The Big Reveal

Hey, Besties! I've been buzzing with excitement to give you a peek into my garden – it's like a little slice of paradise right in my backyard. Editing these photos felt like an eternity (I might've gone a tad overboard with the camera 📸). Still, I've finally narrowed it down to share with you!

Garden Expansion

This year, I went all out and expanded my garden using railroad ties – talk about a major upgrade! More space meant more green babies to tend to.

Plant Selection

I've got a soft spot for my local greenhouse; they're my go-to for plants. Starting from seeds? Maybe next year (fingers crossed!). For now, I'm all about those robust, ready-to-thrive plants.

Classic Choices

I kept it classic with tomatoes and peppers – they were superstars last year, and I'm all for a repeat performance. Plus, let's be real, my veggie palate isn't the most adventurous. But I did sneak in some squash (yellow & zucchini) for my hubby – he's the king of frying them up, and I might give them a whirl in the instant pot!

Tomato Varieties

Tomato-wise, I mixed it up a bit. I aimed for last year's champs but ended up with a different variety from the greenhouse. And then there's the San Marzano – a recommendation from my aunt that had me rushing back for more. Trust the family wisdom, right?

Pepper Picks

Peppers were a bit of a green blur – I'm not their number one fan, so I wasn't too picky. But hey, variety is the spice of life, or so they say!

The Wild Card

And then there was this little patch left – a garden's equivalent of "what's behind door number three?" My husband threw in the idea of planting green beans from last year's seed stash. It's a bit of a wild card, but guess what? They're thriving like it's their garden party!

Harvest Dreams

I'm already daydreaming about homemade tomato sauces and stuffed peppers. With this garden's size, I'll be a canning and cooking machine come fall. Bring on the harvest!

Stay Tuned

Stay tuned for more of Tiff's Garden Chronicles – it will be a delicious ride! 🍅🌶️👩‍🌾 

Aaand this is the story of how we bought a lilac plant out of the back of someone’s truck!

We’re in the middle of regrading our yard, so this year we decided to take it easy on planting.  I honestly can’t wait until this project is finished because I want to plant all.the.things.  I’m thinking blueberries, strawberries & a huge garden! I’m the most impatient person ever, so having to scale it all back this year is really getting to me!

One of the things that I wanted to plant are lilacs.  We have a huge white lilac in the front yard & I love when it comes into bloom, even though it lasts approximately 2 days a year!  It just smells so fantastic!

My husband & I were at a thrift store & when we were coming back to the car, we noticed the truck beside us was absolutely filled with plants, including fairly decent sized lilacs.  We’d never seen lilacs that were already large like that.  As we were getting ready to leave, the owner of the truck came out to leave too.  My husband decided to ask her where she bought the plants for future reference, because we didn’t really have a space in the yard for it this year.  It just so happened that she was selling the plants in a fundraiser the next day & had purchased them from a private nursery.  She offered to sell us the lilac & after going back & forth, we decided to buy it.  It was one of those impulse things that we knew we wanted it but weren’t sure where to plant it.  Luckily, we found a spot that should be safe from the yard construction!  The woman in the truck told us the lilac is a smaller variety, so it shouldn’t take over our entire yard, either!

Our neighbors first introduced us to the stevia plant. I immediately became OBSESSED! The leaves tasted super sweet & I could grow this fantastic plant in my yard! Count me in! I bought 3 plants & was ready to go…

Except I didn’t really know anything about stevia. How was I supposed to cook with it? How could I preserve it? What exactly is this plant that I now have 3 of? So I hit up Pinterest for all the answers & it didn’t disappoint.

Stevia is a natural sweetener in different types, including liquid, powder, and whole leaf. The taste and concentration of each type can vary, with liquid stevia being the most concentrated and whole-leaf stevia being the least. Some kinds of stevia may have a bitter aftertaste, so choosing a brand known for its good taste is vital. Ultimately, the best type of stevia depends on personal preference and intended use.

Here are some more facts about stevia: