tips

3 Simple Tips for Picking Ripe Cantaloupe

August 22, 2017 by Wendy Pettit

If you’re like me, you can use some tips for picking ripe cantaloupe, because it can be hard to tell when it’s ready to eat!

I find it disappointing to be preparing a cantaloupe for dinner, only to take one taste and it is bland and flavorless. I’ve learned my lesson and discovered how to choose or pick a cantaloupe that is ripe and ready to eat. Now when I’m either picking fruit at the store or from my own garden, there are three simple tips to remember to help you wisely spend your money and time.

Follow these simple tips to choose a melon that is ripe and ready to eat.

LOOK – Cantaloupe should be a nice golden yellow color. Don’t pick cantaloupe that are greenish. They are not ready! Don’t worry about rough spots that may be on the outside of your cantaloupe. They don’t mean anything as to the ripeness.
FEEL – You should be able to feel the edges of the outer skin. A smooth skin means it is not ripe. The flower end (the end not attached to the vine) is soft. You should be able to press it gently in. If it springs back out after pressing, your cantaloupe is ready.
SMELL – Place the flower end or the “button” of the cantaloupe just under your nose and take a whiff. A strong sweet aroma indicates the cantaloupe is ready. Sometimes you will smell the strong aroma without smelling the button. If it doesn’t have a scent, don’t pick it or buy it. It is not sweet.

Cantaloupe from the store or market can be yummy, but my favorite is freshly picked from my garden. Now when I eat cantaloupe, it is like a little slice of heaven. Picked right off the vine, it is heavy, fragrant, juicy, and still warm from sitting in the sun. I love to garden!

TIP FOR GROWING: Be sure to begin your seeds indoors early spring so you can have good healthy larger plants when it is warm enough outside. Melons like a long hot growing season!

Fresh From The Garden Gift Tags

July 12, 2017 by Jenn Crookston

We’re heading into the very best time of the year when it comes to fresh fruits and vegetables. If you’ve got a garden you know how quickly, once things start to ripen, you can end up with lots of extras. These Fresh from the Garden gift tags may be incentive to get out and share your joy!

I have loved sharing my bounty with friends and neighbors over the years. It’s always nice when something I’m not in need of brings a smile to someone else’s face.

July 15th is National “Give Something Away” Day. I created these bright “Fresh from the Garden” and “From our Garden to You” printable tags to celebrate this fun day. Grab a small basket (or large, depending on your bounty), fill it with garden fresh fruits and veggies, print off a cute tag and deliver to one of your favorite people.

This would also be a cheerful tag to use with a fresh loaf of zucchini bread or other garden fresh treat.

Click HERE for the Fresh From the Garden tag.

Click HERE for the From Our Garden to You tag.

I think sharing is one of my favorite things about having a garden (and having chickens, I love sharing fresh eggs). In the past, a few neighbors and I were very intentional with our gardening. We looked at the things we knew we wanted to grow and used a lot of and then sort of split up the planting. Why would everybody in the neighborhood plant zucchini plants when we knew a couple well maintained plants would supply more than enough for us all. Same with tomatoes and cucumbers. As I’m trying my hand more at canning having a couple plants each of my own has been awesome and there is still plenty to share.

I hope you take advantage of National Give Something Away Day this July 15th. Remember while these fresh from the garden and from our garden to you tags are created for you to gift something from your garden this is also an opportunity for other ways to give something away.

Give Something Away Idea – Go through your home, find those items that are still in good repair that are just not being utilized by you or your family, then donate them as well!

Give Something Away Idea – Put together your own little farmer’s market where neighbors can gather and share their bounty.

Give Something Away Idea – Create a little swap-n-shop where people can bring things they no longer need and look through things others have brought that might be a perfect fit in their home.

You can download the free printable tags here and here. We’d love to see how you use them!
Happy Summer!!

June Gardening To-Do List

June 8, 2017 by Western Gardens

Welcome gardening friends! So glad you stopped by!

