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Impactful Earth Day Tips to Benefit Our World

April 11, 2019 by Michelle Leave a Comment

Earth Day is on April 22! To gear up for it, I’m sharing impactful earth day tips that will benefit our world.

Impactful Earth Day Tips to Benefit Our World

From the cleaners we use, to the coral safe sunscreen we wear, to the food we eat, to the clothes we wear (organic cotton t shirts anyone?!), small choices can really add up. What can you do to make a difference this year? If you’re wondering what to do in honor of Earth Day, here are five healthy choices you can easily make this spring! Think of what am impact we could have if everyone made even just one of these changes!

1. Ditch the plastic shopping bags, once and for all!

If you’re anything like me, you’ve said over and over that you will ditch the plastic shopping bags and use reusable bags instead. But then reality hits and you’re at the store with NO bags. This has been my life for too many years. But not any more. Now, I just keep reusable bags everywhere. They’re in my car. In my purse. In my locker next to my coat. AND, it helps that I prefer to shop at stores that don’t provide bags too, like ALDI and Costco.

However, do know that not all reusable bags are created equally. A recent Danish study found that plastic bags are less taxing to produce than cotton bags. A recent article in Quartz called Your cotton tote is pretty much the worst replacement for a plastic bag claims the best reusable bag might not be what you think. According to author Zoe Schlanger, “If you had to choose just one, and had nothing at the moment, maybe a really durable plastic bag that you can use for a very long time and not throw out.”

2. Switch to a Coral Safe Sunscreen

Coral reefs are disappearing twice as fast as rain forests. Did you know that? A big reason for the kill-off is chemicals in sunscreen. It’s easy to switch to a coral safe sunscreen even if you aren’t going anywhere near a coral reef. You still want a sunscreen without oxybenzone like this Stream 2 Sea or this Alba Spray for Kids. Eco-friendly mineral sunscreens are also better for you as well, so find a coral safe sunscreen this year and say no to the harmful chemicals.

3. Switch out one Chemical Cleaner for Something Homemade

Household cleaners contain all kinds of unsafe ingredients that leach into the ground and our ground water. It’s really easy to make your won cleaners with only a few ingredients like vinegar and baking soda. Think of the impact we could have if every person made even JUST ONE homemade cleaner in 2018. Here are recipes for five safe and effective cleaners to make quickly at home!

4. Grow even just ONE tomato plant in a container!

It’s really easy to grow your own food, and you don’t even need a huge garden to do it! This spring, make a commitment to grow something you can eat! Maybe you like fresh herbs, or lettuce. Or maybe a patio tomato container might be for you. Whatever you decide, grow a vegetable that you like this year and then eat it. 🙂 If you’d like to start a garden this year, check out these tips for gardening for beginners (or anyone who would like to make gardening easier and more productive.

5. Buy Even ONE Organic Article of Clothing – soft organic cotton t shirts!

By choosing even one organic clothing article (even Organic Cotton t shirts!!) over a non organic counterpart, you can help prevent soil acidification and regenerate life and biodiversity in the soil; help protect farmers and their families from chemical exposure; and save hundreds of gallons of water. Learn more about the impact of organic cotton here – BUT all it takes to have a meaningful impact is to switch out ONE conventional cotton t-shirt for an organic cotton t-shirt.

If you liked this post on Earth Day Tips, you might like these posts too

5 Easy ways you can help save the bees

12 Green Gift Ideas for Eco-Friendly Mamas

How to Eat Organic on a Budget

Must Know Tips Save Money on Organic Meat

What’s in Your Cleaners?

How to Save the Bees – 5 Easy Ways YOU Can help

April 10, 2019 by Michelle 7 Comments

I’m sure you’ve heard that bees (and other pollinators) are on the decline. If you’re wondering how to save the bees, here are five easy things you can do right now to make a difference! We need bees – see how easy it is to make a difference.

According to a White House fact sheet, “The number of managed honey bee colonies in the United States has declined steadily over the past 60 years, from 6 million colonies (beehives) in 1947 to 4 million in 1970, 3 million in 1990, and just 2.5 million today.” This is a very alarming trend because we need pollinators to grow most of our fruits, nuts, and vegetables! Without the bees to pollinate our crops, we don’t get crops, folks. I’ve read various reasons for the decline in pollinators, but most often pesticides, specifically neonicotinoids, are blamed. If you’d like to help the bees in your area, here are 5 easy things you can do, right in your own backyard.

How to Save the Bees – 5 Easy Ways YOU Can help

1. Don’t use pesticides on your yard.

Pesticides are not discriminatory and kill most bugs, including beneficial bees and other pollinators – which we desperately need. I’ve seen sad memes about the amount of money we waste on lawn care in the US. We waste a lot of energy throwing away grass clippings and spraying our yards to make them “beautiful.” But the reality is, many of our current lawn care practices are harmful to vital pollinators. It’s better to let the dandelion, clovers, and other weeds live as they provide food not only for bees, but also butterflies and other beneficial insects too! And I’m sure we can all think of better things to use spend the money! Or if you must use pesticides, use them very very sparingly.

There are so many dandelion haters, but dandelions are a very important first food source for bees. Embrace their beauty and leave them in your yard!

2. Plant bee-friendly plants.

Bees need lots flowers for food, and they’re very useful because while they eat, they pollinate many, many, many of our fruits, vegetables, and nuts. If you’d like to add bee-friendly plants to your landscape, it’s best to find plants that are native to your area because bees are already adapted to them and can easily get their food. If you’re unsure of what types of flowers to plant, here are a few they love:

black eyed susans
coneflowers
geraniums
tulips
lilacs
daisies
sunflowers

Planting a variety of flowers that will bloom at different times of the year is a great idea to give bees nectar throughout the year. Bees also love herbs, too! They’re easy to grow and great for cooking. So add a few herbs to your landscape as well.

