Why I grow veggies in the front yard

This fall I planted a six-pack of 'Red Rocket' mustard greens in the bed along the street. I needed something cold-tolerant to provide some color and interest through the winter, and these had the added bonus of being edible.




I watered and fertilized them a few times, but otherwise hardly touched them. Despite my lack of care, they grew waist high.

Tonight my hubby and I picked our second bunch and I cooked them up for dinner along with some pork chops and baked potatoes. They were quite peppery and oh-so delicious, balancing perfectly with the creaminess of the white wine and butter sauce I made.





Growing vegetables in the front yard is so satisfying!

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Green project

So this month's project has a green theme -- not only is it green because it promotes recycling, it's a great project for those of you who have green thumbs! The basic idea is to turn old mini-blinds into fashionable tags for your plants.

Start with an old set of mini-blinds, wiping them down if they're dusty or dirty.

Next, lay out a few slats and paint them. I used three different colors: light green, dark green, and gold, in that order. I chose to paint the layers wet on wet, to allow the tones to blend together and give a natural look. I was hoping the final tags would look like aged copper (they didn't exactly, but they still looked cool).

When the paint is dry, flip the slats over and paint the reverse sides.

Once the second side dries, cut the slats into 6-inch lengths (you don't have to be exact). Round the top corners and trim the bottom into a point so that the final product looks like a plant tag. Then use a permanent marker to write the names of the plants on the tags. You're done!

Of course, you can always skip the painting step and just use the mini-blinds in their natural state. I just prefer the artsy, embellished look to the blank white plastic.