Do you love to work in your yard, but aren’t sure of all the things you should be doing? Then you’re in luck! We’ve put together a list of things to do in June!

You may not need to do everything on this list. For example, if you don’t have a cherry tree, you won’t need to worry about treating for Cherry Fruit Flies. Just pick what applies to your yard and plan out when you will do it all throughout the month!

June Gardening To-Do List

➺Plant shrubs, trees and evergreens

➺Fertilize vegetables every 4 weeks with a slow-release fertilizer, and
fertilize roses

➺Watch For Insects show a sample in a clear plastic bag to a garden expert if you suspect a problem

➺Fertilize Lawns and apply iron sulfate if needed (to green up your grass)

➺Watch For Insects like grasshoppers, potato bettle, squash bug & spider mites. If you suspect a problem, take a sample in a clear plastic bag to a garden expert.

➺Thin Out fruit trees for a better yield

➺Control Powdery Mildew on apples, apricots, cherries, peaches, nectarines,
grapes, peas, roses & euonymous

➺Treat For Cherry Fruit Fly when cherries begin to turn pink, unless already
using fruit tree spray

➺Control Peach Twig Borer once a month with spinosad

➺Watch For Slugs & Snails control with bait or other techniques

➺Adjust Sprinklers if needed, for increasing heat

➺Move And Replant Bulbs if the foliage has died down

➺Watch For Lawn Insects and treat as necessary

➺Prune & Fertilize flowering shrubs

➺Watch For Signs Of Lawn Disease take a sample to a garden expert if you
suspect a problem

➺Control tobacco budworm on geraniums & petunias

➺Control Weeds before they set & disperse seed

➺Plant Outside
Until June 15th: carrots & endive
Until July 1st: cauliflower, parsley, swiss chard, rutabaga
Until July 15th: beets & broccoli
Until Sept 1st: radishes

*This is not an exhaustive list. If we’ve overlooked something important, feel free to leave a comment and we will add it to the list!

If you’re local to the Salt Lake area, come in to any of our locations with questions or samples!

November Gardening To-Do List

November 1, 2016 by Western Gardens

Welcome gardening friends, thanks for stopping by!

If you’re excited to work in your yard or garden, but not sure what to do in the chilly November weather, then you’ve come to the right place! We’ve put together a list of things to do throughout the month.

You may not need to do everything on this list. For example, if you don’t have upright bushes to tie or snow tools to inspect, skip over those items on the list. Just pick what applies to your yard and plan out when you will do it all throughout the month!

Photo by Russ Hendricks

November Gardening To-Do List

➺Tie Upright Bushes like junipers and arborvitae with burlap strips to keep the
snow load from spreading their branches during winter

➺Cut Back And Mulch perennials as they go dormant

➺Deep Soak lawn, trees, shrubs & flower beds

➺Fertilize lawn if necessary, according to your schedule

➺Put Away any tools that are still out

➺Make Sure your snow shovels and/or snow blower are in good repair,
before you need them

➺Check Ice & Snow Removal Products and replenish if necessary, before it snows

➺Cover Beds With A Frost Blanket for an added layer of protection for your perennials

Be sure to check back for December’s to-do list!

September Gardening To-Do List

September 1, 2016 by Western Gardens

Welcome friend, thanks for stopping by!

If you’re excited to work in your yard or garden, but not sure what to do in the cooler September weather, then you’ve come to the right place! We’ve put together a list of things to do throughout the month.

You may not need to do everything on this list. For example, if you don’t have roses, then you won’t need to worry about letting the hips form. Just pick what applies to your yard and plan out when you will do it all throughout the month!

