Easy Recipes From The Garden

I am a huge fan of composting. The bin on our kitchen counter is filled up almost before dinnertime with waste from the kitchen — and other areas around the house.

There are many household items that you might throw away that can actually be put in the compost bin. Here are just five of my favorites:

1. Paper towels and tissues. As long as there isn’t animal grease or cleaners on them, they’re safe.
2. Human hair. Being pregnant and long haired, I find a lot of hair in my hair brush, shower drain, bathroom sink drain, etc…
3. Dryer lint.
4. Animal fur. The cats shed about as much as I do, so why not throw their fur into the compost too?
5. Fabric. Old t-shirts that are beyond wearing, dish rags, etc., can all be put in the compost bin.

I love to put a new spin on a classic. So when I was planning my Fourth of July centerpiece, my mind wandered to all the flowers and plants growing in the flower beds around our house and in the garden. I was reluctant to simply pick a few flowers and put them in a vase - where was the creativity in that? - when I thought of something I had seen in a flower shop a while back. The florist had taken ordinary daisies and dyed the petals in pretty colors.

They’re super simple to make, and a fun project for both adults and kids. Simply pick some daisies and put them in a vase (a different vase for each color). Add fresh water to the vase, then a few drops of liquid food coloring in the desired color. Leave overnight, and by morning your daisies’ petals should have taken on the color of the dyes.

Cats are lovely animals and make great house pets, but when they start to use your garden - especially vegetable and fruit garden - as a litter box, it’s time to take action.

There are natural and non toxic ways to repel cats from your garden. You can start by adding plants to your garden that will keep cats away. Herbs and plants such as lavender, rue, geranium, absinthe and lemon thyme all serve to repel cats.

You could also try the bait and switch approach by luring the cat into a different part of your garden. Instead of trying to keep him out of one spot, plant a patch of catnip in another area to attract the cat there instead. He’ll be much happier in that area, and so will you.

 Here’s how my garden has been growing. The warm weather has done wonders for my tomatoes and they all have several blossoms! In fact, at last check, one of them had wilty, about to drop flower and a teeny, tiny little green tomato starting to come in.

Beans are doing well, too. In fact I am having trouble deciding whether to pick them now and eat them, or save them to dry and use later in soup or chili.

The raspberries’ blooms have fallen and been replaced with fruit buds, which are just beginning to get a blush of color.

And the blackberries are flowering like crazy; soon we will have an abundance of the dark, sweet berries.

Sadly, my peach trees aren’t doing as well. The trees seem to be fine, but they are dropping fruits. Also on the fruits themselves we are finding more evidence of pest. I think it’s too late in the season to save any of the fruit, so there won’t be the bushels of peaches I was dreaming of. The fruits still on the tree sure look pretty, though.

Welcome to In the Garden, part of Today.com. I look forward to sharing my tips and tricks and experiences with gardening with you. I’ve been gardening for several years, with progressively larger garden plots each year, and am always learning something new. From how to start plants from seed to proper pruning of a peach tree, I am happy to share my gardening knowledge and experiences with you.

If there’s something you’d like to know more about, or if you have any gardening questions please ask - if I don’t have the answer, I’ll try to find it for you. Let’s learn together!