Outdoor Projects & Gardening Archives - Stacy Risenmay

Growing A Cut Flower Garden

Stacy — Thu, 10 Nov 2022 22:06:04 +0000

This was my first year growing a cut flower garden and I learned so much! I wanted to share what I did, what I should have done, and what I will do next year, in case any of you are thinking of adding a cut garden to your yard in the future. There is a tour of my cut garden and more info in the video farther down in the post!

Growing A Cut Flower Garden

I had always wanted to a cut garden. I kept putting it off because I wasn't sure where I was going to put it and was worried it would cost a lot of money. I finally decided to just go for it! After researching it over the winter (my favorite winter pastime is thinking of gardening), I had a plan.

Starting From Seed Indoors

I knew if I bought seedlings from a nursery it would be too expensive so I bought supplies to start the flowers from seed. I have done this before for veggies so I had some things on hand already. I have a whole post dedicated to starting seeds indoors that you can read HERE.

Zinnias growing in veggie garden

What I Planted

I started off this first year with just planting a few varieties. I knew I would grow more eventually, but to start, I wanted to keep it simple. I wasn't sure I was going to like growing them in my vegetable garden or not or if they would do well. I grew zinnias, globe amaranth (gomphrena), billy ball (craspedia), sunflowers, stock, cosmos, and feverfew. The stock flowers and feverfew were planted in my secret garden.

What I Learned

I knew this first year was going to be one where I experimented and learned so I improve for future planting seasons. I like trial and error (hands on) learning. Part of why I love gardening is trying new things and seeing what works. I definitely learned a lot about growing a cut flower garden!

Staking Your Plants

I knew that flower farmers used netting and/or ropes to stake their flowers. I even bought some netting. But I ended up not using any of it because I don't like the look of it. I didn't want large stakes and netting ruining the overall look of my garden. Since this was for my personal use and enjoyment and not a business (yet), I didn't see the harm in experimenting with things a bit.

Cosmos need to be staked

The only flowers that had a problem were the cosmos. Towards the end of the growing season they started to fall down. Some cracked when we got wind. So I will be using the netting on the cosmos next year. Everything else was great without. We do not typically get a lot of wind, so that may factor into why my zinnias did so well without.

Grow a Good Variety Of Flowers

I feel like I had a good variety of shapes and sizes but I did not have a lot of blue flowers. I have a few perennials in a regular flower bed that are blue/purple like delphiniums and salvia. But not enough for a cut garden. Those varieties also bloom heavily in the spring and don't provide a lot of blooms throughout the whole growing season. I also discovered that I did not like the magenta color of the "purple" zinnias and globe amaranth. I will be planting more blue and purple options next year.

Pink and purple gomphrena

Filler and Greenery

You can't just focus on the stars of the show (the big showy flowers like dahlias and zinnias). To have a good bouquet, you need small flowers (filler) and greenery. I only wanted to focus on planting a few varieties of things for this first year, so I knew I would have to use plants I already had in my yard for the greenery. And it worked just fine for this year, but I do want to add some things to my grow list like dusty miller and eucalyptus.

Growing a Cut Flower Garden Video

Plans for Next Year's Cut Flower Garden

I will plant annuals like zinnia, and globe amaranth in the vegetable garden again. They drew a lot more pollinators like hummingbirds and bumble bees and made working in the garden more cheerful.

I am also adding another flowerbed to our backyard in the spring that will house the majority of the perennials. The flower bed was going to be added regardless of if I grew cut flowers or not (It is part of a larger landscaping project) but since I am growing cut flowers, that helped determine what would be planted there. I will plant things like roses, delphinium, lupine, lavender, and more peonies.

If things go well with germinating them this winter, I should have a whole 20 foot row of eucalyptus. It could be a big fat fail, but it is worth a try! I will be growing more mint, dusty miller, and growing some bushes for their leaves.

Do you grow cut flowers? What are your favorite varieties?

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Dutch Oven Cooking

Stacy — Wed, 28 Sep 2022 14:31:56 +0000

We love to cook in our dutch ovens when we are camping, but we also like to pull them out when the weather cools in the Fall and cook in our own backyard. Usually the kitchen is being used for canning so it is nice to BBQ and cook over the fire during this time. Plus, my boys like any excuse to use the fire pit. Dutch oven cooking is easy to do!

This post is sponsored by HomeRight, but all ideas and opinions are 100% my own. This post contains affiliate links.

Dutch Oven Cooking

I make chicken and veggies a lot since it is yummy, filling, and uses up produce from the garden. I pulled some carrots, onions, and potatoes for this dish.

I like to use briquettes for dutch oven cooking. The Electro-Torch is perfect for getting the briquettes started without any added lighter fluid. Hold it close to the briquettes and press the button. In less a minute or two, you will have flames!

The Electro-Torch is so handy to have for starting fires without added chemicals or matches.

I used a whole roasting chicken in the dutch oven along with the cut up veggies. Rainbow vegetables make for a prettier dinner!

Sometimes I add herbs to butter and add it under the skin of the chicken, but I am trying to cook healthier so I skipped the butter this time. You can also coat it in olive oil and then add seasonings and herbs.

This time I just salt and peppered it and added thyme and rosemary from my herb garden.

I added 10 coals to the bottom and 10 coals to the top. I let it cook for almost 2 hours. The meant literally fell off the bones! So yummy!

I wish you could smell it! The combination of the smoky coals and the dinner made me feel like I was in the mountains.

I decided to make dessert for the kids. Apple pie is a favorite of theirs and it felt very Fall-ish :) I used my FAVORITE pie crust recipe that I have been using since college. I have the recipe down below.

I use this crust not only for dessert pies, but for quiche and chicken pot pie!

I have a full video on instagram and TikTok.

I am curious, what is your favorite pie?

I use this pie crust for everything from quiche to chicken pot pie, to desert pies!

Building and Staining a Backyard Arbor

Stacy — Wed, 31 Aug 2022 04:24:30 +0000

Every year we try to tackle at least one big outdoor project. Building and staining a backyard arbor was one of those projects we had on our list. It will help with privacy as well as the overall look of our yard. The project is 95% done but I did get stuck on one thing and I need your help so read to the end.

This post is sponsored by HomeRight but all project ideas and opinions are 100% my own. Some links are affiliate links.

Before the Arbor

At the back of our yard there is an easement that allows us to drive into our yard from the street. This is where we park our trailers, store our firewood, place our composter, and put anything that we don't want to see from our yard. All that stuff is hidden by the raspberry raised planter boxes that are 3 feet tall. When the raspberries are at peak, they are about 3-4 feet tall making a great "fence" and hiding that section of our yard. That part of the yard is about 76 feet by 27 feet.

After we flattened it and scraped away the weeds. Before we added gravel and trees.

The gates only had pickets on one side and were kind of flimsy. We also didn't have a latch, so when we got heavy wind, it would open and close which eventually made the gates split where the hinges were attached. We needed to rebuild the gate and add pickets to the other side.

Building and Staining a Backyard Arbor

Since I am afraid of stepping on the ladder more than just a few steps high, Shane was very instrumental in this build. I drew up plans and created a shopping list. I cut some of the wood too. But man, Shane saved the day by doing the build on this one. It stands 13 feet high!

He also helped with the staining for the same reason. He stained the top part with the Super Finish Max. He has only used the sprayer a couple of times before (Remember the garage eaves he painted?) so he was excited to apply the stain and see it transformed so quickly.

We sprayed it with the Super Finish Max sprayer

I didn't want to be left out of the fun part of this project. I sprayed everything I could reach from the safety of the ground.

I used the same stain color as the other gates in our yard (the secret garden gate and the entrance gate) as well as the sliding planter wall that hides our electrical boxes.

The dark color really helps the arbor stand out!

I can't wait to plant the vines that will grow up this structure. It will one day be lush and green and help give us more privacy.

We also planted 4 weeping white spruce trees on each side. They are relatively fast growing trees that will get 20-30 feet tall but only about 4 feet wide. Once they grow tall, they will be a great privacy screen. Since we have a gate, we couldn't plant trees in front of it, which is where the idea for building a backyard arch came from.