September Gardening To-Do List

➺Plant trees & shrubs

➺Watch For Frost Warnings and cover tender crops if necessary

➺Don’t Store apples and potatoes together

➺Stop Dead-Heading roses and let hips form

➺Buy Some Spring Bulbs from your local nursery

➺Plant Spring Bulbs (tulips, daffodils, etc) at the proper depth with a complete fertilizer

➺Plant Pansies with your fall bulbs

➺Keep Up with insect and weed control, keep watching for slugs & snails {check out THIS article for 3 simple ways to control snails!}

➺Last Treatment for peach twig borer

➺Treat Lawn Weeds with weed spray

➺Lay Seed for a new lawn, or lay sod

➺Divide Peonies if necessary

➺Stop Watering fruit trees

➺Start Feeding wild birds, if you stopped in the spring

➺Install a Roof De-Icing Cable to avoid winter ice build-up

Be sure to check out October’s Gardening To-Do List too!

July Gardening To-Do List

June 27, 2016 by Western Gardens

Welcome gardening friends, thanks for stopping by!

If you’re excited to work in your garden, but not sure what to do in the summer heat of July, then you’ve come to the right place! We’ve put together a list of things to do in your yard and garden throughout the month.

You may not need to do everything on this list. For example, if you don’t have iris planted in your yard, then you won’t need to dig, divide and replant it. Just pick what applies to your yard and plan out when you will do it all throughout the month!

Mike from our Sandy location was just featured on KUTV 2 News, teaching how to keep your plants healthy and happy in the summer heat, plus some veggies you can plant now for a second crop this season!

July Gardening To-Do List

➺Thin & Fertilize veggies

➺Fertilize lawn, if needed

➺Treat Corn Silks to prevent corn earworms

➺Control peach twig borer and all stone pit fruits with spinosad

➺Dig, Divide & Replant iris

➺Control Codling Moth on apples & pears

➺Fertilize potatoes with nitrogen

➺Remove faded blossoms on roses and ground cover

➺Watch for insect invasions

➺Adjust Sprinklers if necessary, for increasing heat

➺Cut Back & Fertilize annuals for longer bloom

➺Provide An Even Supply of water to tomatoes, to prevent blossom end rot

➺Summer Watering Is Critical for birch trees

➺Things To Keep Away From Tree Trunks: weeds, grass, mowers and trimmers

➺Remember—water lawn early in the morning or at night

➺Plant Outside
Until July 15th: beets & broccoli
Until Sept 1st: radishes

*This is not an exhaustive list. If we’ve overlooked something important, feel free to leave a comment and we will add it to the list!

If you’re local to the Salt Lake area, come in to any of our locations with questions or samples!

DIY Kid-Friendly Bug Spray

June 15, 2016 by Sydney Anderson

Make this DIY Kid-Friendly Bug Spray at home with our quick and easy recipe!

Is your favorite part of summer spending those lazy evenings out in the yard, watching the kids play and talking to friends or family? Mine too! Avoid making other “friends” while you’re enjoying your summer nights…bugs!

Conventional bug sprays are filled with yucky chemicals that we don’t in our kids’ growing bodies (or our own bodies, for that matter!). They not only absorb through the skin, but it’s hard to avoid inhaling them while applying the sprays. We certainly don’t want to do nothing and get bitten…so what’s a mom to do? Make her own, of course!

There are lots of different recipes for making your own bug spray because they are so easy to customize to the bugs you want to avoid. Different bugs dislike different scents, so add what you need in order to avoid those bites! Here are a few essential oils that are good to keep these bugs away:

Mosquitoes—lavender, eucalyptus, citronella

Flies—lavender, peppermint, rosemary

Ticks—lavender, lemongrass, eucalyptus

Some essential oils aren’t safe for kids, so I’ve only included oils in this spray that are safe for everyone…lavender and lemon. Both are fresh scents, safe for kids and good for keeping away mosquitoes and ticks! And if you want to add some plants to your yard to help repel mosquitoes, click HERE!

DIY Kid-Friendly Bug Spray

Supplies:

Spray Bottle
Label (you can print your FREE copy here)
1 oz witch hazel
1 oz distilled water
5 drops lavender essential oil
5 drops lemon essential oil

Directions:

Combine all ingredients in spray bottle and shake well to combine.
Shake well before each use.

