Thy Garden Groweth Over: Bringing an Overgrown Vegetable Garden Back to Life

Keeping Weeds Under Control

Every gardener knows that weeds seem to grow twice as fast as vegetables—especially after a good rain or time away from home. While weeding may not be the most enjoyable garden chore, removing weeds helps reduce competition for sunlight, water, and nutrients, allowing vegetables to thrive.

One thing I've learned over the years is that an overgrown garden often looks much worse than it really is. Once I finally rolled up my sleeves and got started, what I thought would take two full days only required a couple of hours. Sometimes the hardest part is simply getting started.

Why I Plant Marigolds

Marigolds are one of my favorite companion flowers in the vegetable garden. Besides adding bright color throughout the summer, they attract pollinators and beneficial insects that help create a healthy garden environment. They're also easy to grow, and by saving the seeds each fall, I can enjoy beautiful blooms year after year without buying new plants.

Now that my vacation is over, it is time to focus on my home. My garden needed desperate weeding! With caution, I pulled, and pulled, and pulled. I half expected to grab the tail of a snake.

Many of my melons and cantaloupes were buried under grass.

Does this look like work, or what?

This past week, I added more veggies to pots. I planted several varieties of beans, corn, squash, and more okra.

I figured it would take 2 days to weed my garden. I filled basket, after basket, after basket with weeds and grass...

Surprisingly, it only took 2 hours!

Look how nice it looks, and no snakes!

My Mediterranean melons are thriving!

Some of my bounty...

My beautiful French Brocade Marigold's.

Would you like some Marigold seeds? These are certified Organic. Grow your flowers and save your seeds forever. From my garden to yours. Send me an email and I'll mail them to you for free, or if you live in the area, swing on by!

Turning your Oranges into Lemons: Freeze Sour Oranges for Refreshing Drinks

There is nothing more refreshing than a sweet cold orange on a hot summer day. But what does one do when that bag of oranges turns out to be too sour? Turn them into lemons!

A Simple Way to Reduce Food Waste

We've all brought home a bag of oranges only to discover they're much more tart than expected. Instead of letting them go to waste, I like to slice them and freeze them for later use.

Frozen orange slices make colorful additions to ice water, iced tea, fruit punch, and summer drinks. As they slowly thaw, they add a light citrus flavor while keeping your drink cold without watering it down like ice cubes.

More Ways to Use Extra Oranges

If you find yourself with an abundance of oranges, there are plenty of ways to use them:

• Add slices to pitchers of water or sun tea.
• Blend them into smoothies.
• Juice them for homemade marinades or salad dressings.
• Freeze the juice in ice cube trays for future recipes.
• Grate and freeze the zest for baking and cooking.

One of the simplest principles of homesteading is making the most of what we already have. Sometimes a bag of sour oranges just needs a little creativity instead of a trip to the trash can.

The next time your bag is sour, slice and freeze for that cool glass of water, or serve with sun tea!

Garden Progress: A Texas Vegetable Garden Before Vacation

I'm currently on a roadtrip and finally getting around to uploading my photo's from a hotel room. I wanted to do a quick update on my garden to show its progress and really hoping it's in good shape when I return within a week. The day before we left, I did some moderate weeding, staked my tomatoes, and inspected my squash, melon's, peppers, cucumbers, and greenbeans. Okra seems to be reviving, tomatoes are blooming, and my Zucchini seems to be taking a turn for the worse. I win some and lose some.

Hoping for more rain while I'm gone.

Preparing the Garden Before Traveling

Leaving a garden for several days can be a little nerve-racking, especially during a Texas summer. Before heading out on our road trip, I made sure to pull as many weeds as possible, stake the tomatoes, check each vegetable for insects or disease, and give everything a thorough watering.

Even with good preparation, gardening always involves a little faith. Some plants thrive while you're away, while others struggle with heat, weeds, or hungry insects. Every growing season is a learning experience, and I've found that it's best to celebrate the successes while learning from the disappointments.

Every Garden Is Different

One of the reasons I enjoy keeping a garden journal is that no two years are ever exactly alike. Weather patterns, rainfall, temperatures, and pests change from season to season. Looking back at photos like these helps me remember what grew well, what struggled, and what I'd like to plant again next year.

That's one of the greatest rewards of gardening—there is always something new to learn, and every season offers another opportunity to improve.

This week I also planted Granny's Mixed Zinnias, Black-eyed Susans, and a young fig tree. I always enjoy mixing flowers with vegetables because they add color to the garden and attract pollinators throughout the growing season.

Serious weeding needed in the melon patch, but I ran out of time.