To give you an idea of scale, I made Shane pose with me under it. I told him he had to since he was such a big part of this project :) It is 13 feet tall and 7 feet wide. The gate is 9 and a half feet wide.

We laid pavers down in between the planter boxes. We bought wheels for the gates and we needed something hard and flat for them to roll on.

I love the look of the bark around the trees!

We made sure and planted them far enough away from the planters so that even when they are fully grown, we can walk between them and the boxes to be able to pick raspberries. It is hard to gauge distance in photos, but there is 6 feet right now between the trees and the planter boxes.

I need your help.....

I had planned on spraying the planter boxes gray like the front. But I kind of like how the brown matches the bark. Should I spray them gray? Or leave them brown? Also, I stained the gate posts gray (thinking the planters would be gray) and was planning on adding a solar light/ post cap on them. But now I am thinking I don't love them being so tall. Should I stain them to match the gate and cut them to the height of the gate?

That was probably confusing. Here are the options:

*Planters gray with tall gray gate posts + lights

*Planters gray with short gray gate posts

*Planters gray with short dark gate posts

*Planters stay brown (refresh the stain since it's blotchy) with tall dark posts + lights

*Planters stay brown with short dark gate posts

Vote for your favorite option in the comments below! And let me know if you have any projects you are working on. I love hearing about what you are up to!

DIY Vegetable Storage Cabinet

Stacy — Mon, 01 Aug 2022 04:52:23 +0000

I have been needing a better way to store my root vegetables and butternut squash. In the past they have been on the wire pantry shelves with my canned goods but the wires can dig into the veggies and bruise them. Especially if they are all stacked up. I have had the same experience with wire baskets. Plus they are taking up valuable space that could house more bottles of canned goods. I have seen cute vegetable storage bins in gardening magazines and online shops and they are super pricey. This DIY vegetable storage cabinet was a fraction of the cost and looks better too!

This post is sponsored by HomeRight but all ideas and opinions are 100% my own. This post contains affiliate links.

DIY Vegetable Storage Cabinet

I browse the online classifieds and Facebook marketplace regularly and decided that if I could find a tall cabinet I would convert it into a vegetable storage cabinet. I would cut the center of the door out and add wire for ventilation. Well what do you know but I found one! Not only were the dimensions pretty much exactly what I wanted (almost 2 feet wide and a little taller than 4 feet), but the cabinet already had wire! The previous owner had taken out the glass doors panel and added wire mesh. It was more than the $15-40 I normally pay for second hand furniture, but I was willing to pay more for the convenience of not having to cut and convert the door. Plus, what were the odds that I would find another one this perfect that was also solid wood?

Now often times a "before" and "after" is also an "ugly" and "pretty" situation. But not always. Sometime you have a piece that is just fine as it is, but you make it over to fit your home and your style. This piece was lovingly made over for a wedding and had a shabby chic feel. But I wanted a different look. Fortunately, the previous paint job was done well which made my experience so easy. Remember the last piece of furniture I made over? That was a nightmare to refinish!

All I had to do was lightly sand and clean it well. It really only took about 10 minutes. I decided rather than taping all the wire mesh, I would just remove the staples and take it off. Then I could just staple it back on when I was done.

Sometimes I jump the gun and start painting before taking a real before pic. Pretend it is still all white ;)

Then I was ready to paint! I set up my spray shelter and filled my Quick Finish paint sprayer. I chose a dark, charcoal gray color. My laundry room/storage room has stained gray tongue and groove walls. I thought a dark gray would go well down there.

It was a nice warm evening and the thin coats of paint dried pretty quickly. Shane and I are working on another BIG outdoor project, so while the paint dried, I helped him in the very back of the yard.

The Quick Finish Sprayer is available on Amazon

The cabinet was painted in about an hour. Clean up is a breeze too. That is my favorite thing about the Quick Finish sprayer. It detaches from the motor and scrubs up fast.

The shelves for the cabinet were particle board. I had a very specific look I wanted for the shelves but since I had paid more than usual for this piece, I didn't want to pay for new lumber. Using the old shelves would save me money and time. Instead, I covered them in contact paper that looked like real wood. I got mine at Walmart but you can find lots of options on Amazon as well.

Since the vegetables stored on the shelves could potentially roll off, the shelves needed a ledge. I decided to make the shelves look like little crates! So I stained some scrap 1x2 to match the contact paper. I had 2 long pieces per shelf plus 2 little pieces for the corners - the little short pieces were what the long ones would get attached to. Then I used brad finish nails and wood glue to create the crate-like shelf front. They are now more like bins or storage compartments than shelves :)

I added new black hinges and a knob to complete the look of this vegetable bin! It will happily reside in my basement where the room temperature is cooler. It is big enough to hold all of our produce without taking up too much space.

Since we are currently doing a giant reorganization and purge in the whole house, I styled it in my living room. The attic, basement, and office are all torn apart while we sift through tote after tote of STUFF. But I know this root vegetable storage bin will be cute down in it's permanent home and be a great addition to our storage room. It just gives me added motivation to get all that cleaning done.

I had bottles in the bottom for the picture, but in reality it will be more butternut squash down there since we have so much.

How do you store your root vegetables? On the kitchen counter, pantry shelves, a hanging fruit basket, or a kitchen cabinet? I'd love to hear what works for you. Especially if you are a gardener like me with lots of extra fresh produce to store.

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Growing Cut Flowers {My First Year So Far}

Stacy — Sat, 23 Jul 2022 05:19:34 +0000

I have always wanted to have a cut flower garden. This year I finally decided to pull the trigger and devote a large chunk of my garden to growing cut flowers instead of veggies. I still have the basics gowing like tomatoes, carrots and peppers, etc., but half of my 1600 square foot garden is flowers! Here's how my journey has been so far...

Growing Cut Flowers

Whether you have a small flower bed, or a large field, anyone can grow cut flowers! Cut flowers are flowers that have long stems and do well in a vase. It is more cost effective to start them from seed. Especially if you are doing it on a larger scale.

Starting Seeds Indoors & Planting

If you are a gardener, you know that this year has been a weird one. At least it has in my state and surrounding area. It was still in the 30s at night clear into the first week of June. Which is totally bananas and gave everyone a late start with planting. Then it seemed to heat up over night and we have been in the 90s and 100s ever since. being at the mercy of the weather is the hard part of gardening. But starting flowers from seeds is easy! You can read my whole post on there HERE and even watch my detailed video on YouTube.

What I Planted:

I have a bunch of perennials already in my yard that can be used at cut flowers such as peony, cone flowers, delphinium, salvia, anemone, daisys, and black eyed susans. The annuals that I started from seeds this year are sunflowers (yellow burgundy, white, and pink), zinnias, cosmos, gomphrena, crespidea, stock, and feverfew. All are flowering except the sunflowers and craspedia (also called Billy Ball). I also planted a few dahlias from seed and some 4 o'clocks. But those are for my patio and are not necessarily for cut flowers. For added greenery I use herbs, boxwood, tree branches and other leafy plants from my yard when making arrangements.

What Went Wrong This Year:

I had the healthiest seedlings! They were beautiful. Some were more cold tolerant (like Stock and Feverfew) and I planted those even though it was still chilly at night. But as far as the other seedlings went, I had to wait. The first week that it didn't dip in to the 30s also happened to be the week of my family reunion at Bear Lake. In retrospect, I should have asked a neighbor to water and check on my seedlings, but I already ask them to watch our animals and didn't want to be a further bother. I watered the "too big for the cell trays" seedlings really well and hoped for the best. I lost more than half of my zinnias and cosmos. The other kinds seemed to fair better. Luckily, out of all the flowers I started from seeds, those two grow the fastest and I was confident I could start a round 2 and still have blooms by late summer.

Things I Have Learned:

*I started some of my seeds too early given the fact that Mother Nature gave us a late freeze. Now, I could not have known that ahead of time, but I should have accounted for the unexpected. Next year I will delay my seed sowing by at least 1 week.

*Sometimes you have to start over, and that's okay. Seeds are cheap. I was not out very much money and while it was gut wrenching to come home and see dead seedling, it is part of the learning process.

*Experiment and have fun! I don't really know what I am doing and that is part of the excitement. I get to discover what I like, what does well, and what types of flowers look well together. Not only will my yard look lovely, but my house will get some cheery blooms too.

