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We’ve all been there: You’ve loaded your dishwasher to the brim with just about every useful dish you own and then realize you’re completely out of dishwasher detergent. If a last-minute dash to grab some isn’t in the cards, it might be easier to whip up a DIY dishwasher detergent that’ll get the job done until you can make it to the store.
We’ve seen a lot of DIY dishwasher detergent recipes that include items you may not already have in your home (like washing soda, which — yes — is different from baking soda!). To simplify, below are three DIY dishwasher detergent “recipes” that you can make with things you’re much more likely to actually have on hand.
Method 1: Baking soda & vinegar
The combo might be famous for “volcano” concoctions, but both baking soda and vinegar are excellent natural cleaners. To use this DIY method, Scott Schrader, a cleaning expert at CottageCare, suggests the following:
“This cleaning duo will cut grease, deodorize, and freshen your dishes,” he says. And if you have a septic system, Schrader advises you to steer clear of recipes that are heavy in borax. Instead, he recommends using vinegar or baking soda solutions like this one instead.
Method 2: Salt, lemon & baking soda
Need something more abrasive for tough stains or super dirty dishes? Try this natural dishwasher detergent that uses the scrubbing power of salt for an amped-up clean.
“The salt gets rid of greasy residue and the lemon oils cut right through it, which leaves your dishes sparkling clean,” Schrader says.
Method 3: Castile soap & baking soda
I’ll preface this recipe with the warning that it’s generally not recommended to use dish soap in your dishwasher. That’s because it can create suds that can cause potential damage to the machine (not to mention a soapy mess on your floor when it overflows). But if you’re really in a pinch and don’t have anything else in your home, Schrader recommends using a tiny amount of Castile soap.
“This is mild enough for most machines but is effective,” Schrader says. “Of the three options, the Castile soap combination is the best option for glassware because most harsher DIY powders will leave a cloudy film,” he advises.
Method #4: Castile soap, baking soda, salt & vinegar
Though it requires a few more steps, this is a gentle but effective option to use instead of store-bought dishwasher detergent, says Marilee Nelson, cofounder of Branch Basics.
Other Tricks if You’re Out of Dishwasher Detergent
When in doubt, hand-wash.
Of course, handwashing dishes is always an easy option, Nelson says. Dish soap is preferable, but experts say hand soap can work in a pinch — with some caution. Because many hand soaps include mild additives that aren’t food-safe, be diligent about rinsing to prevent buildup. To sanitize and kill any lingering germs when handwashing, public health experts suggest dishes need contact with water that is 170 degrees or hotter for at least 30 seconds.
Use bleach (with caution).
Alternatively, you can soak dishes in a mixture of 1 tablespoon of unscented chlorine bleach and 1 gallon of cool water for at least 1 minute. But make sure you read this guide to cleaning with bleach before you do!
Bookmark this guide to DIY dishwasher detergents so you’ll know exactly what to do if you ever run out when you’re cleaning your dishes. These common household items can totally save the day if you happen to run out of store-bought detergent — and some even work better!
What do you do when you run out of dishwasher detergent? Let us know in the comments below!
Using a wood burning pen is a simple way to make some floral pyrography. Coasters are one of my favourite creations to make with them, and it’s a super fun project that you can do in one weekend. Here’s how to make your own wood burned coasters!
Wood burned coasters are a great creative project that can be done no matter what time of year it is. Pyrography is the art of decorating wood (or leather) with a heated pen that burns the image into the wood as opposed to using paint to embellish it.
Better yet, it requires only three materials and some practice to find your groove with a pyrography pen. I’ll warn you now though, it can be very addictive!
Here are my top tips for those just getting started with pyrography.
I’ve also used this to make Christmas ornaments!
How to Make Wood Burned Coasters
You can get your design inspiration from almost anywhere, but adult colouring books have some lovely line drawings that are easy to copy with a wood-burning tool. I used some of the designs from the Garden Therapy Colouring Book as inspiration for these coasters.
Materials
You’ll need some practice wood too, so don’t start on your favourite pieces first.
Make It!
Making branch slices into coasters is a fun project that can be done easily from found wood or trees cut down from your property. There are full instructions here if you would like to make your own. Wood slice crafts are so popular these days that you can also purchase wood slices online very easily.
Cut and sand the coasters as in the instructions above, but don’t stain them yet.
Make sure your wood slices aren’t too small or too large to be coasters.
Set up the wood burning pen according to the package instructions and test out the different types of pen tips. I found that I definitely preferred the cone tip, but you get different results with each of them. Grab a block of wood that is well-sanded and test out some of the tips and designs.
Different pen tips will give you different effects.
If you prefer to try something a little bit more structured, choose a drawing and use transfer paper to transfer the image onto the wood before using the wood burning tool.
I prefer to freehand the drawing and see what takes shape. As I work on the projects, I learn new techniques and designs that work well with a wood burning pen.
Once you are finished with the line drawing, include embellishments and shading to really add depth to the artwork.
One of my favourite “moves” with the wood burning pen is to make dots. The dots are perfectly round and have a little halo around them. You can also use the side of the wood burning pen to lightly burn parts of the wood and add a little bit of shading.
Add embellishments and shading to take your design to the next level.
Use a spar urethane sealer to protect the finish of the wood once your design is complete. Sand and varnish the spar urethane as directed in the instructions on the packaging.
You can also add a few non-stick feet or glue a piece of felt to the bottom of the coasters to protect the tabletop that you’re using them on. My coasters are sanded so smoothly that they are fine directly on the table. I will say that my tables are not precious, though, and a few scratches never bother me much.
Wrap up a set of four to give as a gift, or set them out in your own home to enjoy.
Seal your coasters to prevent cracking.
Wood Burned Coaster FAQ
How do you keep wood slices from splitting?
If you are making your own wood slices, you must let them dry for quite an extended period of time before you can make anything with them. The key is to dry the wood very slowly in a cool, dry space. You want them in a location with limited moisture and heat. I put mine in my basement for the fall and pulled them out a year later. But really, the amount of time depends on how wet the wood was, how fresh it is, and where it dries.
How safe are wood burning pens?
I haven’t had any issues burning myself with the pen. You can wear heat-resistant gloves if you’re worried about burning yourself. Never touch the metal part of the pen when it’s plugged in, and use a stand to set it down. Never leave the pen unattended when it’s plugged in.
How do you sand the coasters?
If you want to sand your coasters ahead of time, use a heavy grit sandpaper first, then a finer grit to smooth out the surface. If there’s bark on the edges, do not sand it.
More Creative Projects to Try
A city girl who learned to garden and it changed everything. Author, artist, Master Gardener. Better living through plants.
For more than three decades, the Trumbullplex collective has offered Detroit a rare kind of community space with concerts and events on a donation basis, including free programs for DJs and artists, and perpetually affordable housing in the Woodbridge neighborhood.
Now the collective is asking the community to give back.
Facing urgent repairs before the winter sets in, Trumbullplex is trying to raise $25,000 through a GoFundMe and other efforts. So far, they’ve raised about $6,600 and chipped in their own $7,000 to replace a boiler, an expense that has wiped out their savings.
But much more is needed for electric work, a furnace, and a broken garage door. Electrical upgrades will cost another $7,500, while other repairs could run tens of thousands of dollars. Eventually the group will need to replace its roof at an estimated cost of $70,000.
“With the problems, it has been impossible for Trumbullplex to host any big events,” Lulu, a collective member who asked that her last name not be used, tells Metro Times. “We haven’t been doing any gatherings unless we know there are going to be a small number of people, but certainly we can’t have concerts or parties because we have electricity issues.”
The Trumbullplex owns a pair of Victorian-era houses and a performance space at 4210 Trumbull. Founded in 1993, the space has deep roots in punk and anarchist culture, with a mission of resisting gentrification and providing accessible space for creativity and community. Its programs include Homie Hangz, a free DJ workshop that provides lessons, industry-standard equipment, and community support.
“Hundreds of people have come through the Homie Hangz,” Lulu said. “There are dozens or more who have learned how to DJ here and be present in the community and do gigs.”
For Lulu and mother members, the most important part of Trumbullplex is the space that brings people together.
“Our main focus is the community gathering space because that is something everybody uses,” Lulu says. “We always prioritize that space over any space on the property, including the space we live in.”
The Trumbullplex in Detroit is raising money to hold more events and concerts. Credit: Steve Neavling
The collective is planning more free or donation-based events, including movie nights, game nights, dance classes, yoga, and community panels. But first, they need to stabilize the space.
Lulu says this is the first fundraiser since she joined the collective about four years ago.
“That’s a really big goal,” Lulu says of the $25,000 fundraising target. “We don’t usually ask people for money.”
In addition to donations, Trumbullplex is encouraging musicians, artists, and venues to hold benefit shows and consider donating equipment that was damaged this summer.
“If anyone wanted to donate a portion of the proceeds to Trumbullplex or if any venues wanted to give a space to throw a benefit or show, that would be helpful,” Lulu said.
Despite the financial hurdles, the collective remains committed to its mission.
“Everyone is welcome,” Lulu says. “We want to save this space.”
Privacy screens can be a garden feature that takes up only a small footprint, but attracts a ton of attention. You can build a wood privacy screen yourself with a few easy-to-find materials and get growing with an espaliered climbing shrub that looks beautiful for all four seasons.
This post will cover…
If you have a small urban lot or a close proximity to your neighbours’ yards, you may also need to create a sense of privacy in your outdoor oasis. While I love using trees and large shrubs to frame the perimeter of the garden, they can take up space.
I had a large Carolina Allspice growing on the East side of my urban yard that bloomed many deep red, peach-scented flowers each year in June and pulled double-duty by creating privacy in the yard.
Carolina Allspice
For some reason, this usually tidy shrub grew to mammoth proportions, and it completely filled up the fence that divides us from the neighbour’s deck. It acted as a wonderful framework to the back of the garden and a privacy screen in the summer months when we needed it most.
And then, last summer, one of the branches died back. And then another branch, and another. By fall, all of the leaves and branches had died, and I couldn’t find a single reason why. All of the surrounding plants were healthy, and we didn’t have any unusual weather. It remains a mystery.
I hoped that it would grow back this year, but, sadly, it did not. It’s sad to say goodbye to a tree or shrub from the garden that has provided so much enjoyment and purpose. It was time for a new solution.
The Carolina Allspice died, leaving little privacy between our house and the neighbours.
I decided on a wood privacy screen because I wanted something instant to fill up the space. This large, freestanding cedar trellis was the perfect solution. I had an evergreen Wintercreeper growing in the garden that I was able to transplant and espalier on the trellis.
I can grow the branches all the way up to the top and let them fill out into a mass of green and white leaves, or I can continue to prune it into an espalier shape, keeping the leaves tidy.
The wintercreeper was pruned into an espalier shape.
How to Build a Freestanding Wood Privacy Screen
The most important part of building any structure is ensuring that its foundation is strong enough to prevent it from tipping or blowing over on a windy day. A good rule of thumb is to dig each post hole at least 1/3 the depth of the fence’s height. For this project, the privacy screen is 11’ tall, and so the post holes need to be at least 3’6” deep.
Many fence posts are built by placing the actual post in the post hole and pouring concrete around it, but for this project, we chose to seat the posts onto post saddles instead to help keep the posts out of the soil and water. This will reduce the risk of the posts rotting prematurely.
Dimensions: 11 feet high x 8 feet wide – adjust for your space
Stepladder that will allow you to safely reach at least 12’ high.
Make It!
Prepare Concrete Footers and Saddles
Dig two holes 7’2” apart on center, 3’5” deep, and 14” wide. Make sure that you are using the right digging tool and technique for your project and your body.
Cut a concrete forming tube into two 3’8” lengths, place each tube into the post holes, and make sure that the top of the tubes are above grade.
Backfill around the outside of each tube with dirt.
Tamp down the bottom of each hole and pour in 3” gravel.
Pour about 6 bags of prepared concrete into each tube while periodically tamping the concrete.
Round the top of each concrete footer away from the center to prevent rainwater from pooling.
Insert post saddles into the center of each concrete footer. There should be about a 1” gap between the bottom of the saddle and the top of the concrete footer to prevent the post from contacting water and soil and prematurely rotting. Ensure that the post saddles are level vertically, horizontally, and with each other.
Allow the concrete to cure.
End of step 1, preparing the concrete footers and saddles.
Attach the Privacy Screen Posts
Cut two 4”x4”x12’ pressure-treated posts to 11’.
Seat each post onto the saddle and level them vertically.
Stabilize the posts with scrap 2”x4” anchored to both the posts and the ground to ensure that they stay level while completing the rest of the privacy screen structure.
Use 2” galvanized lag bolts to firmly attach the posts to the saddles.
Use a level to ensure the posts stay straight.
Stabilize the Posts (Optional)
The posts should not sway or lean when you push on them. If you feel that the posts are not stable enough, then follow these steps to provide additional stability.
Prepare two concrete footers about 2’ deep by 12” wide, directly behind each fence post.
Insert two 6” galvanized lag bolts into the ends of each 6’ galvanized angle iron.
Insert the angle iron (lag bolt first) deep into the concrete footer and attach the other end to the corner of each fence post using two 2” long lag bolts.
Allow the concrete to cure.
Additional stabilization is also helpful if your yard experiences lots of wind.
