Monday, June 29, 2020

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using natural blood meal on tomato plants | on the creek blog // www.onthecreekblog.com

I've never really been interested in using plant food in the garden. I always thought of it as the easy way out.


That also could explain why my gardens haven't done their best in the past!


Sometimes you need a little help & I got it unexpectedly this year. One day, our neighbor brought over a bag of plant food. He used it in his garden in the past & suggested we use it in ours.


Natural Blood Meal is an organic fertilizer made from dried animal blood. It is rich in nitrogen, an essential nutrient for plant growth. When added to soil, natural blood meal slowly releases nitrogen, providing a sustained source of plant nutrition. It also helps improve soil structure, water retention, and overall plant health. 


Up until this point, our tomatoes were struggling. We had started them from seeds super late & they were still small when we put them in the garden.


Once the tomatoes were in the garden, we had quite a few that were starting to struggle. Instead of growing, they began to look like they would die. We even replaced a few plants that did end up dying.


So when our neighbor brought over the plant food, I was ready to try anything.


using natural blood meal on tomato plants | on the creek blog // www.onthecreekblog.com


using natural blood meal on tomato plants | on the creek blog // www.onthecreekblog.com


using natural blood meal on tomato plants | on the creek blog // www.onthecreekblog.com


I placed a small spoonful of the Natural Blood Meal around each tomato plant. Since it was hot outside that day, I waited until the evening to water everything.


Then I started seeing results. I wish I had before & after pictures because the results were excellent! It's been about 3 or 4 weeks since I applied the plant food & the tomatoes have grown so fast!


using natural blood meal on tomato plants | on the creek blog // www.onthecreekblog.com


using natural blood meal on tomato plants | on the creek blog // www.onthecreekblog.com


I've never had tomato plants this big, let alone this early in the growing season! I think it's a combination of planting in actual soil & adding Natural Blood Meal to the plants. Whatever it is, the tomatoes are doing great!


using natural blood meal on tomato plants | on the creek blog // www.onthecreekblog.com


using natural blood meal on tomato plants | on the creek blog // www.onthecreekblog.com


I love it when the garden does well & this year is off to a fantastic start! I hope it continues in the right direction!


using natural blood meal on tomato plants | on the creek blog // www.onthecreekblog.com


using natural blood meal on tomato plants | on the creek blog // www.onthecreekblog.com


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Thursday, June 25, 2020

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Our roses are in full bloom!

The climbing roses we planted last year are starting to bloom this year!

As I mentioned in my spring yard walk post, a couple of the rose bushes we planted last year died.  I'm happy that these climbing roses made it!

I wanted to put some rose plant food on them but I never got around to it this year.  Luckily, they seem to be doing well.

I never saw myself as someone who has a lot of flowers & a huge garden, but here I am!








Wednesday, June 24, 2020

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Remembering our sweet dog.

Our sweet boy, Rain, passed away last week.

He was 16 years old.

It's been so difficult without him here.  I miss him so much.

He was the best dog we've ever had.

Since he was an older dog, I tried to prepare myself for his passing.  I was still a total mess.  No amount of thoughts beforehand could prepare me for his loss.

He would have made such an amazing big 'brother' to our foster children.


I hope we'll be able to meet again someday, sweet boy.




Monday, June 15, 2020

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A solar powered chandelier for the pergola!

When we built the pergola a couple months ago, I knew I wanted to add a chandelier.

It took a while to find a chandelier but I finally found one over the weekend at a yard sale.

It was also super cheap which is a win every time!

I wanted to give it just a little makeover before I put it outside.  I wanted to keep the rustic look, so I did very little in the makeover department.







Friday, June 12, 2020

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'Fresh Cut Flowers' handmade sign with Cricut | On The Creek Blog // www.onthecreekblog.com
A vintage inspired 'Fresh Cut Flowers'  sign.

I'm back with another sign!

After seeing how easy it was to create my 'Tomatoes' sign, I wanted to make another sign!

I took a slightly different approach with this sign.

I originally wanted to make another sign that looked like the 'tomatoes' sign but I didn't have any more of the old boards.

What I did have was a piece of thick pine board, so I decided to use that.  Because I wanted a square sign, I had my husband cut it down to size.

Once the board was cut, it was time to create the sign!


Thursday, June 04, 2020

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vintage inspired DIY tomatoes sign | On The Creek Blog // www.onthecreekblog.com
A vintage inspired 'tomatoes' produce sign.

After planting so many tomatoes this year, I felt like I needed a sign to go with them!

I saw some vintage produce signs & wanted to make my own!

Sign making is something I want to start doing more.  It's a huge learning curve for me, though!  Because I have no artistic skills whatsoever, I can't just paint the lettering on!  I have to use a cutting machine to cut the letters out for me!

I bought a Cricut a few years ago & have used it maybe a handful of times.  The Cricut is also another huge learning experience!  I really need to just sit down & read the million tutorials there are on it!  So far, I've only used i
t to create basic things, like this sign! 








Wednesday, June 03, 2020

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Here's what we planted in the garden this year!

We planted a lot this year in the garden & I wanted to make a post to document everything!

We didn't intend on having a big garden this year but it just worked out that way!  Our old tomato seeds did really well & we ended up with a lot of tomato plants!

The old seeds took a while to grow, so thinking nothing was happening, I went & bought more tomato seeds.  Then everything started growing all at once!  I did notice that the new seeds matured a lot faster than the older seeds, but everything seems to be doing alright.





Tuesday, June 02, 2020

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Planting tomatoes in the garden | On The Creek Blog

Planting the 2020 garden!

We went big with this year's garden!

After the success of our tomato seedlings, we ended up with our largest garden to date!

This year, we planted a little bit of everything.  Because we planted so many things, I'm working on another post that lists everything.

The only plants we bought this year for the garden were the pepper plants.  Everything else we started from seeds.

We've never started this may veggies from seeds before, so I'm excited to see how they'll turn out!







Monday, June 01, 2020

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We built a Little Free Library®!

Having a Little Free Library has been a dream of mine & it finally came true!

We actually completed this project in January but it took a while to get this little library in our yard!

Since we have harsh winters in our area, I wanted to wait until spring before we brought the library outside.

Then the COVID-19 pandemic hit & I was unsure if it would be the right time to open.

Finally, I decided to open (with precautions) a few weekends ago!

I love Little Free Libraries & I think they're just the cutest!  

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