Next Year's Plans for Growing Cut Flowers:

I have plans to add at least 5 more types of flowers next year. In the Fall when it cools down, I will be adding more flowers beds to accommodate them all. I think moving forward, I will always grow flowers among the veggies. I have really enjoyed it!

This year I am mainly just experimenting with arrangements since I really don't know what I am doing. I like the idea of being able to throw together centerpieces for a baby shower or surprise a neighbor with a bouquet. I think it would be fun to sell bouquets at some point. But for now, I am learning and having fun :)

Do You Grow Cut Flowers?

I would love to hear your experience with growing flowers. Even if it is on a small scale. What are your favorite kinds to grow? Which have the best vase life? Spill it all in the comments below!

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Starting Seeds Indoors {Everything You Need To Know!}

Stacy — Thu, 07 Jul 2022 23:04:39 +0000

Starting plants from seeds saves you so much money! It is so much cheaper than buying grown plants from garden centers. It also gives you an early start on the growing season, which can result in earlier harvests. And if that wasn't motivation enough, it is also REALLY satisfying to watch. It helps me in the late winter and early spring when I seem to be struggling the most with S.A.D. as well. It gives me that burst of hope and excitement that warmer weather and gardening will be happening soon. If you have the right supplies and the knowhow, it is super easy! So here how I start seeds indoors from the planning process to planting! I also have a video below with great footage of the process.

Starting Seeds Indoors

Planning

The first step is planning! I have a google doc where I keep track of all the information about each type of plant I will be growing. This sheet is all about flowers, but the same principles apply to veggies. I also keep track of when I planted. Then you can look back year to year and make adjustments as needed. I learned that I started things a bit too early this year given that we had a really cold spring. I will probably start them a week or two later next year just in case we have the same issue. The most common mistake made when starting seeds indoors, is starting them too early. Planting at the proper time is vital. You need to figure out your last frost date (I usually add a week because mother nature is wack). Then look at the info for the plant you are growing. Most seed packets will tell you how many weeks before your last frost it needs to be started indoors. Also keep in mind that some flowers and veggies do better if sown directly outside. Some, like carrots, can't be started indoors.

I also take this time to order any supplies I need. This winter I bought more cell trays this year since I would be planting more flowers than normal (remember my cut flower garden announcement?) Every year I also order more fertilizer and seed starting mix. And of course seeds!

My Setup

Supplies: (affiliate links)

Shelves

Seed Trays with Plastic Domes

Seed Soil Mix

Fertilizer

Grow Lights

Power Strip with Timer

Heat Mat

Shelves: I use the same type of wire shelves that I use for our food storage down in the basement. They are relatively inexpensive and are so sturdy. The wire makes it easy to hang the grow lights.

Seed Cell packs: I have tried using egg cartons and peat pots in the past but have found that they mold easily. Plastic sets are reusable and don't have that problem. I like the 40 cell trays since they are a bit bigger and the plants can stay in them longer. In fact, I kept mine in there until is time to plant. It is nice not to have to transplant into larger containers if you can avoid it. Make sure to buy a set that has the bottom watering tray as well as the dome. The cells have drainage holes and will suck up the water from the plastic trays. By bottom watering, you won't disrupt the seeds.

Grow lights: I attach grow lights with either zip ties or string so I can adjust them as the plants grow. I would like to get some chain and hooks I think since they would be reusable. I'll test that out next year. The seed trays are reusable year to year, Make sure to clean them out really well and sanitize with a bleach solution.

Power Strip: I think of of the best things you can buy is a power strip with a timer. Seedling need 16 hours of light a day. If you have a timer, you are not having to remember each night and morning to turn them on. It also helps if you go out of town for a day or two.

Sowing the Seeds

When planting you seeds, please use an actual seed-starting mix as your growing medium. Yes, seeds CAN grow in regular garden soil or potting mix, but you will have better germination rates and consistent results with a seed starting mix. This mix is free from large particles and is fluffy, making it easier for the tiny roots to get a good start. Fill the seed tray but don't pack the soil in there. Each cell needs to be full but still light and fluffy. Watching my video below will give you a good idea how to do this.

Each type of seed will have different depths at which they should be planted. Generally speaking, large seeds will get planted deeper and the tiny seeds are closer to the surface. But that is not always the case so make sure and read the instructions on the back of the seed packet or google for info on how to sow seeds.

Seed Germination!

Place the seed cells into the bottom watering tray and place them on heat mats on the shelves. Then add the clear dome covers. If you don't have dome covers, you could use plastic wrap. Seeds in these conditions will germinate quicker than they would outside so check on them often. They can germinate as quickly as a couple of days later depending on the variety. Once the seeds have germinated, you can turn off the heat mats and remove the plastic cover.

Lights, Water, & Air Circulation

Lights; The bright light from grow lights is so important. The growing seedlings need a lot of light. I have tried growing them by a sunny south-facing window but have found it is just not adequate light. Plus they grow crooked as they try to lean into the light instead of straight up. Lower the grow light to 3-4 inches above the tiny seedlings. If the light source is too high, the little seedling will reach to get to it and it will results in leggy seedling. There is not much you can do to fix them once they get that way.

Water: Keep an eye on the water level. Once the seedling start to get their true leaves, they will go through water pretty quickly. Plan on checking the water everyday. Water with a pitcher or watering can by lifting up the corner of one of the cells and filling the bottom tray.

Air Flow: You will need to run a fan for at least and hour or 2 a day. I know this sounds weird, but it is one of the best things you can do for your seedlings. The fan blowing on them recreates outside conditions and will help strengthen them. When wind blows on the stems, it stimulates a hormone call auxin which strengthens the cells in the stems. Wind also prevents fungus and mold from growing on the soil surface which causes damping off ( a fungal disease where the base of the plant rots and dies). So blast that fan for healthy seedlings!

Thinning

If you planted more than one seed per tray, you will need to thin them down to one seedling per tray when they get their second set of leaves. Don't pull! Use scissors to snip the weaker one, keeping the biggest one. It can be hard to do, but is worth it. Once you thin the young seedlings, you will notice a big jump in growth.

Fertilizer

When the seedlings are 3-4 inches tall and have secondary (or true) leaves, they will need to get some more nutrients. Seed starting soil doesn't have much nutrition, so a liquid fertilizer (or water soluble one) is needed. Fertilizers always have 3 numbers on the front label. The first number is the amount of nitrogen, the second one is the amount of phosphate, and the third number is the amount of potash. Use one that has the same number for all 3 numbers.

Hardening Off Your Seedlings

Your young plants have been growing in a pretty controlled environment. If you planted them outside without getting them use to it, they would more than likely die. Take them outside to a shady spot for a couple hours a day. Gradually increase the amount of time they are out and how much sun exposure they get. Do this for at least a week and a half to two weeks. It greatly reduces the risk of transplant shock. This is the scariest part for me! I'm always afraid I am going to forget them outside and all my hard work will go down the drain. Set a time on your phone. That has really helped me!

Planting!

Once the night time temps are warm enough for you type of plant, you can transplant them outside! That is a very rewarding day :) I usually check on the new plants a couple of times a day for the first week while they are getting use to their new home.

Video Of Starting Seeds Indoors

I worked really hard over the course of months to make this video and would love it if you checked it out. I am hoping to share an updated blog post once the flowers bloom late this summer. It has been such a weird weather year so I am hoping they make it through this drought and upcoming heat wave.

Try, & Try Again!

One thing to remember is, if your seedling die for any reason (mother nature, forgetfulness, etc) please don't be discouraged! First of all, you are only out a couple of bucks for seeds. Take it as a learning experience. I have killed many seedlings. Ask any flower farmer or gardener and they will tell you the same thing. Figure out what went wrong and change it for the next time you try.

Have you tried starting seeds indoors before? I'd love to hear about your experience. Please tell me in the comments below!

DIY Garden Markers

Stacy — Thu, 30 Jun 2022 22:03:06 +0000

My secret garden is one of my favorite spots. I have enjoyed it so much more since adding raised garden bed and turning it into an herb garden. But one thing was missing... I have garden markers in my vegetable garden, but I have not gotten around to adding them in my herb garden. Until now! The garden markers I use in my main garden are too big for my smaller raised beds so I came up with some cute DIY garden markers. These are a great way to finish off your outdoor space!

