Gardening & Recycling all-in-one

I've been searching for great gardening ideas, trying to maximize my space and recycle where I can. So I came across some neat ideas and as I gain the items that I need I have been implementing them in my landscape and gardening experience.

I've searched most of the morning, trying to figure out where I found this idea and finally this afternoon I found it. Click Here if you wish to see it where I saw it. I really think I saw it on Pinterest but for the life of me can't find it there.

Hanging Herb Garden using Recycled Soda Bottles

My beginning attempt

The only items you need are:

2 liter pop bottles

Sharp knife

Scissors

Twine (baler or poultry string)

Soil

Seeds

Basically, you just cut a hole in the top starting it with a knife then finishing it with scissors. On the bottom I cut a few small slits to let excess water drain out. 

To hang it I took the sharp tip of the knife and made a circular hole to poke the twine through and tied enough knots to make it big enough so it wouldn't pull through under the weight of the soil and water. I did the same thing to hang the second bottle to the top bottle. On the small neck part I just tied the string around the small area instead of worrying about cutting a hole. 

Fill with soil, add seeds of choice and water. 

Hang where ever you have space. For now mine is hanging on the outside light of the front door. I will move it when I find a wall or put up privacy fence. I plan on adding more bottles as I get them.

If you would like to make it look nice you could paint them. I just may do that later also if I find time.

Happy Herb Gardening

~ Farm Girl

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Maternity Ward Update

Well since today is Mother's Day I thought it would be appropriate to report on my momma bunnies.

First up is Robin and her three little bundles of joy. 

Someone is looking for a snack

Next up is Jinny's seven little bundles of joy!

They are putting on fur and seem to be doing very good.
Jinny is an EXCELLENT mommy!

Expecting Momma Sugar

She spent a lot of time in this position today.
I think she may be in labor. I didn't want to bother her.
As of  7 pm she still hadn't given birth.

Lastly we have Speckles

She's due but not until the end of the month. She is doing
very well also and I can't wait to see those babies. We bred
her to our mini rex/new zealand red.

I can't leave out Jaxson

He is our bunny protector. Almost anytime I look out at the
ladies or go over there he is very close if not sitting on the
chair watching over them. Sometimes he's even on top of their
cages looking down on them. The ladies seem to not mind him
being around. None of them have acted out while he has been around.

Hope everyone had a wonderful Mother's Day Weekend.

~ Farm Girl

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Progress

A while back I shared the pictures of this failling apart farm and the land that I called my front yard. Well now I want to share our new front yard. Its by far not finished but its great strides toward where I want it to be.

Bare spot from pool

Where I use to park

And now the real progress!

So happy with just one planting of grass.

Now its almost time for my new flower beds. We however do need to hit it one more time with some fertilizer and more grass seed its thin but its so much better than what it was to start out with.

~ Farm Girl

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Rabbitry News - Jinny

I have been expecting babies buns since Friday from Jinny and she hadn't showed any signs of going into labor. I was starting to wonder if she was even preggers. Yesterday morning I went out and checked on all of the bunnies. I talked to Jinny for a bit and gave her some attention along with her neighbors Robin and her babies, and Sugar. She still hadn't pulled any fur yet. After being with her for an hour I decided it was time to go in the house and get some house work done. Well between then and 5:30 pm she was a very busy gal. She pulled fur like there was no tomorrow and gave birth.

Jinny I believe is a Flemish Giant cross and we bred here to a New Zealand this time. I'm hoping for some good size buns. Regardless of what we get we sure are happy.

~ Farm GirlPin It

Summer Vegetable Tian

I'm always looking for easy and healthy recipes to use up the bounty garden vegetables that we grow. Roasting the vegetables magnifies the flavors and gives them a hint of sweetness. Top with a creamy cheese and you have a bliss, will please just about anyone. This recipe is exactly what I have been looking for.

Summer Vegetable Tian

Summer Vegetable Tian

Ingredients
1 TBSP olive oil
1 medium yellow onion
1 tsp minced garlic
1 medium zucchini
1 medium yellow squash
1 medium potato
1 medium tomato (I prefer roma but any will do)
1 tsp dried thyme ( I used rosemary was out of thyme)
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup shredded Italian cheese

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Finely dice the onion and mince the garlic. Saute both in a skillet with olive oil until softened.

While the onion and garlic are sauteing, thinly slice the rest of the vegetables.

Spray the inside of an 8x8 square baking dish with non stick spray. Spread the softened onion and garlic in the bottom of the dish. Place the thinly sliced vegetables in the baking dish vertically, in an alternating pattern. Sprinkle generously with salt, pepper, and thyme.

Cover the dish with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the foil, top with cheese and bake for another 15-20 minutes or until the cheese is golden brown.

Holding dinner for the DH made the cheese a little crispy but it was still delish. 

~ Farm Girl 

*orginal recipe came from budgetbytes.blogspot.com

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Momma Sprite Update

Our beautiful Sprite passed away 6 days after she gave birth to 13 babies. A few of them died right after birth and the rest have died a few each day. We were hand feeding them and the last two appeared to be doing very well but this morning they passed also. It sure wasn't for the lack of trying on my part because I have been up feeding them as I should of been. This morning my plans was to slip them in on another momma but that just didn't happen.

So here's a few pictures of Sprite and her babies. She was our first bunny to pass away.

Sprite

This was definately a new experience for us. Now we know that you can't save them all but also learned some technniques to help save some. 

During this past week we have added a few new bunnies to our rabbitry and we have a few litters on the way. I'll be posting more later this week. 

~ Farm Girl

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