A Techie I Am Not

Good morning, everyone. Unfortunately, I don’t have an interesting gardening article for you today. (Sorry, I should’ve warned you before you gasped and spilled your coffee! LOL) But I would, at least, like to explain why – and maybe give a plug for a good company while I’m at it.

Where to Get a Detailed Soil Test and Prescription for Improvements

Good morning, everyone. As promised, today I will share with you where I sent my soil sample to be analyzed and where I’m going to send the test results in order to get a detailed prescription for amending my soil. I’ll also share with you how to take a proper soil sample.

Sanctuary Gardener Update ~ 1/12/16

Welcome to the first update of 2016. It will be a short one, but I can say that I have accomplished one goal and started on a second one already. (If you missed it, here are my 2016 goals.) While out in the garden yesterday afternoon to gather soil samples (and do some weeding), I also took a few pictures to share with you.

On the Homestead ~ Goals for 2016

Good afternoon, everyone. I apologize for the late posting today. This whole week has been a bit crazy. In fact, you probably noticed that I posted my last article on Monday instead of Tuesday. I got my dates mixed up when I set up the posting calendar. I think going back to the office after working from home has me and my days a little discombobulated. Anyway, I thought I’d take today to go over my goals for 2016 and give you some resources to help you make your own goals for the year.

2015 Year in Review

Happy new year, everyone! This is my first official post of 2016, and I thought I’d give you a little glimpse of what happened on Sanctuary Gardener in 2015, all thanks to you, my readers.

Happy New Year 2016 ~ and Happy 3rd Birthday, Sanctuary Gardener!

Happy last day of 2015, everyone! Not only is the first day of 2016 only hours away, it will also be this website’s third birthday. I can’t believe we’ve been on this journey together for three years now. It’s been a great ride so far!

With that said, I am wishing you and yours a very happy new year. May the Lord bless you and keep you, and may the year hold only happiness and joy for you. And may your 2016 gardens produce more than ever before.

Blessings,

Taking a Much Needed Break

Good morning, everyone. It’s been rather balmy here in the Charleston, SC area. The only snowmen to be seen would have to be made out of sand! However, we do have a cold front coming through later in the week, with a possible freeze next Monday night. You’d think I would’ve taken advantage of the unseasonably warm temperatures and finally get my garden cleaned up, but no. Instead, I decided to take a much needed break – from everything – including having an interesting post for you guys today. I’ve been burning the candle at both ends for over a year now, and I needed to take an entire week off to do nothing but sleep late, watch movies, and read. I’m already beginning to feel refreshed.

I apologize that I don’t have a fascinating educational article for you today or any awesome garden pics to share. But, I figure you would understand. After all, you’re probably taking a break to be with family and relax during the holidays yourselves.

I hope you are enjoying your time of celebration with your families and friends. The new year is almost upon us…and it’ll be time to start planning our spring gardens and order our seeds. Spring will be here before you know it, so relax while you can!

Enjoy the last few days of 2015, my garden buddies!

Merry Christmas 2015

For those of you who celebrate Christmas and the birth of Jesus, I wish you a very joyful and meaningful Christmas. May the Lord bless you and your family with His presence, and may He who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life, be the very reason for EVERY season of our lives.

Merry Christmas!

Guerrilla Grafters Hit San Francisco

A flowering apple tree in Oakland, Calif. with two successful grafts from an apple tree which bears fruit.

Good morning, everyone. I know many of you are preparing for the upcoming holidays – cooking and spending time with family – so I thought I’d post a short article today. Last week, I learned about an organization that is attempting to create “food forests” within urban “food deserts.” It’s definitely an agricultural take on civil disobedience, and they have recently left their mark in San Francisco.

The Benefits of “Rollie Pollies” in the Garden

Being from New England, I can’t remember ever seeing a pill bug, or “rollie pollie,” until I moved south. When my son was about five years old, he was playing with some friends outside my apartment in Charleston. They were teaching him about “rollie pollies” – little dark gray insects that roll into a ball when you touch them. My son always hated insects, but he wasn’t afraid of these. In fact, he thought they were pretty cool. I found it interesting that these bugs were popular play things with the kids, but I never thought they had any particular benefit…until now.