wystansimons

WHO Says?

This is a blog about gardening, growing you own food in a suburban setting. Creating your own food stream. Today we spend a minute or two on the why of gardening, on the larger picture of what we eat, and why, and who says so. It’s all my pediatrician’s fault. I sat in the pediatrician’sContinue reading “WHO Says?”

Using Your Garden: Lavender

Hi dear readers – this is the first of a series of segments that I will thread through my garden and chicken posts, talking about putting the many things that pop up in your garden to USE in your home. After all, how do you know what you want to grow if you don’t haveContinue reading “Using Your Garden: Lavender”

Publish or Perish?

Somehow between the traveling to wrestling tournaments, and extended bouts of ill health, February garden prep at the Simons Gardens crawls on. No, I don’t have my lettuce started. I wish I had a cool photo of an emerging green house to show you, but all I have is stakes in the ground so farContinue reading “Publish or Perish?”

Growing Our Healthcare

Oooh! scary title! — But this is actually not a post about politics, but about growing your own healthcare products. Time to start thinking about your summer gardens!… Edward meets all kinds of interesting people through work – he’s the CEO of his own company Safeware, a safety product distributor. A few weeks back overContinue reading “Growing Our Healthcare”

Get Ready—

I have something exciting to show you today. Are you ready? Ok — Tadumm!! WOW!! The garlic is UP! – isn’t it beautiful? Could it be that last fall’s kale will over-winter and start up again in spring? (Also can someone tell me why the leaves are still being chewed? who knew kale was soContinue reading “Get Ready—”

Supergirls

Good January Morning! Garden Update: The parsley is all that’s left, but it’s still going! Through snow, thru ice, thru frigid nights! Tough stuff. What a great symbol for human growth and survival, right? OR for a relationship! And speaking of relationships, gardens, and chickens, today I am re-posting something irresistible – from another chicken loverContinue reading “Supergirls”

How Does Your Muscle Grow?

So friends, ’tis true, your garden beds are bare. But there is something that we gardeners can still be growing — even in this dark and dreary, un-gardenable season. You don’t even have to go outside to do it. Yes, I thought, as I huffed through a plank (yes one plank) this morning, this isContinue reading “How Does Your Muscle Grow?”

CEOs Grow their Own?

Salad greens picked this December morning – not that big a deal for a full-time grower, but we aren’t that. Edward and I struggle to fit gardening into our schedules. He is a CEO and I am a writer, when I am not everything else including landlord, which is my contribution to the cash flow.Continue reading “CEOs Grow their Own?”

Tribute to White Chicken

Yesterday White Chicken was diagnosed. The real cause of her ill health was “internal egg laying.” There is no certain cause of internal laying, and no real cure. It means that a chicken’s yolks (ovum) begin to be deposited in her internal body cavity, rather than traveling down the oviduct, getting clothed in egg whiteContinue reading “Tribute to White Chicken”

Vent Gleet: Clearing Up Messy Vents in Laying Hens

Ohoh! You can’t hide and running away won’t help you, honey! Two of our chickens now have white discharge stuck to their butts, and this morning’s research suggests they have “vent gleet.” Hooray there are some easy fixes. Sharing this article with with you – here’s to poultry health! Messy vents are not uncommon forContinue reading “Vent Gleet: Clearing Up Messy Vents in Laying Hens”