3. Incorporate a shallow water source in your garden.

Bees need water like most other living creatures. Water helps them make honey and keeps their hives cool and healthy. A shallow water source, filled with rocks to provide a safe landing area, will provide a good place for bees to get water without drowning.

4. Add a bee habitat to your landscape.

It’s nice to encourage non-aggressive mason bees to stick around. I love this Bamboo Mason Bee Hive House Friends of the Earth sent me! It looks so nice hanging on my garden shed and I can’t wait for bees to move in.

If you get a house like this, you’ll want to find a location that’s protected from the wind and that will get warm light in the morning and shade in the afternoon. You’ll also want to mount the house 3-6 feet above the ground, on a flat surface using screws.

If bees scare you, or you can’t have them around because of allergy issues, check out this post on how to great a butterfly habitat in a pot.

5. Get to know your farmer

Organic farming is the bee friendly, so if you can buy organic as much as possible, you are supporting the bees. Sometimes, though, the organic certification process is just not feasible for producers. Plenty of small-scare growers aren’t certified organic, but don’t use harmful chemicals on their crops. Get to know your food producer! Buy organic if you want, but more importantly, talk to your local growers and support the ones who don’t use pesticides or other harmful chemicals on their crops.

If you liked this post on how to save the bees, you might like these posts too:

Beautiful Bee Friendly Plants for your Landscape or Garden

Companion Plants You Need in Your Garden this Year

Create a Butterfly Garden in a Pot

How to Start Beekeeping

What do you do to make a difference?

March Grocery Audit – our family budget for a real food diet

April 2, 2019 by Michelle Leave a Comment

It’s time for another monthly grocery audit. Last month’s post was hugely popular so I hope you enjoy this month’s post as well. If you’re curious about how a family budget for real food can look, here’s what I bought to feed our family of six in March.

March Grocery Audit – Family Budget for a Real Food Diet

Every time I write these posts, I want to start out saying something like, “this month was a little odd.” It seems all our months are odd. March was strange because I was gone at the beginning for almost a week. I was back out at Expo West learning about new organic food products coming to the market. I wasn’t feeling well for most of the trip so it was a hard time.

I was struck by just how much of the “food” they were debuting just doesn’t seem to be real food to me. So many kinds of processed snacks, meats, and convenience items. I understand there is a time and place for them, but overall, I was not that impressed. The trip ended with dinner at Dr. Sears’ house, talking with him, and meeting Martha Sears (his wife). That was ah-mazing!

March also meant spring break for us. We drove to Florida again to visit with dear friends who were kind enough to take us in and feed us quite a few meals. I’m so thankful for lovely friends. Wish more of them lived closer to us. <3

Anyway, just to recap. I have a family of 6 and my kids are almost 15, 13, 11, and almost 9. I grow a large garden and buy in bulk. I buy most of our meat from local farmers, but I also raise our own meat birds. I have a well stocked pantry and freezer so I don’t account for every single thing I feed my family on this post, but I do include all the food I buy.

3/02 Costco – 101.59

bagels – 5.99
organic pumpkin flax granola x 2 – 9.98
organic frozen blueberries – 8.49
organic tortilla chips – 4.59
organic strawberries – 9.59
organic blueberries – 5.99
Alaska sockeye salmon – 32.99
organic carrots – 5.99
organic half & half – 5.99
uncured bacon – 11.99

3/13 Walmart – $14.77 (had to get spring break supplies, so grabbed a couple items)

Boneless skinless chicken breast – 8.79
Whole Wheat White Flour – 5.98

3/17 Walmart – $24.39 spring break ice cream sundaes

sugar cones – 2.33
hot fudge – 1.98
bananas – 2.04
ice cream 6.88 x 2 = 13.76
dairy-free ice cream – 4.38

3/25 Trader Joe’s – $90.56

hashbrowns – 1.99
organic apple sauce pouches – 2.79 x 2 = 5.58
organic blueberries – 3.99
olive tapenade – 1.99
organic strawberries – 7.99
sweet potato fries – 1.99
smoked gouda cheese – 3.24
comte cheese – 6.70
double cream brie – 3.23
pork gyoza – 2.99 x 2 = 5.98
shelf stable whipping cream – 1.39
organic baguette – 1.99
organic boneless skinless chicken thighs – 7.34
asparagus – 2.49
tri pack colored peppers – 3.99
4 lbs organic potatoes – 4.49
organic yogurt plain – 3.49
salsa verde – 1.99
organic sweet potatoes – 4.49
organic broccoli – 2.99 x 2 = 5.98
2 lbs organic red onion – 3.29
sugar snap peas – 2.99
3 oz garlic – 1.49
sliced mushrooms – 1.99

3/25 Costco – 257.89

bagels – 5.99
Mini kind granola bars – 17.99
organic chips – 4.59
organic spinach – 4.99
organic triscuits – 9.59
mini babybel – 10.99
organic frozen mango – 8.89
organic cheese sticks – 6.99
mini peppers – 5.99
case of organic tomato sauce – 7.79
organic romaine lettuce – 4.99
organic frozen blueberries – 8.49
organic half & half – 5.99
cream cheese – 6.89
uncured Canadian bacon – 9.59
avocados – 5.49
organic flour – 6.49
garlic kielbasa – 13.61
sliced havarti – 7.79
organic unsalted butter – 9.98 x 2 = 19.98
Alaska sockeye salmon – 32.99
bananas – 1.49
organic ground beef – 19.99
sharp cheddar – 10.79
bananas – 1.49
kiwis – 6.99
grape tomatoes – 5.99

