Susan Patterson – Page 2 – Backyard Vitality

Can I Eat Those Backyard Mushrooms?

4 min read | Author - Susan Patterson

If you’re noticing mushrooms popping up on your lawn, you shouldn’t be surprised or concerned. It simply means that autumn is on the way, which is the prime time for fungal growth. Fungi live in your soil at all times – they are a vital part of the ecosystem and help keep plants healthy. At the right time of year and when the weather conditions are perfect, they pop up these little fruiting bodies to spread spores and reproduce. You may have noticed that fungi proliferate in wet weather that occurs right after a dry spell, or when you’ve just laid new turf. The disturbed soil releases fungal spores that were previously dormant, so you get lots of toadstools popping up on that nice new lawn.

Replace Dangerous and Expensive Herbicides and Pesticides With this Simple Kitchen Solution

6 min read | Author - Susan Patterson

Every year there are 136 million pounds of pesticides used on North American gardens and lawns. Surprisingly, homeowners are reported to use about three times the amount of pesticides as farmers. In fact, the majority of wildlife poisoning and water contamination is not from farms or other large organizations — it’s from single-family homes.

Banish Ear Fungi and Ease Pain With ACV

4 min read | Author - Susan Patterson

Apple cider vinegar is an ancient remedy made from fermented apple juice that has been used for thousands of years to alleviate many conditions and ailments. You’ve probably heard of apple cider vinegar for things like cleaning, soothing a sore throat, and lowering blood sugar, but did you know that it may help relieve an ear infection as well? Read on for our favorite ways to use ACV for ear infections and a few other helpful hints.

Ditch the Bug Zappers, Try This Instead

4 min read | Author - Susan Patterson

It’s summer, your garden is blooming, and you are anxious to host weekend outdoor parties and show off your beautiful patio and yard, but… you live in an area where mosquitoes are like vicious sharks, seemingly waiting in the air to attack. Perhaps you have tried those noisy bug zappers that annoyingly let you know every time they annihilate a flying pest (some of which are not bad pests, either). Between the annoyance and guilt, it may be time to try something more natural to keep the unwanted guests from crashing your party. Here are a few great options.

Top 11 Homemade Fertilizers

5 min read | Author - Susan Patterson

How you feed your plants makes a tremendous difference to the quality and quantity of your harvest. Organic fertilizer can provide your plants with the nutrition that they need to grow and thrive, defend pests, and resist disease.

Becoming a Mindful Gardener Amidst a World in Chaos

7 min read | Author - Susan Patterson

When an envelope of chaos surrounds your life, it is important to know that your garden can be a place of refreshment, renewal, and hope. It can be a safe place where you can be still and become one with the natural world around you. This is a good thing. We often trip on our thoughts, on fear, and on the what if’s. In the garden, you can be still, content, and soak in the beauty that surrounds you. When you become a mindful gardener, you have arrived at a place that allows you to escape the chaos of the world and just be.

Skip the Supermarket: Grow a Kitchen Garden Instead

4 min read | Author - Susan Patterson

Now more than ever, growing your own organic, kitchen garden is essential. With stay-at-home orders still in effect, and grocery store shelves still rather barren, there’s no time like the present to embrace gardening and increase your sustainability to help provide fresh, safe products for you can your family. No matter how much or how little space you have, anyone with a patch of sunlight can grow a bountiful kitchen garden. Here’s how.

The No Fail Veggie Anyone Can Grow and How to Do It

5 min read | Author - Susan Patterson

Are you ready to be a successful potato gardener? This versatile starchy tuber is easy to grow and can be cultivated by anyone with great success, even the novice gardener. The best thing of all is that there are endless possibilities when it comes to growing potatoes so everyone can get in on the action.

What are Hitchhiker Weeds and How to Control Them

4 min read | Author - Susan Patterson

When new plants are uprooted and introduced to new areas, many of them become invasive, crowding out native species, which in turn affect native insect pollinators and other animal populations dependant on them.

Easy and Creative Vertical Garden Ideas

4 min read | Author - Susan Patterson

Do you love to be surrounded by vibrant plants but are short on space? You can fit a vertical garden anywhere, indoors or outdoors, and have plenty of gardening fun. A vertical arrangement will help you fit more plants in a small area. Try these ideas for fun ways to try your hand at vertical gardening.

12 Tips to Keep Your Garden Harvest Fresh for Longer

5 min read | Author - Susan Patterson

Have you ever been so blessed by a massive harvest that you become overwhelmed? I know the feeling! Sometimes you just have so many fresh veggies that you become worried about using them all before they go bad. Believe me, this is a problem. However, you can turn your problem around if you follow these tips on preserving and keeping your harvest fresh for longer.

Can I Eat Those Backyard Mushrooms?

Replace Dangerous and Expensive Herbicides and Pesticides With this Simple Kitchen Solution

Banish Ear Fungi and Ease Pain With ACV

Ditch the Bug Zappers, Try This Instead

Top 11 Homemade Fertilizers

Becoming a Mindful Gardener Amidst a World in Chaos

Skip the Supermarket: Grow a Kitchen Garden Instead

The No Fail Veggie Anyone Can Grow and How to Do It

What are Hitchhiker Weeds and How to Control Them

Easy and Creative Vertical Garden Ideas

12 Tips to Keep Your Garden Harvest Fresh for Longer

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