Attach the Rails and Braces
Cut two 2”x4”x8’ pressure-treated planks to fit the inside length of the two posts and attach them 6” from the top and 6” from the bottom of the posts.
Cut a 4”x4”x12’ pressure-treated post into 4 equal pieces, trim the ends at 45 degree angles, and attach them to the inside corners of the privacy screen structure. This will help prevent diagonal swaying.
Braces are crucial for the stability of the privacy screen.
Install the Lattice
The lattice is made up of alternating strips of 1”x2” and 1”x4” cedar planks with a 1½” gap in between each strip. To make measuring the 1½” gap easy and consistent, use the wider part and extra 1”x2” cedar plank as a spacing guide.
Cut a 2”x4”x12’ cedar plank to 11’ and attach it vertically to the center of the top and bottom rails. This center plank will help prevent the lattice strips from sagging.
Working from the top down, attach horizontally to the posts and vertical center plank the 1”x2” and 1”x4” cedar planks in alternating order with a 1½” gap between each plank.
Plant It!
Finally, you can plant your espalier at the base of the structure and use garden ties to attach the branches to the lattice. Try adorning the screen with other decorative elements as well; we added a grapevine wreath to fill in the empty space at the top.
Eventually, the wintergreen will also help to provide privacy.
The sun can shine through, giving us dappled light and a beautiful backdrop to the garden.
More DIY Backyard Projects to Try
A city girl who learned to garden and it changed everything. Author, artist, Master Gardener. Better living through plants.
Home renovation projects can be very rewarding. They’re a good learning experience, and once successfully done, they can transform a space completely. Whether you’re updating your kitchen, installing shelving, improving your interiors or updating your bathroom, home improvement projects not only enhance the aesthetics and functionality of your home but can also increase its value.
When taking on a project at home, one major thing to think about is safety. Safety is non-negotiable and should be something you prioritise from start to finish. Proper precautions not only protect you and those around you, but also ensure that your renovation goes smoothly, without unnecessary delays caused by accidents or injuries.
How to reduce the risk of accidents during renovation tasks
Wear the correct clothing
Whenever you take on any renovation project, it’s important that you wear the correct clothing. Proper workwear can protect you from cuts, scrapes, burns, and chemical splashes. Companies like Strauss provide renovation work clothing which is reliable, durable, and designed specifically for the demands of DIY and construction tasks. Work clothing often features reinforced areas, breathable yet sturdy fabrics, and practical pockets for tools, combining both safety and convenience.
Plan ahead
Before starting any project, take the time to understand the tasks involved. Read instruction manuals, watch tutorials, and identify any hazards, such as electrical wiring or unstable surfaces. A clear plan reduces mistakes and unexpected dangers.
Use the correct tools
Always use the correct tool for the job and follow the manufacturer’s instructions. Inspect tools before use for damage or wear, and never attempt to bypass safety features. Sometimes you won’t have the tool that is needed to complete the work. If that’s the case, be patient and get the right tool in, instead of risking using something else.
Protect yourself when up high
If your project involves ladders or elevated surfaces, make sure ladders are stable and on level ground. Avoid overreaching, and consider using scaffolding or other stable platforms for higher tasks.
What features should you look for in safe and durable work clothing?
Features which you should look for in safe and durable work clothing include:
Reinforced areas
Look for reinforced knees, elbows, and seams in areas prone to wear. This adds longevity and extra protection for tasks that involve kneeling, bending, or carrying heavy loads.
A good fit
Clothing should fit comfortably, allowing freedom of movement while avoiding loose fabric that can get caught in tools or machinery.
Practical pockets and storage
Well-placed pockets for tools, measuring tapes, and small accessories can keep your hands free and reduce accidents caused by carrying items improperly.
Durable materials
Choose fabrics that are tear-resistant, heavy-duty, and able to withstand abrasions, sparks, and minor impacts. Materials like reinforced cotton blends or canvas are ideal for tough renovation tasks.
Safety for DIY and home renovation is hugely important. By planning your projects, using the correct tools, protecting yourself when up high and wearing the correct clothing, you can focus on your home improvements without compromising your health. Remember to never rush anything and be patient. If you don’t have the right kit at the time, order it and come back, instead of taking risks.
How do you manage safety for DIY projects around the home?
Above: The Willow Pod by Willow with Roots is available by commission.
Willow with Roots is a mother-daughter team in Worcestershire who grow their own willow, hold weaving workshops, and sell their wares—think lamp shades, baskets, and trays—via an online shop. They also do bespoke work, like the otherworldly Willow Pod, above.