Notes:

I put my Bug Spray in a 2 oz travel size spray bottle. They are inexpensive and small enough to carry in a purse or diaper bag!

Now that you’re protected from the bugs check out these fun (and FREE) outdoor activities:

Nature Bingo

Color Scavenger Hunt

DIY Tabletop Terra Cotta Fire Pit

June 7, 2016 by Sydney Anderson

Hi there, thanks for stopping by today!

Do you love camping with your family in the summer? Roasting hot dogs and marshmallows over a fire with the people you enjoy most? Me too!

Some of my favorite memories are of camping in the mountains, at the lake, in the desert, and even in the backyard! I can’t wait to make the same memories with my boys…but since I’m 20+ weeks pregnant, sleeping on the ground isn’t very appealing.

So we’re bringing my favorite part of camping right to our front porch—campfires!

There’s nothing better than sitting around a camp fire, roasting hot dogs, making s’mores and just spending time together, laughing and telling stories. Currently we live in a great little townhome community— without a backyard—so building a fire pit was out of the question.

I couldn’t let that stop me!

I took matters into my own hands and made a mini fire pit out of a terra cotta pot for our front porch! I took my husband, who is definitely the brains of our family, into Western Gardens and he picked out this terra cotta pot with holes in the bottom. The holes allow more oxygen to enter the pot (just like on a charcoal grill), which will let the fire burn longer.

Longer lasting fires are perfect for those summer nights when the kids are playing, grown ups are chatting and you want to be able to make more s’mores when you get that craving (which happens a lot when you’re pregnant!).

Click NEXT to get the simple instructions!

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7 Best Flowers for Beginning Gardeners

May 20, 2016 by Jennifer Day

Hi there! I’m so happy you’re here!

Are you just starting out in the gardening world and looking for a great list of flowers that are easy to grow AND beautiful? Then you’ve come to the right place!

But first, I come to you with a confession—I was a Black Thumb most of my life. What’s a Black Thumb you ask? If a Green Thumb is someone who can make a garden blossom and grow, a Black Thumb is the opposite—a plant killer.

Yes, it’s true.

I grew up with parents and grandparents who loved gardening, and who created beautiful yards and gardens every year. Their yards were curated beautifully and I loved spending time with the fragrant blooms, feeling a sense of tranquility and peace in their spaces.

When we bought our home several years ago, I thought for certain that I would have that same ability.

But, I was wrong. I should have known better. After all, I almost killed a nearly-unkillable plant while working for my Dad in college. I’d only remember to water it when it started wilting. And that was about once a month!

After a sad attempt at gardening the first Spring in our home, I basically gave up altogether. My husband takes care of our lawn and landscape, and we have never actually had flower beds—just beautiful trees and bushes. Things that are hard to kill!

This year, however, my black thumb has turned GREEN, and I hope you will join me on this journey!

Because I’m a beginner too, I am going to share with you 7 of the best plants for a beginning gardner. So grab those gardening gloves and shovels and let’s get to work!

Click NEXT for 5 TIPS before you start planting your flowers!

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Cool Season Vegetables vs. Warm Season Vegetables

May 19, 2016 by Vanessa Myers

Welcome, I’m so glad you’re here!

Are you itching for beautiful weather so you can get your veggies planted? You are not alone! Fresh vegetables are the highlight of most gardens, with fresh, healthy and delicious produce. Just make sure to plant the right veggies at the right time to get the best results!

Vegetable garden season is upon us and many gardeners are happily planning out their shopping trips to the nursery. It’s tempting to put out every kind of vegetable that you want to grow, all at the same time.

However, it’s important to know whether the types you are planting are cool season vegetables or warm season vegetables so that you can plant them at the appropriate times and help ensure the best crop possible.

Click NEXT to see the Cool Season Veggies and when to plant them!

Image by *Jay~bay* under a Flickr Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives License

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