you’re short on milkweed, there are so many other kinds of butterflies that you can lend a helping hand to. Swallowtail butterflies will lay their eggs on parsley and dill so if you have these herbs growing in your garden make sure you keep an eye out.👀 This is honestly such an easy project and will bring joy and entertainment to you or your kids for hours each day! My children loved this experience when we did it last year and excitedly anticipate repeating the process this season. It was truly such an educational experience for our family and made us feel like we were doing something wonderful for the environment. It just requires time, patience and love. I know it may seem small and insignificant but it’s not about what it is, it’s about what it can become -Dr. Seuss
Both frogs and toads are beneficial to the garden because they feed on many pests such as, bugs, beetles, caterpillars, cutworms, grasshoppers, grubs, and slugs.
Venison cube steaks, also referred to as minute steaks, are leaner than beef cube steaks. The cube steaks have a gamey flavor, and are high in protein and iron. When you have a supply of the fresh venison cube steaks, cook them using similar methods as beef cube steaks.
Keep reading to find out how you can turn your yard into a haven for whichever of the 2,000 species of fireflies lives in your neighborhood.
Do your neighbours not agree with what you're doing? Do they complain a lot? Learn how to have an urban homestead and not annoy your neighbours.
Frogs and toads are wonderful for your garden. They eat lots of insects such as mosquitoes, slugs and beetles. So, build a few frog habitats in the garden for natural pest control today.
Gardening is not only a way to grow fresh food and flowers, but also an opportunity to create a thriving wildlife habitat in your backyard.
Tilly's team can design your yard to qualify as a Certified Wildlife Habitat® with the National Wildlife Federation™, but what exactly does this look like?
Over 30 DIY projects to build a backyard habitat that provides food, water, safe shelter, and nesting spaces for wildlife.
OUR PROGRAM Working together to create climate-resilient habitats for people and wildlife. Learn more about becoming a participant in our program and how you can transform your yard or green space into a habitat that benefits pollinators and other wildlife, and contributes to cleaner air and water for all. Learn more About Us and how…
The first step is deciding where you want to possition the tunnel and how big you want to make it. The garden here runs North South with the house at the southern end. A line of tall conifers 35 fe…
Earthworms offer many benefits to the gardener and are commonly seen in healthy, organic soils. Here's how to increase earthworms in your garden soil:
Sheet mulching, or lasagna gardening, is an easy way to build a new garden while building great soil. Plus, you won't disturb the soil!
Come learn how to safely move a monarch chrysalis and hang it elsewhere when needed. It is a delicate process, but very simple to do!
What is a geese, where do they live, what to do you call a flock of geese, where are they found
This polar bear mini unit makes a great addition to your homeschool bear study, Winter unit, or even just as a random study any day of the..
Fleabane, belonging to the genus Erigeron, encompasses a diverse group of flowering plants within the Asteraceae family. Erigeron species are commonly known
Read along to learn how to attract monarch butterflies to your garden, safely raise monarch caterpillars in an enclosure, and release them as butterflies!
British architecture firm McLean Quinlan has constructed a stone house in Jackson, Wyoming, modelled on a nearby 19th-century farm complex.
Attract and support birds, bees, reptiles, and other animals with these DIY projects. Kids can create these backyard wildlife habitats all on their own.
Learn how to turn your yard into a more welcoming and sustainable place for wildlife & pollinators and become a Certified Wildlife Habitat!
Come learn how to safely move a monarch chrysalis and hang it elsewhere when needed. It is a delicate process, but very simple to do!
What is a ‘Hibernaculum’, you may ask? The word ‘hibernaculum’ has Latin roots, meaning “winter quarter”, with hibernus being Latin for winter. Thus, hibernacula are places…
Eucalyptus is not only great against the common cold, it can also be used in homemade products. Learn to grow this plant yourself.