Dreaming Spires Playhouse
Above: Needham’s largest construction, The Dreaming Spires Willow Playhouse ($3,285) is scaled to accommodate parents as well as kids: it’s 8 feet wide, 3 feet deep, and 6 feet tall. She also makes Onion-shaped Dens that start at $767).
Judith Needham of Surrey, England, is another willow weaver who makes her own designs (including baskets), and came up with her first playhouse for her own daughter. Needham’s willow comes from growers in Somerset, England: “It’s grown specifically for basket making; the method of cultivation, rather than the variety, is what makes the material suitable for weaving. The technique is called coppicing—each plant is cut right down to the ground during harvest in the spring leaving just a stump. New growth quickly springs from the trunk. These stems are long, thin, unbranching, and very pliable. Some plants are left to grow for two or three years to yield ten-f00t-long stems, which is what I need for playhouses, but most are cut annually making it the ultimate sustainable crop.”
For twig playhouses that are left outdoors, Needham recommends applying an annual coat of linseed oil, and says with this protective finish, they should last for six to eight years. Most of her customers are in the UK, but to date, she’s also shipped playhouses to the States.
Hocus Pocus
Above: Chapel Hill, NC-based environmental artist Patrick Dougherty roams the country creating elaborate, site-specific woven sapling installations.
One of his specialities is play constructions, most of which he builds on the grounds of museums, art centers, and colleges, but on occasion, Dougherty accepts private commissions. One such is Hocus Pocus, shown here, a willow structure at Bittersweet Farms in Ennice. NC. Photograph by Robyn Dreyer. Go to Stickwork to see more and learn about his process.
For more fanciful children’s play structures, see:
N.B.: This post was first published July 2017. It’s been updated with new products, photos, prices, and links.
Everyone knows that ornamental gardens are gorgeous when they’re in full bloom, but you don’t normally think of how beautiful plants can be after their flowers are done. Learning how to dry and preserve flowers and seed pods allows you to have plenty of crafting materials for the cold season ahead.
At the end of blooming season, when plants have gone to seed, is one of the loveliest times. It’s this time of year when natural sculptures take shape in the garden in the form of seed heads, pods, and more. Seed heads come in so many different varieties, from the large sculptural spheres of alliums to tiny, delicate grasses, and they can be dried and preserved to use as attractive indoor decor.
As fall begins, I love to go out into the garden and collect as many seed heads, pods, stems, leaves, and flowers as I can to dry and display. Sometimes I make them into crafts, but often I simply pop a few seed heads as-is into a vase or glass jar and—presto!—I have an instant, artful arrangement.
Collecting flowers, leaves, stems, and pods from the garden now will give you a treasure trove of beautiful dried plants to craft with all year long. Read on to learn how to dry and preserve flowers as well as leaves, stems, and dried seed pods from your garden, plus some creative projects you can try with them. You’ll be pleasantly surprised when you see how much beauty is left behind once the blooms fade.
Dried allium heads remind me of fireworks.
Drying Seed Heads
As with everything I do, I prefer the most natural possible option, so when I’m drying seed heads and flowers from the garden, I avoid artificial preservative sprays and glues. If you harvest your plants at the right time and dry them properly, they will still last a long time and look beautiful, no chemicals or stinky adhesives needed!
The flowers leave behind interesting seed pods and dried stalks, which are wonderful for crafts and dried arrangements. Don’t be too hasty with the pruners, as many species just dry in the garden and can be picked in mid-fall.
It’s a good idea to shake out any seeds so they’re not falling all over the place inside.
Don’t wait too long, either. You want to harvest seed heads once they have dried on their own, but before they begin to decompose or get mushy.
For more fragile plants like delicate decorative grasses, it is best to pick a collection of stems when they look their best in the garden, then dry them indoors.
Some flower pods and grasses look even better in bunches.
Chive seed heads. Most members of the allium family produce interesting dried pods.
How to Dry and Preserve Flowers
Harvest flowers in the morning for best results, as this is when the plant is most hydrated.
Choose flowers that are not entirely openyet. Almost all flowers will open more as they dry. You can also dry flowers that are open, but they shouldn’t have any signs of wilt, browning, or age. Flowers that are already at peak bloom may not dry as nicely.
For stalks of flowers, such as delphinium or winged everlasting, harvest the stems once the first few flowers are open.
Hanging flowers upside down ensures the stem stays straight and firm.