Yearly pork purchase, – $419.12

Reasons Locker – $142.64
Holevoet Farm – $276.48

Notes on the bulk pork purchase: I am now stocked on pork for the year. I bought a 1/2 a hog in March – I think it equals about 75 pounds of meat and it cost right around $420 for hams, bacon, sausage, ribs, roasts, and pork chops. $420 sounds like a lot of money – I figure it’s an average of about $5.65 per pound for humanely raised, pastured pork about 30 miles from me. The Red Wattle Heritage Pig Breed results in some of the best pork I’ve had. I’m willing to pay a higher cost for higher quality meat. Last time I bought bulk pork was also last March.

In total, we spent $908.32 in March to feed our family of 6 a mostly real food diet.

We do eat out and I don’t track that on this family budget for groceries. Because we were traveling for Spring Break in March, we ate out a lot more than we normally do.

If you’re curious how this month compared to previous months (it’s the highest it’s been in a while this month), here you go!

January 2019’s Grocery Audit

February 2019’s Grocery Audit + our top 6 family friendly budget meals

I compared us to the USDA recommendations in Jan 2018’s post

Here’s how we did last March

If you’d like to save money on groceries, these posts might help:

Must know tips for buying organic meat on a budget

15 Things you must know to save money on organic food

Tips for ordering from Azure Standard

ALDI is not your mother’s grocery store anymore

Top 10 Tips for saving money at the grocery store

How to Place a Beef or Pork Order at Your Local Meat Locker

Holland in Iowa ~ Pella Tulip Time Festival

April 1, 2019 by Michelle 10 Comments

It’s almost time for the Pella Tulip Time Festival, coming up May 2-5, 2019. We went several years ago with our homeschool group and had such a fabulous time. The scenery is fantastic and the events are a lot fun. I’m really looking forward to going back soon! Here’s a post I wrote after our first trip and I am rerunning it to convince you that you NEED to go to Tulip Time Pella this year!

Who knew Holland is only 2 hours away? I have found memories of Girl Scout trips to the Netherlands I took when I was in grade school. We always drove to Holland from Germany on an enormous tour bus. Keukenhof Tulip Gardens, the Anne Frank House, canals cruises in Amsterdam, and of course a visit to an old time village with a windmill, cheese, Delft pottery, and wooden shoes – these were the activities that filled our days. I was in grade school so I haven’t experienced Netherlands as an adult, but I have a lot of great memories of trips there.

Holland in Iowa ~ Pella Tulip Time Festival

We’ve been living in Iowa for 6 years now (NINE YEARS NOW!) and I’ve heard about the Pella Tulip Festival – but we’ve never been before. I mean, how could it compare the real, live deal? I guess I can be kind of a snot sometimes… If it’s not as good as the real thing, why go? Sometimes I’m sad that I can’t provide my own children the experiences I had when I was little. Exploring Europe as a child is something I really treasure but isn’t exactly feasible right now.

But when our home school group organized a trip to Tulip Time in Pella, I jumped at the chance. And this past Thursday, our whole family loaded up and made the two hour trek to Pella to see what all the hub-bub was about. I’m so glad we went! It might not have been the real deal, but it was awesome and we all had a great time.

The Vermeer Mill was built in in 2002 by Dutch craftsmen.

The Vermeer Mill is a working flour mill and it was a lot of fun talking to the millers who were as interested to hear about how I grind my flour as I was to learn how they grind theirs!

Huge Klompen

The kids had a great time trying on the Klompen – or wooden clogs. We also watched craftsmen making them ~ an amazing sight! And these pictures of my kids three years ago make me smile. I have a fourth child who needs to try on these Klompen now too!

Wyatt Earp House

We toured the Wyatt Earp house – boyhood home of none other than Wyatt Earp. And later we met “him” on the street. I had no idea he lived in Iowa and Ben was thrilled to meet him and pose for a picture.

Dutch Volks Parade

But my favorite part of the day was the Dutch Volks Parade. It looked like most of the “Pella-cans” donned traditional Dutch dress and came out for the parade. It was so much fun to see such a very well orchestrated parade with all ages of people dressed in traditional Dutch clothing. I loved watching the kids especially. No expense was spared for this parade, let me tell you! We loved it.

I highly recommend Pella Tulip Days. The only sad thing was the lack of tulips. Our non-existent winter coupled with a very early spring meant tulips in March instead of May {2015 tulips are blooming now, in mid April}. I would have loved to see all of the tulips. Oh well ~ it gives us an excuse to go back next year! 🙂

Have you been to Pella Tulip Time? What are you waiting for?

Looking for more fun places to visit in Iowa? Here are a few places to consider:

Wild Cat Den

Figge Art Museum

I-80 Trucking Museum

American Gothic House Museum

5 Must Know Tips for Transplanting Tomato Plants

March 29, 2019 by Michelle 4 Comments

Homegrown tomatoes are the best!! And it’s not that hard to grow them, but you can do a few things that make a big difference in growing successful tomatoes from the very beginning. To get your tomato seedlings off to the best possible start, you must know these five tips for transplanting tomatoes! It all starts with the transplanting.

*This post contains affiliate links which means I earn a small commission on your purchase.*

Welcome back to Tuesdays in the Garden! Today, you’re in for a treat. Not only do we have lots of great gardening tips to help you get your spring planting right, but we also have a few homemade gifts you can quickly put together, just in time for Mother’s Day! Make sure to read to the end of the post and check out all the great ideas from my dear gardening friends.