This post is sponsored by HomeRight/Wagner but all project ideas and opinions are 100% my own. This post contains affiliate links.

DIY Garden Markers

Supplies:

3x5 Craft Wood Rectangles

Heat Gun

Wood Burning Pen

Wood Dowel

Exterior Use Wood Glue

Stencils (Optional)

I have done several wood burning projects over the years so you all know I am obsessed with that fun tool. I have always wanted to try my hand at using a wood burning pen (AKA a scorch pen). Wood burning pens contains a non-toxic liquid that reacts to heat. I already have a hand dandy heat gun that I use to remove old paint and to remove bubbles from resin, so I just needed to order a pen. I knew this would be the perfect project to try out the pen. A love a fun and easy project!

Sand the Wood Pieces

Originally I was going to order some little craft wood pieces to do this project but we are currently working on cleaning and organizing our garage and was reminded of how much scrap wood I have. And you know I love to use what I have on hand for projects as much as possible, so I opted to use 1x4s. But since they are really thick (¾ inch), we cut them in half so they were thinner. You can choose to use different sizes other than 3x5 for your markers. You could even use wooden spoons! How cute would that be?! I sanded them really well. Sanding the wood with a fine grit sandpaper helps the pen not bleed. Soft wood like balsa and pine have a tendency to bleed more as well. So please don't skip this step! Wipe off with a rag to remove the dust.

Add Your Stencil

I have terrible handwriting so I opted to use a stencil. I did play around with the pen on some extra wood and found that writing with it was super easy, so don't feel like you have to use a stencil. My cricut maker came in handy to cut out some vinyl. If you do use vinyl, make sure to press down along the edges really well.

Prep Your Pen

This step is vital to avoiding bleeding. When you get a new pen, you need to press down a few times to get the liquid to come out and saturate the tip. Don't immediately start using it though! It will bleed and look horrible. Don't ask me how I know.... On a scrap piece of wood, start scribbling until the ink is slightly faded.

Now you can start filling in your stencil or writing on your garden markers.

Remove the Stencil

Remove the stencil before you start heating. I was so excited to grab the heat gun and see the change that I almost forgot to remove my vinyl! If you remove the stencil and there was some bleeding, I'll give you a little tip.

TIP: It is easier if you go ahead and wood burn it and then sand it off than it is to try and sand the liquid off. The liquid doesn't really dry so sanding it just spreads it more. Wood burning it with the heat gun and then it will sand off fairly easily. Then you can try again and not waste a piece of wood.

Wood Burn!

This is the super fun part. I have a large heat gun for bigger projects, but I love my smaller Wagner HT400. It is perfect for crafting projects like this. Hold it about 3 inches above the wood. first started out with it on low since I had never done this before and wasn't sure how much heat was required. Low worked but it took a bit longer than when I turned it to high. I liked how fast it was with it on high. I was wishing I had more than 6 to make since it was quite addicting using the heat gun and watching the change right before your eyes!

The HT400 craft kit comes with a silicone mat to protect your work space. I have also used a scrap piece of sheet metal before to protect my wood table top.

Add the Dowels

I used ⅝" wood dowels for the garden stakes, but you could also use paint sticks. I didn't have enough of those lying around or else I probably would have used them. While I was wood burning, I had my son cut the dowels in half about 3 inches down so that I could glue them to the back of the marker. Use a waterproof wood glue that says it is meant for exterior use.I like TiteBond and Gorilla Glue. I added some masking tap to hold them on while the glue dried.

I love these little garden herb markers! They look so cute tucked into the herbs in my container garden. I add garden markers because of the aesthetic, but in this case, they actually serve an additional purpose because when I'm cooking and send my boys out to cut me some herbs, they sometimes bring me the wrong one. The best part of having my herb garden, is that it has actually made my boys more interested in learning to cook. Their favorite one to use is chives.

These simple garden markers add so much to my favorite little space. If you are interested, I have a video tutorial on instagram and youtube you can watch as well.

In the past I have shared similar wood garden markers that my kids helped decorate with colorful paint. And you can catch a glimpse of my metal plant tags in my veggie garden that I added vinyl to in this blog post.

Thank you for letting me share my own DIY garden markers. Do you use garden markers? Have you ever made diy plant markers before? I would love to hear about what you use in your outdoor garden space and yard, and the fun ways you mark your plants! Let me know in the comments below :)

3 Ways to Preserve Food From Your Garden

Stacy — Fri, 19 Nov 2021 22:48:15 +0000

Fall is one of the best times of year when you are a gardener because it means it is time to harvest! If you grow a garden, or frequent the local farmers market, it's a good idea to learn some preservation techniques so you can enjoy your bounty all year long. I'm going to be sharing my 3 favorite ways to preserve food from your garden.

3 Ways to Preserve Food

The most common type of preserving food is by canning. Bottling fresh produce from the garden is easy to do.

Canning

There are two types of canners. There is a water bath canner and a pressure cooker type canner. If the things you are canning are acidic, like tomatoes and fruit, or pickled things, you can boil them in a water bath canner. Things that are non-acidic, like potatoes, carrots, other veggies, and meat, need to be bottled using a pressure cooker canner.

I have a whole post dedicated to Canning 101 with all the information you need for starting out with canning.

Dehydrating

I love my dehydrator! I mostly use it for fruit and jerky, but it can dehydrate just about anything. It is a great option if you have limited space to store your preserved food. They are easy to use and quiet while running.

When dehydrating food in the dehydrator, it is important to have the food be equal thickness. When slicing, try to keep them uniform so they dehydrate at the same rate.

Dehydrators have a temperature dial so you can control the heat. Most will also have "fruit" or "herb" settings as well. But if not, simply google how high the temperature needs to be for that certain item.

Grapes take a bit longer since they are covered in a skin. In my dehydrator it takes a few days. Things like apple chips only take a day or so. Keep your dehydrator somewhere where you can keep an eye on it and check to see when the food is done.

Freezing

If you don't have a canner or enough space to store jars upon jars, freezing is a good way to preserve food.

Before you freeze your produce, you are going to want to blanche them first. In a blanching pot, bring water to a boil. Add in your produce and allow to cook for a minute or two (depends on the produce). Then pull out the inner pot to drain. Dump the produce into a sink filled with cold water. Blanching will seal in the flavor and keep the color of the food.

If you freeze produce using a regular baggie, it will last a couple of months in your freezer. If you vacuum seal it, it can last up to 2 years! My vacuum sealer was less than $40 and has worked really well for me. The bags are inexpensive. Plus it is super satisfying to watch the air get sucked out! Watch my video below to see it in action.

Watch my new video for more information about ways to preserve food from your garden! I'd love it if you could give it a thumbs up too.

Do you can, dehydrate or freeze the food from your garden? What are your favorite ways to preserve food? I'd love to hear your ideas or tips in the comments below!

Supplies: *affiliate links*

Canning jars: Amazon Prices are high right now. Your best bet is local grocery stores, hardware stores, or feed stores.

Canning Lid & Jar Gripper: https://amzn.to/2ZC22yG

Water Bath Canner:https://amzn.to/3bqwNJW

Pressure Canner: https://amzn.to/3wSRWGo

Vacuum Sealer: https://amzn.to/3chmhoy

Vacuum Sealer Bags: https://amzn.to/3niLjdf

Dehydrator:https://amzn.to/3qHVZnZ

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Building A Backyard Gate

Stacy — Tue, 20 Jul 2021 22:06:19 +0000

I adore the arch covered with vines that leads you into our backyard. I don't love that while we sit on our lovely patio, that I see bikes, the garbage cans, and our vehicles parked. The neighbor's windows also look directly into our yard. Since this year's theme with all our outdoor projects has been "privacy", it seemed fitting to build a gate for the archway. Building a backyard gate is fairly easy!

This post is sponsored by HomeRight but all ideas and opinions are 100% my own. This post contains affiliate links.

Before Building a Backyard Gate:

I wanted this one to match the other two gates we have in the yard (The Secret Garden Gate and the Planter Box Gate) so I build the gate and then made it rounded at the top. I even have a little tip to make that process easier!

