Off The Grid Blogs

Summer is zooming past and it has been an interesting one.  The weather First of all, all winter long I predicted that we would have a drought-like summer. That couldn’t be farther from the truth.  It seems like we rarely go three days without rain

“Who will win this battle?  So far: nature 3; me 0” I think I’ve had two strawberries off of my strawberry plants in the GreenStalk planter this year, even though there have been an abundance of berries. (On a side note: the plants I put in my ho

When my strawberries first started to turn red, fruit flies were devouring them. My solution was to buy some mesh bags and tuck the fruit into the bag, close up the bags, and wait for MY harvest. I thought I had won. Well, this morning, as I wen

Remember the cucumber seedlings that I planted out this past week?  Well, it has turned into an experiment. After I lost cucumber babies to some hungry nibblers, I tried two different strategies to protect my next seedlings.  1. Two plants were put

“I have always grown carrots in my garden. ” I have always had a carrot harvest. And then ..  I started watching videos telling me what I should and shouldn’t do in order to have a good crop of carrots. And then … No carrots. Nada. Nothin

“This past winter was a really mild one for us - and, I think, for the insects!” It’s just my guess, but I think a lot of insects were able to overwinter this year and the outcome of that is not a pretty one for my garden.  Strawberries I noticed t

The Before …  At the first of this month, I set up three GreenStalk vertical gardens after struggling with the decision of where they would live. I had decided on the little pathway behind my pond and I was very happy with them. [IMG_2537.jpeg] B

“Last year, the potatoes were a failure ” The potatoes, last year, were such a failure that I almost didn’t plant another in-ground garden this year. Almost. But plant, I did. In the one garden bed, I planted some onions and, I guess they are do

“I thought I had an “ah-ha” moment but then things changed …” The beginning March 20: I planted some seeds indoors in my Lee Valley self-watering trays. They started sprouting a week later and then flourished. April 7: I transplanted them into th

[IMG_2395.png] I do the best I can, given:  • The knowledge I have  • The experience I have  • The energy I have  • The personality I have  • The strength I have  • The goals I have  • The priorities that I have and  • The mood that I’m in  “Just d

“Mosquitoes, around here, are as bad as bindweed! ” [IMG_2307.png] ‘‘Tis the season .. for itching and scratching and swishing and smacking - contending with the attack of the mosquitoes We have been lucky in recent years and the mosquitoes haven’t

I was asked what I like about GreenStalks …  A GreenStalk is container gardening, with a unique watering system for each layer in the tower. [IMG_7078.jpeg] What I love about this system  1. No bending over … the tower makes everything much more ac