Dry flowers by first removing the foliage and then grouping them into bunches and hanging them upside down in the open air, away from the rain or indoors. Some flowers hold their colour better if you dry them in a dark place and keep them away from windows to avoid sun bleaching.
Hydrangeas must be clipped when already beginning to dry on the shrub, then placed in water.
Good Flowers for Hang Drying
Pressing Leaves and Petals
To preserve tender leaves and colourful petals, harvest them at their peak of colour and place them on the pages of a thick book under weights. Telephone books are ideal (if you still have those!) as the paper in them is absorbent and provides lots of space to dry the flowers.
If you want to protect the pages of the book, slip some printer paper or watercolour paper (it’s extra absorbent) on top and below the flower.
I have tried plant presses, but store-bought ones only hold a small number, so if you like, you can make your own bigger one using this tutorial. As you can imagine, you can press many specimens in the pages of a phone book.
Avoid pressing thick, juicy flowers and foliage as it is more likely to mould than to press well.
To make cards for the winter holidays or for many other uses, such as thank-you notes, birthdays, and for craft fairs or gifts. This one is from my book Garden Made.
This card features ginkgo leaves.
To make herbal tea sachets or scented sachets from herbs and sweet scented flowers to tuck into drawers and cupboards.
Lavender buds are my favourite for providing a floral scent.
This fresh lavender is easy to work with and then dries beautifully.
Preserve pressed flowers in all kinds of resin moulds, such as these coasters.
Pressed flowers and foliage also work wonderfully in candles when pressed against the side. They’re a safe way to include dried flowers in candles.
And to make bouquets from dried flowers for winter use. They have the wonderful quality of not requiring watering when we head out for warmer climes in the winter. My mother taught me the trick to buy beautiful pottery vases and make long-lasting floral gifts for autumn and winter parties.
Now go grab some clippers and head out to the garden for a treasure hunt. In the colder winter months, when the garden has been put to bed, you will be glad that you did!
More Tips for Harvesting Flowers
A city girl who learned to garden and it changed everything. Author, artist, Master Gardener. Better living through plants.
At THP, we take pride in telling you about the latest music that you should be listening to. And if you haven’t heard it already, you need to listen to ‘kiss’ by garbagebarbie immediately. We’re so excited because we got the chance to talk with the LA DIY band all about it! In this sweet […]
This week, we’re revisiting some of our all-time favorite stories about gardening in New York City. Cultivating plants in the Big Apple comes with challenges—yards tend to be small and shady, and privacy is rare—but if you have the patience, these urban gardens can produce some big-time magic. Behold…
October…strawberries? That would have surprised me, too, before I grew them myself on a tiny terrace in New York City.
Several years ago I bought two strawberry plants at GRDN, a pretty garden shop in Brooklyn. The cultivar name was Fern, and, said the label, these were “everbearing” strawberries. That sounded good. Standard strawberries will bear fruit in early summer only. But as a gardener with space issues, I ask a lot from a single plant. More is more.
I had never grown strawberries before and it sounded hard. Talk of mounding, and rows, and straw, and runners, and renovating…? All I had was some small pots, a lot of sun, a small terrace, and the desire to grow my own. Turns out that’s all you need to enjoy fresh berries till hard frost.
I put the plants in full sun on my terrace edge, and a month later I was eating the first ripe fruit. Soon, the plants made new flowers, and about four weeks later, more strawberries. And so it went, till the pots froze and snow fell. And they returned in the spring, with no extra protection. They weren’t kidding about the everbearing.
Soon I was picking handfuls. And in high summer the plants sent out runners—long, tender feelers with a tuft of leaves at the tip, searching for new land to occupy. Wherever they touched down they set down roots. I dug them up and potted these offspring in even smaller 6-inch pots.
Within a year I had a small strawberry farm, blooming into November. Eventually the reproduction by runners got so out of hand that I was sending the extras to friends, by mail. The parent plants do get tired after a few years, but by then their offspring have risen to the challenge. Life lesson?
Read on for step-by-step instructions to make a strawberry shrub cocktail called the Ingrid Bergman:
Above: Is there a more appealing summer arrangement? Above: My 66-square-foot terrace. Above: Because of space constraints, I housed the strawberries in terra-cotta pots no more than 8 inches in diameter. Above: Sweet harvest. Above: The Fern strawberry plants bloomed into November. Above: When we moved from a sunny top floor in Brooklyn to a shadier parlor-level Harlem with just four hours of direct sun, Fern languished. I sent the sulking survivors to sunnier gardens. But the surprise performer was the other strawberry I had been growing all this time, an Alpine cultivar called Ruegen.
