I want to fight for a better world, but, these days, staying in the fight also requires regularly getting out of it in healthy and healing ways. I do that by being in my garden and I’ve identified a few qualities of my garden that sustain me. I share those in this blog.

This blog summarizes the value of cover cropping in the home garden. I provide specific examples of cover crops I use at Blooming Burbs to build soil fertility.

We are in for a wild ride. The media you consume affects how both you and your community cope.

There are ways you can minimize the stress on plants during extreme heat events. I discuss a couple here and also link to some additional resources.

The floral industry is bad for people and planet. Find a local flower grower, instead!

If you want to show your love for monarchs, plant more than milkweed and they will love you right back.

There’s no getting around it. Meat, no matter if it’s factory farmed or grassfed, has an outsized negative impact on the environment. If we are going to solve the climate crisis, our diets will necessarily have to change.

I believe that most of us are already built to garden because we’re built to care about things. We care about our families, for example, and we think about ways to create good environments for ourselves and our loved ones. We’re built to learn as we go, and to learn from each other and our surroundings. Those same things that we all do every day mean you’ve already got the soul of a gardener.

A short video of some of the most common overwintering backyard birds in mid-Michigan.

Blooming ‘burbs small batch fruit syrups are ready for purchase! Local sales only, please.

This little pond, which I put in last summer, has become quite the center of activity.

You can plant these flowers and grasses without worrying about the deer eating them! Many of them have additional benefits, such as providing pollinator habitat.

I wrote this for our community’s Fall Eco Home Tour to give people a better idea of what’s involved and what they can save by getting a rooftop solar system in Michigan. I also learn that I’m getting a pretty raw deal from my utility company!

I discuss why I wanted a greenhouse and my approach to building it. I link to useful resources and give details about materials and prices.

Summary of and gift links to three articles that explain why you should love bugs and gives you some practical info about how to love them better.