Building A Backyard Gate

I went ahead and built a basic frame for a gate. A rectangle out of 2x4s with a cross board from corner to corner for added support. The frame was shorter than what the finished gate would be. I bought enough pickets to cover both sides.

Once all the pickets were screwed onto the frame, I marked where the top of the arch needed to be and where the frame ended (see arrows on photos).

Using string, a tack, and a pencil, you can create an arch connecting those two marks. Play around with the placement of the string to see how how far down the string needs to be tacked in order to get the correct angle.

My tip to make things a bit easier is to nail on a board before you cut the first arch. This creates a pattern that you can use to trace on the other side of the gate to get a matching curve. *Make sure to flip it over to get a mirror image just in case your arch isn't perfect.

You can see how the frame doesn't go up to the top in order to allow the pickets to be cut into and arch.

Staining A Backyard Gate

Once the cuts were made, I sanded the gates so there weren't any rough spots or splinters. Then they were ready to stain!

I draped a plastic tarp over our fence to protect it and the grass from any overspray. Adding scrap pieces of wood under the gates help prop them up and makes it easier to spray the bottoms.

Using the Super Finish Max sprayer from HomeRight, I stained the gates. I will never again use a brush to stain large surfaces. I first stained our fence with the HomeRight sprayer YEARS ago, and I will never go back to staining large surfaces with a brush or roller. A sprayer is the only way to go. Seriously.

The Super Finish Max sprayer is available on Amazon.

I chose the same dark color I stained the sliding living wall earlier this year.

The crystal knob hardware is the same as the Secret Garden gate and I am in love with how it turned out!

Building a backyard gate

Here's a look from the other side...

The gate also means that now our yard is 100% fenced and gated in. Our dog, Kevin, can roam free. It also means that as long as we keep it closed (*cough* kids *cough*), stray dogs won't get in to bother our chickens and deer will stay out of the garden.

Building a backyard gate for the arch has been on our to-do list for years. It is one of those projects that as soon as it is done, you think "Why didn't we do this sooner?"

What is on your to-do list that you have been putting off?

Getting Your Patio Summer Ready!

Stacy — Tue, 01 Jun 2021 22:02:10 +0000

School is out and the temps have warmed up! We have been spending more and more time outside so I decided it was high time to clean up the patio and give it a refresh. Here are my tips on getting your patio summer ready.

This post is sponsored by HomeRight. All opinions and ideas are 100% my own.

Keep scrolling for a giveaway!

Getting Your Patio Summer Ready

If I were a really good blogger, I would have taken a before photo of the whole space. It was covered in pine needles, leaves, and other debris. There were no cushions on the furniture since they were stored away for the winter, and the flowerbeds needed a little weeding. But I was so excited to start working outside for the first time this year, that I jumped head first into this without a perfect before shot.

Sweep & Tidy

I weeded, emptied dead plants out of planters, and swept the patio pavers. Not very glamorous or exciting, but it did make a big difference right away. I also use a broom to sweep away and cobwebs on the windows. If you have moss or mildew growing, use a power washer or a hose attachment to wash the patio well.

Refresh Finishes

The sliding wall's stain has faded over the years and was looking a bit drab. I had grown tired of the green planters and wanted something with more contrast. If you have anything stained or painted, freshening them up gives your patio and instant facelift!

I started with the planters. I cleaned them really well since paint adheres better to a clean, dry surface. I placed a garbage sack over the juniper to protect it from the paint. Using my QuickFinish sprayer, I applied the new color of paint!

I think the blue will look better and show off the green of the foliage. The QuickFinish has such nice, even coverage and it goes on so FAST!

QuickFinish Sprayer available on Amazon (affiliate)

While the first planter was drying and I was waiting to be able to paint the second one, I used my Super FinishMax sprayer to stain the sliding wall feature. I had stuck cardboard pieces behind the slats to protect the fabric and taped up a tarp to protect the brick. After that, it was super fast and easy to spray on the new stain! I love projects that give me instant satisfaction!

Super FinishMax sprayer available on Amazon (affiliate)

While I had the sprayer full of stain, I went ahead and refreshed the cooler cover, the gates, and our front yard fence. I had everything stained in less than half and hour! I am continually impressed with this sprayer.

Decorate!

Plant some flowers, add your cushions on (complete with outdoor pillows) and you are ready to enjoy your patio!

I just need to grab a drink and a good book :)

The new stain and paint make the patio look like new!

Do you have a place in your yard that you love to spend time in? Or maybe a dreamy balcony?

GIVEAWAY!

HomeRight has generously offered to giveaway one QuickFinish sprayer so you can work on getting your patio summer ready too! Enter below using the Rafflecopter widget. If you have any issues with entering, please email me at notjustahousewife @ yahoo . com

You must be at least 18 years old to enter. You must be a resident of the USA to enter. The giveaway will go from June 1, 2021 to June 8, 2021. A winner will be chosen by random.org and will be notified by email. The winner will have 48 hours to respond before a new winner will be chosen. The shipping of the prize is the responsibility of the company, in this case, HomeRight.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Backyard Project Update!

Stacy — Thu, 13 May 2021 00:06:20 +0000

Part one of "Operation Privacy" has begun in the back of our property! The very back of yard has been an eyesore for the whole time we have lived here so not only will this project give us privacy, but will also make the space functional as a storage area. The most we have done up till now is spray for weeds, mow the weeds, and put up planter boxes to hide the weeds. So here is what we have done so far... our backyard project update!

Leveling

We had a friend of a friend come and level the back. It also helped get rid of the weeds!

Cleaning up!

We borrowed a log splitter from a good friend and went to town on all the tree limbs and such that have been collecting back there for years. It is so nice to have to giant pile of wood organized.

My son is convinced we now need a splitter for ourselves :)

This is about ⅓ of the wood we have!

Gravel & Trenches

We had two loads of gravel delivered. Most of it is raked out, but the other half won't get raked out until the other things are done.

We never added drip lines to the planter boxes for the raspberries so since we needed to add sprinklers back here for the landscaping, we went ahead and dug the lines for the boxes as well. And by we, I mean Shane ;)

Landscaping

We bought 8 of these weeping white spruce trees. They will be planted 9 feet behind the planter boxes (4 per side) to create a screen for privacy. The are about 4 feet wide and 20+ feet tall when full grown.

The Rest of the Plan...

So the full plan is to plant the trees far enough away from the raspberry planter boxes that even when they are full grown, we still have a clear path to walk along the planters and pick berries. We also will be storing the firewood back there. The composters will be on the opposite side as the firewood as well as our trailer. Every where will have gravel except right where the trees are.

Eventually, we will add a shed where the planter boxes end. There is enough room to have up to a 14x18 shed and still allow for the 8-10 foot clearance before the neighbors fence. The area in this part of our yard is 27 feet by 76 feet so there is a lot of room! I love that we have access to the road and can drive in this part of our yard.

We will be adding a temporary fence where the shed will go one day to keep the deer out. Eventually the shed will act as a fence and block and visitors. If you remember, last year was the first year we have ever had deer in our neighborhood. They munched on my garden and ate/killed my pear tree.

I am hoping to have most if not all of this project done this weekend. Fingers crossed!

What outdoor projects do you have on your list to do this year? Tell me in the comments below!

Growing and Storing Butternut Squash

Stacy — Tue, 10 Nov 2020 20:38:33 +0000

Butternut Squash is one of our family's favorite things we grow in the garden. While most of the time we just cook it and eat it with butter and a little bit of brown sugar, there are a lot of other yummy recipes that we use it for too. It is easy to grow and will produce enough to last you through the winter and spring. In fact, if you store it properly, butternut squash can last 6+ months on your shelves! I'm going to share my tips on growing and storing butternut squash!

Growing And Storing Butternut Squash

Growing Butternut Squash

Butternut squash is a winter squash. It is the last thing we harvest from the garden. If we don't get a hard frost early in the year, I don't pick them until around November. Unlike summer squashes that you want to pick while the skin is soft, butternut squash skin will need to harden before picking. They go from light green to a beautiful tan.