The best way to preserve the beauty of the garden is with a flower press. With just a few materials and tools, you can make a handmade flower press that looks as beautiful as it is functional.
You can certainly preserve flowers and leaves in a book, a method that works well and is explained in this article. For those of you who want to take your crafting to a whole new level, a flower press will give you the most pristine and perfect dried flowers to create your artwork.
Last summer, I grew violas for the first time. They are such pretty flowers, I decided on a whim to press some between a few heavy books. Those pressings turned into a favourite summer activity, and I soon had quite the collection of pressed flowers and leaves from my garden.
This year, as I plan my garden planting, I’ve also decided to prep for more pressings by making my own handmade flower press. Let me take you along and show you how you can make one too!
Colourful flowers often press the best as they retain their colour well.
Handmade Flower Press
Luckily, my grandfather has a woodworking shop, so I stopped by one afternoon and we made this flower press together.
Materials
2 pieces of wood of equal size
4 bolts
4 washers
4 wing nuts
Cardboard (or thin wood)
Watercolour paper (or white paper)
Additional Tools
Saw (or have your wood cut to size at your local hardware store)
Drill
Sandpaper
You can easily use recycled or scrap wood for this project.
Make It!
First, cut your wood to size (you can make your flower press any size you want!). I made mine approximately 8″x 10″. Then, with the two pieces of wood stacked together, drill a hole through each corner (all the way through both pieces of wood). Use sandpaper to smooth off any rough edges.
Note: Make sure to choose a drill bit that is the same size as your bolt. I recommend drilling a test hole (using a scrap piece of wood) and making sure the bolt slides through the hole easily.
Use sandpaper to smooth the rough edges of your cut wood.
Next, cut your cardboard to size. My grandfather happened to have a piece of very thin wood on hand, so we decided to use that instead. Cut your cardboard/wood slightly smaller than your 2 boards. Then cut off each corner so that it will fit inside the bolts.
Use a piece of the cut cardboard/wood as a guide for cutting the watercolour paper (or white paper) to size.
Cardboard between your paper helps to absorb moisture and keep things straight.
How to Use a Wooden Flower Press
To assemble the press, insert a bolt into each corner of the bottom piece of the press. Layer alternate pieces of cardboard, paper, and flowers or leaves inside the press. The number of layers you use will depend on how many flowers you are pressing.
Note: I don’t recommend using paper towels (instead of white paper or watercolour paper) as the texture of the paper towel will be imprinted into your flowers while pressing.
The number of layers you can have depends on how tall your bolts are.
Place the top piece of wood onto the press by threading the bolts through the holes. Add a washer to each bolt, then top with a wing nut, screwing each one down tight, creating even pressure. Your flowers still need some air flow to properly, so make sure the press isn’t too, too tight.
Create pressure and make it flat, but still allow air flow.
Let Your Flowers Dry In The Press For One Month
This part requires some patience. Allow your flowers to press for a full 30 days. I highly recommend checking on the flowers every week to ensure there is no mould. The thicker and juicier the flower, the more likely it is to mould.
Just be extremely careful because checking them, as pulling the layers can result in tearing or wrinkling your flowers!
Let the flowers dry fully for one month before you remove them from the flower press.
Expert Tips for Flower Pressing
Harvest flowers for pressing on dry days. The best time to collect flowers is mid-morning after the morning dew has dried.
Get your picked flowers into the press as soon as possible, before they start to wilt, and keep them out of direct sunlight.
Sort your flowers by type and then place them face down into the press. Grouping like flowers together is best because they will dry at the same rate.
Make sure the flowers do not touch each other in the press. Otherwise, as they dry, they will become stuck together forever.
When pressed properly, flowers retain their shape and colour well.
Decorate Your Plant Press
After my flower press was assembled, I decided to decorate the top with a botanical illustration I found in an old book. I used an X-Acto knife to carefully cut out the flowers. Once cut out, I sprayed the back with adhesive and placed it onto the press. Next, I coated it with a few layers of Mod Podge and gave it a final spray of clear acrylic sealer to give it some extra protection.
Customize your wooden flower press by adding your own illustration, painting, or collage.
Flower Press FAQ
What layers do you need in a plant press?
Each layer of your flower press should consist of a piece of cardboard, the white or watercolour paper, your pressed flowers and leaves, the white paper again, and another piece of cardboard. Keep stacking layers until your flower press is full, and add the wooden piece on top to seal it all in.
How do I press small flowers?