5 Must Know Tips for Transplanting Tomato Plants

Have you planted your tomatoes yet? It’s generally safe to plant them around your frost free date. Our official frost free date (May 15) is right around the corner, but I always check the long range weather forecast before deciding when to tansplant my tomato plants. Fro the last three years, we have had a killing frost after May 15, so quite often, transplanting tomato plants has to wait. If you’re looking forward to transplanting tomato plants, too, make sure you read these must know tips!

1 .Dig a deep hole and pinch off the tomato plants’ lower leaves.

I like to plant my tomatoes deep for a couple reasons. First, it’s super windy out here in the Iowa Prairie and planting them deeply gives them better support from the wind. It allows roots to develop all along the tomato stem which helps make the plant stronger. So, dig a hole deep enough that only the top leaves will be showing on the ground. Pinching off the lower leaves also encourages roots to develop too, so carefully pinch off the leaves before you put the seedling in the hole.

Make sure to support the stem as you cover it with dirt. Be careful when you’re covering the plant with dirt so you don’t accidentally harm the little seedling. I like to support the stem with one had and fill the hole with dirt with the other hand. You don’t want to break the stem as you cover it – I’ve done it and it makes me very sad. Make sure you cover the seedling up to the top leaves.

2. Wondering how far apart to plant tomatoes?

Make sure you give your tomatoes enough space to grow.

Dwarf tomato varieties only need to be about 1′ apart, with 2′ – 3′ between rows.
If you’re staking your tomato plants, they’ll need about 2′ of separation to grow, with 2′ – 3′ between rows.
Using large cages? They’ll need to be about 3′ apart, and probably 4′-5′ between rows.
Want to let your tomatoes grow without support? You’ll need a lot of room! About 3-4′ between plants, and 4′-5′ between rows.

3. Water tomato plants generously after planting.

Newly planted seedlings need a nice drink of water immediately after planting so make sure you water right away. I like to make an indent in the dirt around the plant so the water stays near the seedling instead of running away. You’ll want to continue watering for a few days if you don’t get a rain pretty quickly after planting.

4. Mulch right away.

Since you’ve gone through the effort of planting tomatoes, just go ahead and mulch them right away. I’m often tempting to skip this step and get to it later, but I’ve found later sometimes never comes. Mulching right away is a great way to keep down the weeds and it also helps keep them moist. I used old hay we got for free in this picture, but a better mulch is straw because it’s weed free. My hay is very, very old, so I hope nothing will sprout from it. I could be wrong though, and end up seriously regretting the use of this old hay. I’ll let you know if that’s the case!

5. Add a support trellis or basket immediately.

Another key to tomato success, is to add support right away. Tomatoes like to be supported and I know from experience that if I don’t support them right after planting, I won’t ever get back to it. Pretty soon I end up with a huge tomato jungle – and while I don’t think that’s a terrible thing, it does make picking the beautiful fruits more difficult and a lot of them end of smashed by my big feet. In years past, I used these homemade tomato baskets last year. They are easy to make and easy to use, but they take up a lot of space so you need a large growing area if you want to use homemade tomato baskets.

This year I am hoping to use these homemade support systems I saw a Moss Mountain Farms. I love that this tomato system takes up less room than my huge cages and I think it’s awfully pretty too! Also, it’s a way to grow more tomatoes in less space since you don’t have to set the tomatoes so far apart. Do you have a favorite tomato trellis you like to use?

And that’s the start to a successful tomato season! Have you planted your tomatoes yet? I’d love to hear your ideas for success too.

Tuesdays in the Garden

Want more garden tips from my friends from around the web. Make sure you click over to everyone’s posts and check out what’s going on in different parts of the country! We’ve got a couple homemade gift ideas that might be perfect for Mother’s Day this weekend, as well as growing tips too!

Shelly from Frugal Family Home is sharing a mini green house idea for small spaces!

Patti from Hearth and Vine is sharing a cute DIY Gazing Ball – what a great gift is this?

Jami at An Oregon Cottage is sharing her homemade Salad Dressing Gift Basket

Diane from Homemade Food Junkie is sharing tips for growing strawberries in DIY towers

Angie the Freckled Rose is sharing tips for adding visual interest in your garden!

If you liked this post with tips for transplanting tomatoes, you might like these post too.

7 Methods of Natural Weed Control for a Weed-Free Garden

Companion plants you must have in your vegetable garden

How to grow a three sisters garden

How to kill cucumber beetles organically

How to Prepare for Mail Order Chicks (of the feathered variety)

March 28, 2019 by Michelle 7 Comments

Ordering baby chicks through the mail is a lot of fun, but there are a few things you need to do ahead of time to get your chicks off to the best start. Here’s how to prepare for your mail order chicks so they get off to the best possible start!

Many thanks to Hoover’s Hatchery for sending me chicks via the US mail to facilitate this post.

How to Prepare for Mail Order Chicks (of the feathered variety)

There are several things you need to do to be ready for mail order chicks (feathered friends, of course). Because let’s be real. I’m not giving advice on any other type of mail order chicks. 😀

Make sure you have the right supplies

Of course, it’s always better to have these items before your birds arrive – so write out your shopping list and go get them!