They love full sun and rich soil. They, like pumpkins, will vine and need more space to grow than some other vegetables, but they produce well. I average between 15-20 per plant (sometimes more). Last year I got 49 from 2 plants and this year I got 36 squashes. If you have limited space in your garden, you could always grow these on a trellis to save space.

I like to create hills, or mounds of soils, to plants the seeds in as this is suppose to help keep them warm. I plant them as soon as all danger of frost is gone. They do not like the cold when they are first starting out. If you have poor soils, you will want to add compost around the plants. They are big eaters!

When it is time to harvest, make sure to cut a least a 2" stem. If the stem breaks off, that is okay, those will just be the first one you will need to eat as they tend to not last as long.

Storing Butternut Squash

- Wash them well! Get all the dirt off so they are squeaky clean and have less risk of rot.

- Place them in the sun so they can harden and cure. I usually place them on a clean tarp on my driveway on sunny, warm days. If outside is not an option due to weather, a sunny counter by a window can work too. The harder the skin, the better. I try to get at least a week of curing in before storing them.

- Store them in a dry, cool place. For me, that is my basement storage room. I store them on wire shelves with all my canned goods. I really would like to build a wood rack with drawers one day though! I try not to stack them but if I have a lot, sometimes I have to double up.

- Check on them periodically. If one starts to get dark spots I eat that one right away. If one starts to get soft spots, I cut the soft parts off and feed to the the bunnies and chickens. That rarely happens though. Most of the time they do just fine and look like we just picked them! I have noticed that if kept longer than 5-6 months they are still edible, but they must lose their sugar content because they are no longer sweet. We actually kept one for a year once just to test things out. It looked just fine, was nice and firm, but had no flavor.

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Preparing Your Yard For Fall {Mini Makeover!}

Stacy — Tue, 20 Oct 2020 16:34:26 +0000

Say what you will about 2020, but I think a lot of good has come from this unusual year. I personally have loved the extra time with family and a chance to slow down a bit. More, now than ever, our family has spent huge amounts of time outside in our backyard. Staycation has new meaning :) Earlier this year I added new landscaping around the garage area and a DIY concrete fountain. The bark I added made it so I didn't have to weed once! It gave me more time to chill on the patio. I partnered with Home Depot and Vigoro again to share tips that will help you in preparing your yard for Fall!

Preparing Your Yard For Fall

Add Fall Plants For More Color

Fall is known for its showy colors and I wanted to add even more to the flowerbeds. Coleus is one of my favorite "go-to" Fall plants. It comes in so many colors and varieties. I loved the bright red and the variegated version. I thought they paired well with the existing Vigoro plants from this spring.

I got these Vigoro plants at Home Depot using their curbside pick up.

I added some white pumpkins that we grew in our garden this year. They go well with the white pot in the fountain.

Tidy Things Up

The vine growing on the garage and around the window was hanging down in front of the shutters and window, so I needed to tie them back a bit. I'm a huge believer in having twine and twist ties in your gardening stash. Vigoro has both and they come in so handy!

They look tidier! I also cleared out all the pine needles from the flowerbed that blew down in recent windstorms and trimmed back the daisy flowers since they were done blooming.

Our trees just started to turn yellow and drop leaves. Eventually this vine will turn red. The added colors plus the lower temps make this the perfect time to be outside! Fall is perfect patio weather, and the side of our garage is the view from ours. It is the perfect oasis!

Early morning and the "golden hour" in the evening are my favorite times to be in the backyard. Do you have a favorite spot to spend some much needed time in the sunshine?

Fertilize Your Lawn

Remember this spring when we ripped out an unused concrete pad and planted grass? It is doing really well as you can see. Fall is the perfect time to add fertilizer your lawn so it looks its best come spring. It is an easy job and will have a huge impact on the look of your yard.

If you need me, I'll be on my newly decorated patio looking out at the great view.

Why You Need A Battery Inverter While Camping

Stacy — Thu, 23 Jul 2020 07:28:36 +0000

Growing up when we went camping we always roughed it. We always stayed in a tent, we never stayed at an actual campground, we packed in everything we needed including water, and packed everything back out. To me, that is "real" camping. As an adult, I admit I enjoy a few conveniences like staying at a campground with toilets and water spigots. Regardless of how you camp, I have come to the decision that everyone needs a battery inverter while camping.

This post is sponsored by Ryobi Outdoor but all opinions and ideas are 100% my own :)

Why You Need A Battery Inverter While Camping

We camp every year. Mostly it is just up the canyon that is near us but we also love to explore other places like McCall, Idaho, Yellowstone, Bear Lake, and the Redwoods.

For years we just laid a blanket under our sleeping bag. But I'm getting older and even in a nice bed I "feel it" in the morning, so a few years ago we got this air mattress. Normally we had to blow it up using the van as power and then drag it to the tent. Then when we wanted to deflate it, we had to drag it back to the van. Such a pain! And it would get all dirty in the process. Especially since most of the spots we go, the parking is far from the tent site. Now we can do it right in our tent!

We go camping to unplug and take a break from the stresses of the world, however it is nice to have a phone. We really only use it as a camera but when hiking it is nice to have maps as well.

When I was a about 12 I started going camping with uncles and cousins. They had been doing a Fathers and Sons camp out and I thought it was only fair to have a Fathers and Daughters camp out too. One year they brought a big, heavy generator and we had an outdoor movie. I thought it was the coolest thing ever to be in the mountains, surrounded by trees, and watching a movie.

I recently bought a new projector so we tested it out on our last camp out :)

This 300-Watt inverter has one USB-A outlet, one USB-C outlet and one 120-Volt wall outlet. It also has an LED light and acts as a flashlight. It works with Ryobi's 40 volt batteries and is available at Home Depot.

This inverter is going to get some good use in our backyard as well. Since our yard is very deep, we have to use two of our very long extension cords and borrow one from the neighbor and we still can't quite get all the way back. This solves that problem! We also don't have any outlets one the outside of our house since our home was built in the 1930s.

We have talked about adding string lights to another place in our yard but it is too far from the house and we don't have a way to power it...until now! Since string lights are not used every day, we can just plug them into the inverter when we need to use them!

Giveaway

Ryobi has offered to give away one 300-Watt Battery Inverter :) Enter below using the Rafflecopter Widget. Email me if you run into any issues.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

You must be at least 18 years old to enter. You must be a resident of the USA to enter. The giveaway will go from July 23, 2020 until July 30, 2020. The winner will be chosen by random.org and will be notified by email. The winner will have 48 hours to respond before a new winner will be chosen. The shipping of the prize is the responsibility of the company, in this case Ryobi.

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How to Keep Pea Gravel Clean & Tidy

Stacy — Mon, 06 Jul 2020 09:00:01 +0000

This spring I was cleaning up my secret garden with the new raised beds. It was my first spring after installing the raised beds with pea gravel and I had never had to "clean up" pea gravel before. The kids and I did a combo of raking and picking things up by hand. It was a nightmare! Plus I have a birch tree in there and they are messy trees. They drop little seed things all spring. Even after a couple of days of spring cleaning, it still looked gross. In my frustration, I turned to you guys for help on my Instagram stories. Most of you recommended something that I never would have thought of on my own! So for those of you in my same situation, here is how you keep pea gravel clean & tidy!

This post is sponsored by Ryobi Outdoor but all ideas and opinions are 100% mine.

How to Keep Pea Gravel Clean & Tidy

Before adding pea gravel to my landscaping, I didn't even think about the fact that I would have to keep it clean. I didn't think about the pine needles, leaves, and seed pods that would fall and make a mess. So I was grateful that the solution was so simple! A leaf blower! I reached out to Ryobi because I knew they had a powerful, yet quiet blower that would do the job easily without cords to deal with.

You GUYS!!! It took mere MINUTES to clean up the whole space.

Check out my Instagram feed and my stories under "Yard" for a video of the fast process!

I have been considering adding another landscaping project that uses pea gravel but this spring when I saw it all messy, I was having second thoughts. Now I am excited to move forward next year with another pea gravel project because I know how to keep the pea gravel clean!

It is surprisingly light weight and runs on the same batteries as all my other outdoor tools like the mower, trimmer, edger, and cultivator. You can find the blowers as well as the other tool at The Home Depot.

