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Becoming a Mindful Gardener Amidst a World in Chaos

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.

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7 Things to Do With Avocado Pits

If you aren’t already obsessed with avocadoes, you are in the minority. This precious fruit is full of healthy fat, fiber, potassium, and so much more. How could you not love it? But what can you do with that leftover pit once you’ve enjoyed your green treat? Read on to find out. 

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Not a Fish Fan – Try This Omega 3 Powerhouse Plant Instead

When we think of omega-3 fatty acids, our minds often go straight to fish such as salmon, sardines, and tuna. But what if you’re not a fan of fish? Or perhaps you’re vegetarian, vegan, or just looking for plant-based sources of this essential nutrient?

Enter common purslane (Portulaca oleracea), an unassuming, often overlooked leafy green with a serious nutritional punch. This wild-growing plant is one of the richest plant sources of omega-3 fatty acids, making it an excellent alternative for those who want the health benefits without seafood.

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Skip the Supermarket: Grow a Kitchen Garden Instead

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. 

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No Fail Houseplants For Every Room in Your House

It’s no secret that we adore houseplants here at Backyard Vitality. They clean the air, lift your mood, and bring a taste of the garden right into your living room. In fact, we believe that house is not a home without a few plants scattered across every empty surface. Sadly, many people are scared to get houseplants because they have a “brown thumb” or just “aren’t good with plants.” This list of no-fail houseplants will finally put those fears to bed, help increase your confidence, and allow you to decorate every room in your home with vibrant living decor. 

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

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.

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3 Reasons to Stop Using Peat and What to Use Instead

Peat is a fibrous material made up of partially decomposed plant materials and natural forms in the earth in locations that fulfil particular requirements. For instance, the climate has to be mild (not rising above a certain temperature), stagnant water must be present, and it will only form in anaerobic conditions, which essentially just means the the absence of oxygen. Peat is most commonly found in Russia and Canada.

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Grow Your Own Hand Rescue Salve

Gardening and health are intrinsically linked. You grow your own fruits and vegetables, so you begin to eat more whole, fresh food. You have to harvest, plant, and tend your garden, so you get more physical activity and daily doses of fresh air and sunshine. However, unless you wear gloves all the time, you probably also experience the dry, cracking hands that come from spending hours digging in the dirt. Thankfully, all the herbs needed to create this soothing hand salve, and make dried out hands a thing of the past, can be grown right in your garden.

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What are Hitchhiker Weeds and How to Control Them

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.

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Easy and Creative Vertical Garden Ideas

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.

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Grow Your Own Apothecary: Medicinal Plants That Thrive Indoors 

Imagine feeling under the weather, perhaps with a scratchy throat or a tension headache. Instead of rummaging through a medicine cabinet stocked with store-bought remedies, you simply reach over to your windowsill, pluck a few leaves, and brew yourself a natural, healing tea. Sounds like a dream, right? Well, it’s possible with a homegrown indoor apothecary!

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