- Brooder Box
- Bedding
- Heat Lamp with guard and bulb
- Electrolytes & vitamins
- Chick starter food
- Feeding and water containers

Set up the Brooder Box

This can really be anything you want. I use a rectangular wooden box my husband actually built to be a dog bed. I like that it has higher sides to keep the chicks from jumping out for at least a few weeks. Your box needs to be big enough to give the chicks room to run around, keeping in mind that the chicks will grow quite quickly. My box is about 3 ft x 4 ft with 1 ft sides. It easily fits 25 chicks at a time, and I would have no qualms about housing a few more in there. I’ve also seen people use plastic tote boxes successfully but they work only for a smaller number of chicks.

You’ll need some sort of bedding for the brooder box.I use wood shavings that I get for free from a local cabinet building shop. Pine shavings are ok, but cedar shavings are toxic to chickens. You can use paper towels for the first day or so, but get some type of bedding very quickly for your chicks.

Prepare their food and water

I have found it helpful to lift it up the food and water off the brooder box floor an inch or two to keep bedding out of it. Little pieces of styrofoam work well. I left them like this so you can see better in the picture, but I hide them a better underneath the water container a bit better to keep them from pecking the styrofoam.

Food should be specially formulated for chicks and is called chick starter crumble or mash. Don’t feed baby chicks layer food for older chickens as the protein composition is not right for the babies. I feed my chickens an organic chick starter that I order from my local feed store and use a galvanized chick feeder.

For the first week or so, I make sure my chicks get vitamins and electrolytes in their water. I use Save-a-Chick Electrolyte and just mix a little packet in a gallon of water that I keep near the brooder for easy refills. The vitamins and electrolytes help them recover after their time in the mail and give them a healthy start

Set up a heat lamp and bulb

Chicks need to be kept in a very warm area until they are feathered out. When the chicks first arrive, the heat lamp should be quite close to them – hanging 5-6 inches from the box. A good heat lamp has a clamp for easier securing as well as a cage around it for safety reasons. A 250 watt, bulb, {red or white} is a good choice for chicken brooders.

The temperature should be around 90-95 degrees for the first week. As you watch your chicks, you’ll know when it’s time to raise the heat lamp as the chicks will start moving to the edge of the box and hanging out away from the heat source. I bought my supplies from the local farm store, but you can also order all of these supplies directly on Amazon and have them sent directly to your house.

Prepare for an early morning pick-up

Since my phone is usually on silent, this really means I need to turn on my ringer so that I get the call! The chicks usually arrive at the post office first thing in the morning, so be prepared to get them before the post office even opens. My phone rang a little after 7 am and we left shortly thereafter. On arriving at the post office, we had to ring the bell on the locked door to pick up the chicks.

Encourage your chicks to drink water

They’ll be thirsty when they arrive. As soon as you get the chicks home, dunk each chick’s beak in the water prepared with the Save-A-Chick Electrolyte. This shows them where their water is and helps keep them from getting dehydrated.

The last thing to be aware of is poopy butt! Read more about that here. Now sit back and watch your chicks. I dare you to get much else done the day they arrive.

If you think you might like to order chicks, take a look at what Hoover’s Hatchery located in Rudd, Iowa, has to offer. They sell not only meat birds and egg layers, but also ducks, geese, turkeys, pheasants, bantams, and guinea keets! All of the birds I’ve received from them arrived in great condition and are growing well.

If you liked this post on preparing for mail order chicks, here are several more posts for you!

Beginner’s Guide to Keeping Chickens – care and feeding from day 1

How to Keep Your Chickens Warm in Winter

Why you might want to raise chickens for eggs

How to Kill the Colorado Potato Beetle, Organically

March 27, 2019 by Michelle 1 Comment

Are you wondering how to kill the Colorado Potato Beetle organically? If you have Colorado Potato Beetles on your potato plants, you will want to follow this advice to get rid of them before they decimate your potato crop!

The Colorado Potato Beetle – YUCK YUCK YUCK

*This post contains affiliate links which means I earn a small commission on your purchase.*

Left unchecked, the Colorado Potato Beetle can be deadly to your potato crop. They also like tomatoes and eggplants so watch for them there, too. Here are a few things I did to kill the Colorado Potato Beetle organically.

How to Kill the Colorado Potato Beetle Organically

I’m having a lot of trouble with bugs in my garden this year. So far, I’m battling the Cucumber Beetle, the Colorado Potato Beetle, and I’m also working on Squash Bugs and Japanese Beetles. It’s a bad, bad year for beetles. I really try hard to maintain organic methods in my garden. I don’t want to smell the chemicals, ingest the chemicals, or feed them to my kids. I also don’t want to kill all the good bugs that are working in my favor. Luckily, it doesn’t seem that hard to kill the Colorado Potato Beetle organically, provided you find them early and strike hard!

Mulch heavily
Kill them when they’re larvae
Plant potatoes as early as possible
Release beneficial insects
Make sure to rotate your crops

Mulch heavily to control Colorado potato beetle

First, I covered my potatoes with straw mulch – mulch encourages good bugs to move in – bugs that eat the Colorado Potato Beetle. Straw mulch is also good at covering the potatoes and helps to control moisture too!

Get ’em while they’re larvae

Next, I paid attention! I had never heard of the Colorado Potato Beetle until my friend told me that SOMETHING was eating her potatoes. Once she told me that, I took a long, slow walk through my potato plants and found the beetle larvae. I still have not seen an adult Colorado Potato Beetle, but for days I walked through my potatoes and killed every single larvae I could find.

Some were bigger, like the fatter larvae in the pictures above, and some were smaller – like this tiny one pictured here. To kill them, I handpicked them. Some, like this teeny one, I squished between a leaf.

Others, I drowned in a bucket of soapy water. Since I didn’t want to touch some of them, I just removed the entire leaf and dropped it all in the water. Then, I made sure to remove the leaf from the bucket, so they would be sure to drown. Aren’t they nasty looking?