The Brushless Jet Fan Blower is partof Ryobi's Whisper series. I cleaned up the secret garden at 7 am while my kiddos slept in the room next to it and they never heard it at all.

GIVEAWAY!

Ryobi has offered to give away one Brushless Jet Fan Blower! Enter below using the Rafflecopter widget. Email me if you have any issues and I'll be happy to help :)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

You must be at least 18 years old to enter. You must be a resident of the USA to enter. The giveaway will go from July 6, 2020 until July 13, 2020. The winner will be chosen by random.org and will be notified by email. The winner will have 48 hours to respond before a new winner will be chosen. The shipping of the prize is the responsibility of the company, in this case Ryobi.

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DIY Outdoor Planters

Stacy — Thu, 02 Jul 2020 17:49:57 +0000

The warmer weather has me wanting to work on all sorts of outdoor projects lately. I've been sprucing up the outside of the house and decided I needed new planters for in front of the garage. The other planters were small and light weight and every time we had wind, they would blow over. After two years of sweeping up dirt and re-potting the poor bushes several times a month, it was time for planters that were more substantial. These DIY outdoor planters were easy to make and look great!

This post is sponsored by HomeRight but all ideas and opinions are 100% my own. Some links within this post are affiliate.

I have an embarrassingly large amount of scrap wood in my garage. It takes up more room than I'd like to admit. So for this project, I decoded to use as much of it as I could.

I used up some of my plywood scraps for the center of each panel, 1x4s for the frames, 2x4s for the bottom, and 2x2s for the feet.

The 1x4s I had on hand were the furring strips and not the nice kiln dried sanded ones. I made it work by filling knot holes and sanding but if you are buying supplies you may want to buy the nicer boards. Cedar would be a good choice too.

For being made of scrap wood, I think they look pretty good!

DIY Outdoor Planters

Start out by cutting your 1x4 boards with 45 degree cuts on the ends. I wanted my panels for each side to be 15" x 20".

I drilled pocket holes using my Kreg jig and screwed them all together. Make sure to drill the pocket holes on the least pretty side so the nicest side will be the front.

Once the frames were all made and sanded well, I nailed the pieces of plywood onto the back side of each frame to create the panels.

Since brad nails don't hold up well over time on outdoor projects alone, I caulked around each panel (front and back) with paintable caulk. The clear paintable caulk is easier to work with in my opinion. It goes on smoother and shrinks a little so when it dries it hardly looks like there is any caulk there at all.

Once all the panels are made, I nailed them together to form a box. I decided for this project that I would just butt them up against each other since it didn't matter if it was 100% square. But in the past, I have also used the table saw to cut each side at a 45 degree angle. You can see an example of that with my X planter box in my book.

Just like with the panels, I used caulk to "glue" and seal the panels in addition to the nails.

Since the plants will just be set inside these planters and not directly planted in them, I made the bottom have large slats so water can easily drain and not collect in the bottom.

I screwed these into place and puttied over the screw holes. I inset them a bit so the feet could be braced in the corner a bit.

After all that work, it was time to PAINT! I used the HomeRight turn table for this project.

Because I did this in on the grass, I put a scrap board under it and because the planter was bigger than the turn table, I added another one to the top. It made it so easy to paint! You can see how fast and easy it was in a video on my DIY instagram stories.

I chose the same navy color as my window boxes and front porch planters. It always startles me when it goes on bare wood because it seems so bright. I chant in my head "It darkens as it dries" so I don't second guess my paint color.

After spraying on the first coat with my Finish Max Super, I lightly sanded it again. The paint raises the grain and makes it feel rough. Doing a quick sand will make it super smooth and allow the second coat to go on perfectly.

I added a couple of leftover pavers in the bottom the help raise up the pots the bushes are in and to give it even more weight. Hopefully these planters don't blow over!

Have you ever made planters? What kind of outdoor projects do you have planned this year? Let me know in the comments!

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DIY Concrete Fountain

Stacy — Wed, 24 Jun 2020 23:06:35 +0000

I revealed the backyard landscaping project last week and you were all so kind! I am excited to be sharing the tutorial for the DIY concrete fountain. It was one of those projects where it could have been an epic fail. I had never done a large scale concrete project before. I think Shane and I were both pleasantly surprised when it came out just like I had planned.

Supplies:

Melamine Boards

Screws

Caulk (*optional)

Concrete Mix

90 Degree Metal Conduit Tube

Shower Flange

Spray Paint

Fountain Pump

River Rocks

PVC Pipe

Rubber Mallet

Drill

L Brackets

Video & Photo Tutorial

When Shane and I were making the fountain, because we used quick set concrete, we had to work fast. We set up my phone on the tripod to film but didn't have time to stop and also take photos. So all of the photos of the concrete process are all screen grabs from the video. It really is easier to understand the process by watching the video, but I also know that some people prefer not to watch videos so I added the photos as well.

DIY Concrete Fountain

I watched a lot of videos and read a lot of articles and decided that the best material to use for the forms was melamine. It is relatively cheap and the concrete won't stick to the slick surface. I built the form for the fountain back and two boxes for the trough base out of this material. I ordered it online from Home Depot and had it shipped to my home. You could also get it by curbside pick up. I order a combination of 4x8 sheets and smaller pieces meant for shelving.

The DIY Concrete Fountain Back

I built it to be 2 feet wide by 4 feet tall. I wanted a border so I added a melamine board in the center. I wanted everything to be smooth so the rough, unfinished edges of the center melamine board got a layer of caulk. I also puttied where the screws were so you wouldn't see an impression of a screw head in the finished fountain.

I wanted the corners to be rounded so I added caulk around the whole thing and added extra to the corners.

I measured and marked where the holes needed to be for the pump tubing. I cut small pieces of PVC pipe that I knew would be large enough for the electrical plug and tubing to fit through. When Shane started adding cement mix to the form, I held them in place until the concrete was smoothed and held it on its own.

As we were adding the cement mix, I spread it evenly and hit the sides of the form with a rubber mallet to ensure that there weren't any bubbles.

Once it was all filled and was 4-5" thick, I pressed a PVC pipe into the back in between the two pipes. Then I removed the long pipe. This created a channel on the back for the pump tubing to press into. Since the fountain was going to be pressed up against the garage wall, I didn't want to risk the tubing getting squished.

Once it had dried overnight, I unscrewed the form and tapped the form off of the cement.

Getting the center board off required a crowbar and some tugging.

I used a saw to cut the excess pipe off the fountain back so they were flush with the concrete.

You can see how the caulk made the edges softer and rounded. The kids helped me pick it off. Any residue got sanded off with a 220 grit sandpaper.

The DIY Concrete Fountain Trough

I wanted my fountain to be roughly the same width as the window so it ended up being 4 feet long and 2 feet wide. I built the outside box to those measurements and then since I wanted the sides and bottom to be 4" thick, I built the inside box accordingly (40x16). I screwed the large box together really well since it would have a lot of concrete poured in it and I wanted it to hold up to the weight.

I did the same caulk trick to ensure the edges and corners were rounded.

The inside box didn't need to be as structurally sound. I also needed to attach it from the inside so I could disassemble it when the concrete dried. I used L brackets.

Once we had about 4" of cement mix in the largest form and I had hit the side to level it well, we put the smaller form inside and began adding more cement mix in to form the sides. I constantly hit the sides with the mallet to release the air bubbles and help level the cement.

When the cement was dry, I unscrewed the forms and tapped the pieces off. The bottom piece of the smaller (box) form had to be chipped out. It did not come out easily! If you have any ideas on how to get that piece out more easily, I'd love to know! Tell me in the comments :)

The DIY Concrete Fountain Spout

I started looking around for a fountain spout and all of them were well over $100. Of course my DIY brain kicked in and decided to try and figure out a way to just make one. I ended up using 90 degree angled conduit with a shower flange. A little spray paint and there you have it! I used Liquid Nails Fuse It since it was recommended for metal and concrete.

Moving The Concrete Fountain

The back used five 50 pound bags of concrete mix and the trough used sixteen bags. This fountain is HEAVY!

If it was good enough for the pyramids, it is good enough for my garden fountain. We did the 'ole rolling it into place trick using PVC pipes. It actually went really fast! And by "we", in this case I mean my handsome hubby and sons. By this point I had sprained my ankle and wasn't much help other than filming.

