5 Tips for Successfully Planting Herbs in Pots

Planting herbs in pots has benefits for everyone from the space-starved gardener to the gardener with poor soil and everyone in between. Herbs in pots can fill gaps in the garden, allow special care of plants that require a little effort and provide a temporary home for herbs like rosemary and scented geraniums that will need to be moved inside during Northern winters.

A Top Ten List of the Best Chickens for Eggs

Most folks keep a flock of chickens for their eggs and having the best chicken breeds for eggs makes all the difference. In this regard, not all breeds are created equal. So if your motive is to get eggs, check out this top ten list of productive breeds. You'll soon find these breeds will be the backbone of your backyard flock.

Homemade Bath Salts and Scrubs

I love making bath salts and scrubs! They are decadent, yet easy to make. These two recipes are so great you’ll probably find yourself making them for holidays and special occasions since they're perfect for gift giving.

All the ingredients can be found at your local grocery, craft store or online. There's almost no excuse not to make them for your next bath. Just grab the ingredients from your pantry and you're ready for a relaxing soak in the tub. You can also make bath salts ahead of time and store them in your bathroom closet so they’re always handy. They’re great for your skin and can be tailored to meet your specific needs.

OMG! It's a Roo! How to Tell if You Have a Hen or a Rooster

Are you wondering if you have a rooster in your flock? If so, you're not alone. As baby chicks start to grow up, it's not uncommon to wonder about the sex of your chickens even if you chose from the pullet brooder at the store or ordered pullets directly from the hatchery. Here's my personal story with getting an accidental rooster and how you can tell what you've got one (or three) in your flock.

Roopert as a young rooster.

Baby Chicks Get Outside Time

As spring gets warmer and baby chicks get older, people wonder when their chicks can get outside for some exercise and time to scratch and peck. After all, the ultimate goal for your chickens is to live in the backyard. But when is that possible? Are there small steps you can take toward the ultimate goal?

How to Make Marbled & Tie-Dyed Easter Eggs

Why make Easter decorating hard on yourself or expensive? You can make marbled eggs and tie-dyed eggs using everyday ingredients from your pantry including food coloring. These techniques produce beautiful eggs that look like they came from a fancy egg dyeing kit. Both you and your kids are sure to love them!

Marbled Eggs

Creative Easter Egg Decorating Ideas

Easter's such a fun holiday. So why not step it up and use some creative Easter egg decorating ideas your whole family is sure to love.

As I grew up, we always bought our white eggs from the store and used a PAAS Easter egg kit to make beautiful Easter creations. It’s not that my mom didn’t know how to dye eggs with food coloring; I just think my sister and I loved buying our cool egg kits so much that she didn’t deny us the pleasure.

Fast forward to today, and at Easter, my egg customers have a definite preference for the white eggs laid by my Brown Leghorn chickens. They see all the kits in the store and fall for the myth that white eggs dye so much prettier than other colors. Nothing, in my opinion, can be farther from the truth. In my family, we prefer to dye the brown and green eggs laid by the rest of my flock. I love the deep, rich tones that the brown and green eggs provide when they’re dyed. And frankly, we don’t need a kit from the store. We use the food dye from our pantry and find that it’s so versatile that we can make tons of interesting combinations.

Polka dot, rubber band and flower decorated eggs.