Plant potatoes early in the season

Ideally, you want your potato plants as early as possible so that they bloom before June. If you do that, some damage from the beetles won’t be enough to impact the yield of your plants. In Zone 5, potatoes can generally be planted by mid April, sometimes even by late March if the ground can be worked. To speed up the planting, cover your ground with plastic to help it warm up.

Rotate your crops & add good bugs

Next year, I will rotate my potato crop at least 200 feet from its current location. I’m also thinking seriously about introducing some parasitic nematodes to my garden to help with bug control as well. I have read that they will help with all kinds of garden pests – cucumber beetles, Colorado beetles, and even Japanese beetles! I need these nematodes in my garden for sure.

Colorado potato beetles lay their eggs on the underneath of leaves. They are narrow and yellow and they make delicious ladybug food. So another prevention method is to release ladybugs in your garden!

I haven’t seen a Colorado Potato Beetle or Larvae in a couple of weeks. I am still patrolling daily with eagle eyes to make sure they stay away. I’m pleased that they seemed relatively easy to get rid of and thankful that my friend made me look for them. If they had matured and laid more eggs, I’m sure they would have been much harder to destroy. And who knows, next week, I may be singing a different song, but today, I am happy that I haven’t seen any evidence of these nasty bugs for many days!!

And look what I harvested from my garden today! Oh yum! I’m looking forward to fried potatoes tonight!

For a more in depth discussion of the Colorado Potato Beetle, head over to the Vegetable Gardener’s website. They discuss other fun methods for destroying this nasty pest.

Fro more gardening and homesteading posts, start here:

The Easiest Way to Grow Potatoes – No-Dig Method

How to Kill Cucumber Beetles Organically

Where to Find Free Mulch

Companion Plants You Need in Your Garden

Gardening for Beginners Made Easy

Have you dealt with Colorado Potato Beetles? What did you do to kill them?

Grab This Week’s Free Kindle eBooks on Amazon

March 14, 2019 by Michelle 38 Comments

Looking for kitchen inspiration or a new book to read this weekend? Looking for a new free ebook download list? If you need kitchen inspiration or a new book to read this weekend, you will love this list of free Amazon Kindle ebooks – fiction, nonfiction, cookbooks, and free ebooks for kids too! Check back at the end of each week for a new list.

*This post contains affiliate links which means I earn me a small commission on your purchase.*

If you don’t have a kindle, but have a computer, iPad, or smart phone, head on over to download a Free Kindle App. Or you could go here and buy a Kindle ! Make sure you check the prices as they change quickly on Amazon. While everything was free when I posted, it’s highly likely that they will change!

Grab This Week’s Free Amazon Kindle eBooks

I’d love to hear from you about this weekly free ebook post. What types of free ebooks do you most like? Is their a category I don’t cover but should? Please let me know how I can improve this post for you!

Many thanks to Shelly from Frugal Family Home for her help compiling this list of free amazon Kindle eBooks.

This post contains affiliate links which means I may make a small percentage of the sale at NO additional cost to you. Please read my disclosure statement for more information.

Growing Potatoes the No-Dig Method

March 13, 2019 by Michelle 24 Comments

Growing potatoes does not have to involve back-breaking work. If you want to add potatoes to your garden without all the digging, follow this no-dig growing method! It’s my favorite way to grow potatoes.

Growing Potatoes the No-Dig Method

Potatoes are one of my very favorite crops to grow. Potatoes are found on the Dirty Dozen list which means conventionally grown potatoes contain a lot of pesticides. Since I keep my grocery costs down by buying from Environmental Working Group’s Dirty 12 / Clean 15 List, I try to grow as many of the “dirty” foods as possible. Organic potatoes are hard to find in my area, and when I do find them, they are really expensive. I can save a lot of money by growing my own potatoes.

But beyond that, potatoes are just awesome! I think they are a very pretty plant and digging them up in the fall is like going on a treasure hunt. It’s always fun to see what’s down there, buried in the dirt. {Yes, I know I am a little weird…} But really, I just love to eat potatoes!! So let’s get started growing potatoes. It’s really not hard.

How to Plant Seed Potatoes Using the No-Dig Method

Potatoes can be planted early in the spring, as soon as the soil can be worked. Make sure the ground is not too wet and that the ground temperature is above 45 degrees. Potatoes will not sprout if the ground is too cold, and a really wet soil can cause the potatoes to rot before they grow.

The ISU Extension Office advocates planting seed potatoes 3-4 inches under ground, and according to folklore, they should be planted on Good Friday in my zone, Zone 5. I don’t know about you, but digging a 3-4″ trench sounds like an awful lot of work I’d rather not do.

Luckily, you don’t have to dig that much to plant potatoes! The Rodale’s Illustrated Encyclopedia of Organic Gardening advocates a “no-dig” approach. I love the no-dig approach because it reduces time it takes to plant, makes back breaking digging unnecessary, reduces loss of moisture, and results in fewer weeds being brought to the surface. I’ve been planting potatoes using this method for about 8 years now and love how easy it is to grow potatoes.

To plant using the no-dig method, all I do is hoe up a very shallow trench, put in the cut and cured seed potatoes, cover with dirt. Potatoes should be planted 12″ apart in rows that are 3 feet apart. Then, mulch heavily and keep the plants well mulched for their entire growing season. I normally use free wood chips as mulch, but straw works very nicely too.

Before you plant the seed potatoes, make sure to prepare them for planting. Letting the seed potatoes crust over for a couple of days helps prevent them from rotting in cold, wet ground. Read more about preparing seed potatoes for planting here.

