Author Archive | Jennie Lyon

The tomato plants are finally in the garden, as the last frost date is finally past.ally past. Since Sweet Greens reminded me that plants should be watered from the bottom, especially tomatoes, I thought I’d share my new low-tech watering system. Milk jugs!

Simply rinse out an empty milk jug (or any jug) and poke a few holes in the bottom with a thumb-tack. Fill the jug from your children’s wading pool (not chlorinated), your rain barrel (if you are so lucky!) or the garden hose. Set the jug between the tomato plant and whatever else the children planted. Fill the jug every other day or as often as needed. You can use smaller bottles for hanging plants, and a five-gallon bucket works great for new trees.

Enjoy your produce!

Thanks for having me!

Find more from Kris at her blog The Big Boat.

I thought this deck of Bicycle’s Eco Edition Playing Cards would make a fun and simple Father’s Day gift. The Bicycle Eco Edition Cards come in a fully recyclable case and deck. The cards are made from sustainable forest papers, starch-based laminating and vegetable-based ink. Plus, I like the look of the packaging more than the traditional cards.

What are you giving Dad for this Father’s Day?

Do you have any special plans for him?

Have you ever heard of Pie Plant? Here is our little Pie Forest.

Most people know the Pie Plant as Rhubarb (Rheum rhabarbarum). If you live north of Texas, your grandmother probably had a plant or six growing in her yard. It’s the first veggie that pops up from my Minnesota garden, a sure sign of spring. This weekend Little M and I went logging in our personal Pie Forest.

Little M is pulling out the stalk, really just the petiole of the leaf, and it’s a big one! This particular plant has pink and greenish stalks, some have a more reddish color. The stalk of the plant is the part of the vegetable that we use to make yummy goodies.

Little J likes Rhubarb Crisp, Daddy likes Rhubarb pie and some people really like Rhubarb Sauce. I like to wait until the strawberries are ripe in the fields and make Straw-barb jam. The two Rhubarb plants that we have in our garden came from the Daddy’s Grandparents’ garden. They just keep growing and growing all summer long. The original plants up north get so big that the kids can play in the shade! Rhubarb is easy to grow, fun to pick, and delicious to eat, you should definitely grow a Rhubarb Pie Forest with your family.

PS: Just don’t eat the leaves! They contain toxic amounts of oxalis. However, you can compost them.

Do you love Rhubarb? Do you have it growing in your garden?

Ever wondered how green you are? Jump over to Practically Green and take the test to find out. In just five minutes, you will get an overall green profile.

While you are there, check out my interview with Practically Green. How lovely to have been featured on such a fantastic site. {blush}.

Did you take the quiz? How did you do? How green are you?

Have you ever wondered how pine trees produce their pine cones? No? Me either. However, this spring I saw these little baby pine cones for the first time.

They are purple! There are even smaller ones that are red, like tiny wild strawberries perched among the boughs. Even though they are tiny, every little scale and emerging seed is there in perfect wholeness.

One poor little seed pea didn’t quite get buried in the garden.

So we saw his very beginnings, breaking out of the cold hard shell to begin new life.

These little beginnings don’t last long. The cones grow, and turn hard and brown. The peas get green and tall and climb up the trellis. Spring turns to summer and we’ll miss the little beauties if we run to fast through our days.

Have you taken the time to slow down and enjoy the little things?
What little things are growing your garden or yard?