I love the look of the fountain and I like hearing it as I relax on the patio or as I'm weeding the garden. The kids are trying to convince me to take out the pot and add some small fish. We'll see.... I do think it might be fun to add a few small water plants. But then again, I am always in the mood to add more plants!

If you missed the whole reveal, make sure to check that post out!

What outdoor project are you hoping to tackle this summer?

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Backyard Landscaping Project REVEAL!

Stacy — Mon, 15 Jun 2020 08:30:46 +0000

Over the last 13 years we have slowly transformed our backyard from a weed filled gravel pit into a yard the whole family can enjoy. We are almost done with the backyard landscaping but have a couple spots that still needed our attention. I tackled the garage & coop area first because it is so close to the patio and has been a bit of an eye sore. I teamed up with Vigoro to share how I made over this space!

This post is sponsored by The Home Depot & Vigoro but all ideas and opinions are 100% my own.

BEFORE:

This cement pad was poured by the previous owner and we have been baffled as to what to do with it. I don't want a shed that small or that close to the house. Up until now, it has only served as a place to put the picnic table while we mow.

Backyard Landscaping Process

We decided to just get rid of it. Shane rented a jackhammer from Home Depot back in early March and within an hour he had the whole thing broken up!

Even though it was still a bit chilly, they boys had fun clearing away the chunks. I found a recycling center that takes concrete so it isn't going to waste.

We filled the hole with Vigoro soil. My favorite trick when filling a large area is to lay out all the bags and then slit them open. All you have to do it flip the bag over! It goes really fast! We figured this out when doing our paver patio a couple of years ago.

Once it was raked smooth and stomped down, I added Vigoro grass seed. It ended up getting snowed on several times (Utah weather is crazy!) but still came in nice and thick. My youngest loved checking it every day and reporting back to me how much in had grown in a day.

I had cleared out the area a little bit by the garage earlier in the year but still needed to get a nice clean edge. I used string to create a line and dug along it to ensure it was straight.

One of my new favorite things is this no dig edging! I have three type of edging already in my yard, and so I have experienced how long it takes to dig and then make sure as the edging is going in that it doesn't go all bendy and wonky. It is a pain! This was edging from Vigoro a breeze to install. And it is super sturdy.

Vigoro has a huge selection of plants at Home Depot. I picked out some not only for this area by the garage, but also for around the chicken pen.

You can order online and have any of these Vigoro items shipped to your house, or you can buy online and pick it up curbside. I have done both! One of the other things I had delivered, was mulch.

Ever since I put black mulch in my front yard last year I'm obsessed. I weeded ONCE last year and it was only a few dumb morning glory weeds. I didn't even put landscape cloth down or anything. Plus the dark color makes such a stunning contrast against the plants. It comes in other pretty colors, I'm just partial to the black.

The edging will help keep the mulch in the flower bed.

The Reveal!

We started this process in early March. Weather, Covid-19, and a sprained ankle drew out the process a little longer than I would have liked, but the end result was totally worth the wait!

One of my favorite parts of this project though is the fountain!

Shane thought I was crazy at first that I wanted to MAKE the fountain. But I had a vision. I knew from watching videos online that it was best to use melamine boards. The concrete doesn't stick to them and it creates a smooth surface. So I ordered some from Home Depot after drawing up my plans. Check out this post to see how I made it!. For now, let's just admire how good it looks surrounded by the new plants and mulch!

The planter and the stones were also delivered by Home Depot. I like that the planter ties in the white window. White and greenery always looks good together! And the large, round gray stones are PERFECT in the bottom of the fountain!

I'm a sucker for rows of anything. I love looking at my vegetable garden because of that. So I'm kind of digging the single row of salvia plants from Vigoro with their purple blooms. They are pet friendly too so if my chickens, ducks, or bunnies get out, it won't hurt them if they nibble on them. But fingers crossed that they won't!

We covered the PVP pipe spigot with some cedar and stained it to match the shutters on the garage. I think it looks so much better!

You can kind of see where the concrete pad was (in person) because the new grass is still a little brighter than the rest of the lawn, but in the evening when the sun is going down it blends in nicely! It will continue to darken as the summer goes on. It is so soft!

I'm so happy with how the backyard landscaping turned out. It took a long time due to crazy Utah weather and then my sprained ankle, but thankfully I have very helpful boys who will do just about anything for a snow cone.... even in chilly April!

Vigoro products are exclusively sold at Home Depot. They have everything you need for transforming your yard. Gravel, rocks, mulch, plants, grass seed, fertilizer, soil, landscape cloth, weed killer, edging, trellises, plant hooks, garden twine, and more!

What type of outdoor projects do you have this year? Tell me about you plans and ideas in the comments below :)

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Garden Augers - FAST, Easy Planting!

Stacy — Mon, 01 Jun 2020 09:13:34 +0000

The first time I used a garden auger was in the Fall. Because I had re-landscaped our front yard, I had to relocate all of our tulip bulbs. I was not looking forward to digging that many 6 inch deep holes, especially in the cold Autumn temperatures. I tried garden augers out and it changed my gardening life! It was so fast, fun, and easy! Plus I got to use a power tool, so it was a win-win.

This post is sponsored by Power Planter but all opinions are 100% my own.

Garden Augers

Fast forward to this spring, and it was vegetable garden time. I knew I was going to utilize a garden auger for this as well. My 20 foot rows of peppers, tomatoes, onions, and other veggies were all done quickly thanks to the Power Planter augers!

Power Planter augers are proudly hand-welded in the USA and are guaranteed to last. They are perfect for all gardeners. They would make a great gift too!

They have many other sizes as well. You can check them out on their website :)

I used the larger one for things like tomatoes and the smaller one for onion sets and other bulbs. It only took a couple of minutes to dig the whole row!

Giveaway!

Power Planter is offering to giveaway THREE starter sets which include the two sizes that I have (2" x 7" and 3" x 7").

Simply comment below and tell me your favorite thing to grow!

You must be at least 18 years old to enter. You must be a resident of the USA to enter. The giveaway will go from June 1, 2020 until June 7, 2020. THREE winners will be chosen by random.org and will be notified by email. The winner will have 48 hours to respond before a new winner will be chosen. The shipping of the prize is the responsibility of the company, in this case Power Planter.

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Easy To Grow Berries

Stacy — Sat, 23 May 2020 03:50:37 +0000

Berries are my FAVORITE fruit. I could eat them all day every day. And there's nothing better than eating one freshly picked that is warm from the sun. Even if you don't have a large yard or garden, or even a yard at all, you can grow them thanks to Bushel and Berry®! These easy to grow berries are perfect for a patio or porch. I received a blackberry, raspberry, and two different varieties of blueberries. They are blooming right now and I can't wait for later this summer when I can pick some berries :)

This post is sponsored by Bushel and Berry®. All ideas and opinions are 100% mine :)

Perfect For the Patio!

Instead of the patio, I put my plants in with my raised bed herb garden. I nestled them by the bench since the crate of mint seemed lonely.

Easy To Grow Berries!

I decided to put my Bushel and Berry® plants in some cement planters I had on hand and a crate to match the one that the mint is growing in. Make sure your berry plants have good drainage and plenty of sun.

They are the perfect addition to my secret herb garden!

Thornless and Self-pollinating!

Not only are all 9 varieties thornless (making it easy for kids to grow and help), but they are also self pollinating. They are compact plants that don't get as large as other varieties making them perfect for containers. It's never been easier to grow your own berries!

They are available to buy in lots of nurseries in the US and Canada. Even my cute local nursery in my tiny town carries them. But they go fast! You can check their website and see all the places that carry them in your area.

Giveaway!

It's about to be someone's lucky day though because Bushel and Berry® Is giving away 3 of their easy to grow berries! Enter below using the Rafflecopter widget.

You must be at least 18 years old to enter. You must be a resident of the USA to enter. The giveaway will go from May 22, 2020 until May 29th, 2020. A winner will be chosen by random.org and will be notified by email. The winner will have 48 hours to respond before a new winner will be chosen. The shipping of the prize is the responsibility of the company, in this case, Bushel and Berry.

a Rafflecopter giveaway