What kind of seed potatoes to grow

It’s important to buy seed potatoes from a reputable store like Seed Savers Exchange. Conventionally grown potatoes that you buy to eat are dipped a solution to keep them from sprouting too quickly so planting them is generally not an option. You can save your own potatoes from year to year, but make sure to choose the biggest and best disease-free potatoes to use as seeds. I generally grow a mix of different types of potatoes – choosing varieties that store well. My favorite type of potatoes to grow are Yukon Gold, Kennebec, and then a colored potato like All Blue, Red Norland, or Purple Majesty.

Once the potatoes start to grow, replenish the mulch as necessary to keep them covered. The Rodale’s Illustrated Encyclopedia of Organic Gardening recommends covering the mulch with grass clippings once the plants are big enough to meet across the rows. This keeps the light out of the potatoes to keep the tubers from turning green and that it will also encourage birds to visit and help control pests!

How Long does it take to Grow Potatoes

Potatoes take anywhere from 90-120 days to mature. Make sure to read the information included with your seed potatoes and note this information in your garden notebook. Since potatoes should be left in the field for 2-3 weeks after the plants die back, it’s pretty obvious when it’s time to harvest. Noting the time to harvest however, will give you an idea of when to expect potatoes to be finished growing.

When to harvest potatoes

Potatoes can be harvested a couple different times. If you’d like to harvest baby potatoes, you can do so 2-3 weeks after the plants have finished flowering. Baby potatoes should be harvested very gently so as to disturb the plant. Take the larger potatoes only and leave the smaller ones behind so they can keep growing!

If you plan to store potatoes over winter, wait until after the plants die back before digging them. You should wait 2-3 weeks and dig them on a dry day during dry weather if possible. Let the potatoes cure in the field for 2-3 dry days. Curing matures the skins and helps them last longer in storage. If the weather is going to be wet, cure them in a covered area where they will stay dry.

If you liked this post on growing potatoes, make sure to read these posts too:

Preparing seed potatoes for planting

200 pounds of potatoes each year

How to kill the Colorado Potato Beetle Organically

How to store garden seeds

Gardening tips everyone needs to know

And that’s it! How to Plant Potatoes, in a nutshell! How do you plant yours? I’d love to hear your favorite method!

Linking up: TGP; Tuesday Greens; Homestead Barn Hop; Natural Living Monday; Mostly Homemade Monday; Frugal Days, Sustainable Ways;

Regular Girl is Not Your Grandma’s Fiber Supplement

March 12, 2019 by Michelle 2 Comments

What do you know about fiber? If you’re anything like me, you might know you need it to be healthy, but maybe you don’t really know why. Since fiber is such an important part of digestive health, here’s what you need to know about fiber, fiber supplements, and healthy poops to keep you and your family healthy!

*This post is sponsored by Regular Girl. All opinions are mine.*

Regular Girl is Not Your Grandma’s Fiber Supplement

Who takes fiber supplements? Only old people, right? Gloppy, gritty, nasty – that’s what comes to my mind when I think about fiber supplements. Last fall I had the great pleasure to meet Dr. William Sears, the doctor my kids never knew they had. I have a total fan girl crush on Dr. Sears and I really enjoyed a talk he gave on a topic I never thought I’d enjoy – poop! I know what you’re thinking, but it’s totally true. His talk was so great.

If you’re anything like me, you might not consider fiber supplements at all. However, if you aren’t getting enough fiber in your daily diet, and many people don’t, it might be time to make some healthy changes. While I’m sharing tips today that are working for my family, please understand that I am not a doctor. If you have severe gut health issues, please consult your trusted medical professional.

Together with his wife, Martha, Dr. Sears published an informative book called Dr. Poo – The Scoop on Comfortable Poop in 2018. I even have a signed copy, but I digress. After his talk about keeping guts healthy, I started paying attention to my body (and my poops), and I realized that I need more fiber in my diet too. Although I try to eat as healthy as I can, I have not been getting enough fiber either. Luckily, Regular Girl Prebiotic Fiber & Probiotic Blend busted every preconceived idea I had about fiber supplements and I’m excited to share what I’ve learned!

Why Do You Need Fiber and How Much Do You Need?

Dietary fiber is an important part of your health. You need it to keep regular and keep your gut happy and healthy. Adults need up to 38 grams of fiber a day, toddlers need 19 grams, and school-age kids need 25 grams of fiber a day. I really recommend that you get your fiber from a healthy diet, but we live in the real world and that’s not always possible, is it?

Fiber Rich Foods to Add to Your Diet

Fiber is found naturally in a lot of foods like the ones listed below.

whole grains: oats, brown rice, popcorn
nuts: almonds, walnuts, peanuts, cashews
seeds: pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds
berries: blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, blackberries
fruit: bananas, apples, pears, oranges, figs
veggies: broccoli, spinach, peas, sweet potatoes, potatoes
beans: black beans, kidney beans, pinto beans, garbanzo beans, lentils
and water is very important too when consuming fiber!

Sadly, most of us only get about half the needed fiber from our diet. That means many people are constipated or strain to poop and their guts aren’t happy. Have you ever examined your poop before you flush it down? You might be surprised to learn what a healthy poop even looks like. It was a shocker to me. 😉 You can download Dr. Sear’s family friendly poop chart here.

Looking for the Best Fiber Supplement?

If your poop is not happy, and you can’t get enough fiber in your day-to-day diet, I really recommend Regular Girl! Made with clinically proven Sunfiber (a highly soluble guar fiber), Regular Girl provides 5 extra grams of fiber per serving, and it also contains 8 billion active probiotics too. It’s available in a scoopable powder and a pre-measured on-the-go packet to provide relief from occasional constipation, diarrhea, gas or bloating. You can trust me when I say it’s taste-free, odor-free, and totally dissolves in water.

I’m super picky about my water and I will admit that I was a little scared to try Regular Girl in it. Several years ago we found out our well water was full of nitrates and other nasty chemicals. The nitrate level was so high that even a reverse osmosis system was not enough to make it safe. We work hard with a water purifying company to this day to filter everything out of it.

The last thing I want is a gross additive messing it up, so trust me when I say I was worried. I reluctantly filled up a water bottle with water and ice, added a Regular Girl packet and shook to combine. Then I drank it, and I really couldn’t tell it was in there – maybe a teeny tiny bit, but nothing to turn me off. My kids can’t tell when I sneak some in their water bottles either.

Regular Girl is also low FODMAP, gluten-free, dairy-free, soy-free, Non-GMO Project verified, and vegan. It’s absolutely nothing like the gritty, gloppy mess that may come to your mind when you think of a fiber supplement! Beyond all of that though, it’s recommended by Dr. Sears and that just means a lot to me.

How to Add Regular Girl to your Diet

If you’re traveling or just need that extra added boost, it’s so easy to add Regular Girl to your diet. I’ve already mentioned that you can add it to water without telling it’s there – and it’s really true! I’ve also added a scoop to smoothies, and I’ve put a scoop full on the yogurt, fruit, granola mix I love to eat for breakfast too. Super easy! Because of the added probiotics, it’s better to eat the Regular Girl cold than to heat it. And the portable packets are perfect for taking along when you’re traveling and might not be able to eat as well as you eat at home.

Where to Find Regular Girl

You can find Regular Girl in a lot of the standard places – Amazon, on line, and they just recently launched at HyVee too! If you’re in Iowa, you can find now find Regular Girl in the Vitamin Aisle of Hy-Vee’s Health Market too! Not only can you find Regular Girl at Hy-Vee, but they also have registered dietitians available for a whole host of food and nutrition needs as well! Learn more about Hy-Vee dietitians here.

I’d love to hear your thoughts on fiber and yes, even pooping. Do and your family members get enough fiber? What healthy changes can you make for your family’s gut health?

Impactful Earth Day Tips to Benefit Our World

1. Ditch the plastic shopping bags, once and for all!

2. Switch to a Coral Safe Sunscreen

3. Switch out one Chemical Cleaner for Something Homemade

4. Grow even just ONE tomato plant in a container!

5. Buy Even ONE Organic Article of Clothing – soft organic cotton t shirts!

If you liked this post on Earth Day Tips, you might like these posts too

How to Save the Bees – 5 Easy Ways YOU Can help

1. Don’t use pesticides on your yard.

2. Plant bee-friendly plants.

3. Incorporate a shallow water source in your garden.

4. Add a bee habitat to your landscape.

5. Get to know your farmer

If you liked this post on how to save the bees, you might like these posts too:

March Grocery Audit – Family Budget for a Real Food Diet

3/02 Costco – 101.59

3/13 Walmart – $14.77 (had to get spring break supplies, so grabbed a couple items)

3/17 Walmart – $24.39 spring break ice cream sundaes

3/25 Trader Joe’s – $90.56

3/25 Costco – 257.89

Yearly pork purchase, – $419.12

In total, we spent $908.32 in March to feed our family of 6 a mostly real food diet.

If you’re curious how this month compared to previous months (it’s the highest it’s been in a while this month), here you go!

If you’d like to save money on groceries, these posts might help:

Holland in Iowa ~ Pella Tulip Time Festival

The Vermeer Mill was built in in 2002 by Dutch craftsmen.

Huge Klompen

Wyatt Earp House

Dutch Volks Parade

Looking for more fun places to visit in Iowa? Here are a few places to consider:

5 Must Know Tips for Transplanting Tomato Plants

2. Wondering how far apart to plant tomatoes?

3. Water tomato plants generously after planting.

And that’s the start to a successful tomato season! Have you planted your tomatoes yet? I’d love to hear your ideas for success too.

Tuesdays in the Garden

If you liked this post with tips for transplanting tomatoes, you might like these post too.

How to Prepare for Mail Order Chicks (of the feathered variety)

Make sure you have the right supplies

Set up the Brooder Box

Prepare their food and water

Set up a heat lamp and bulb

Prepare for an early morning pick-up

Encourage your chicks to drink water

If you liked this post on preparing for mail order chicks, here are several more posts for you!

The Colorado Potato Beetle – YUCK YUCK YUCK

How to Kill the Colorado Potato Beetle Organically

Mulch heavily to control Colorado potato beetle

Get ’em while they’re larvae

Plant potatoes early in the season

Rotate your crops & add good bugs

Grab This Week’s Free Amazon Kindle eBooks

Free Fiction eBooks on Amazon

Educational Free Non-Fiction eBooks

Free Delicious Cookbooks on Amazon

Free eBooks for Kids

Growing Potatoes the No-Dig Method

How to Plant Seed Potatoes Using the No-Dig Method

What kind of seed potatoes to grow

How Long does it take to Grow Potatoes

When to harvest potatoes

If you liked this post on growing potatoes, make sure to read these posts too:

Regular Girl is Not Your Grandma’s Fiber Supplement

Why Do You Need Fiber and How Much Do You Need?

Fiber Rich Foods to Add to Your Diet

Looking for the Best Fiber Supplement?

How to Add Regular Girl to your Diet

Where to Find Regular Girl