One hack to help press small flowers is to put them between two cotton pads (like the cosmetic ones) instead of paper. This helps them to hold their shape better and prevent the small petals from shrivelling up. Just make sure to use smooth cotton pads so there is no imprint on the flower petals.
What flowers are not good for pressing?
Anything thick and juicy will be difficult to press as it retains too much moisture during the drying process. Unfortunately, this means that plants like dahlias, roses, tulips, mums, lilies, and more are difficult to press without the flower moulding. Many people suggest disassembling the flower petals and reconstructing the “flower” after all the petals have been pressed.
White flowers will also tend to turn yellow or brown in the press, but you can have success with them. Just make sure to press a few extras and see what turns out!
Use Your Pressed Flowers in These Crafts
Rachel Beyer is an artist, designer and creative maker living in Portland, Oregon. She spends her days working at Molly Muriel Apothecary and blogging at Adventures In Making. Her favorite hobbies include cooking, gardening, and crafting.
Dixie Belle Paint Company Introduces Four Innovative VooDoo Gel Stains, Offering Fresh, Custom Wood Finishes for DIY Furniture Makeovers and Restoration Projects
PORT RICHEY, Fla., July 25, 2025 (Newswire.com)
– Stained wood furniture is a leading trend in DIY furniture makeovers as well as furniture refinishing and restoration projects, and Dixie Belle Paint Company – established in 2014 as a full-service brand for chalk paint, stains, and furniture refinishing supplies – is setting the tone for custom furniture transformations with four new colors in its popular VooDoo Gel Stain line. These beautiful wood stain options offer creators fresh approaches to wood refinishing without relying on the same old color choices. With creativity, ease, and versatility, these stains support styles ranging from rustic farmhouse to clean-lined boho and natural wood finishes that dominate today’s contemporary home decor.
Meet the Four Game-Changers:
• Whiskey Barrel: A rich, warm brown wood stain that channels the timeless look of aged wood. Whiskey Barrel adds depth and character, making it ideal for rustic furniture makeovers and distressed wood finishes.
• Fireside Ash: A light, cool brown that highlights the natural grain of wood. Fireside Ash is perfect for modern wood furniture updates and minimalist home decor.
• Charred Hickory: A smoky, dramatic brown that adds depth and contrast. Charred Hickory is a bold choice for statement furniture pieces and DIY furniture transformations.
• Bleached Cypress: A light brown inspired by sun-weathered wood, ideal for coastal furniture styles, natural furniture DIYs, and light wood finishes.
Stained furniture has morphed from a secondary option to a popular choice in home decor renovation trends. Once overshadowed by painted pieces, stains now play a central role in custom furniture projects. Dixie Belle’s new VooDoo Gel Stains support this shift by providing products that combine innovation with style. These stains are more than just a finishing touch-they’re essential tools for furniture flippers, DIYers, and home decor aficionados looking to achieve natural wood finishes and modern, clean aesthetics.
Wood stains are experiencing this comeback as homeowners look for ways to bring out the natural textures in their pieces. Unlike paint – which covers the surface – stains reveal and enhance the character of the wood. Dixie Belle’s water-based gel stain formula is low-VOC and designed for eco-friendly furniture refinishing. Easy to apply and quick to clean, VooDoo Gel Stains are ideal for both beginner DIY projects and professional furniture restoration.
Dixie Belle Paint Company Dixie Belle Paint Company is a leading brand in the furniture painting and refinishing industry. Known for its wide range of chalk paint, gel stains, brushes, and DIY furniture products, Dixie Belle supports creatives of all skill levels. The company continues to be a trusted name in upcycled furniture projects, home improvement trends, and decorative wood finishes.
Available Now Dixie Belle’s VooDoo Gel Stain colors are available now online and through participating retailers: find a retailer close by! Whether you’re refinishing furniture, updating wood cabinets, or working on DIY home projects, these stains are designed to help you get professional results.
Halloween seems like the perfect opportunity to give the lovely and talented, Jody Steel her flowers. The makeup artist and cosplay icon has partnered with CBS and has also been featured on Freeform’s ’25 Days of Christmas.’
Her shadowing techniques are next-level, and it’s as if she thinks of her face as a blank canvas for any given character.
Steel’s skill and beauty have us geeking out. Give her a follow HERE.
At a Harley-Davidson dealership in Appalachia, one expects to encounter the occasional roar of some serious horsepower.
Less expected is the sight that has accompanied that sound in Swannanoa, North Carolina, for the past three weeks: Helicopters, many of them privately owned and operated, launching and landing from a makeshift helipad in the backyard of the local hog shop. According to the men who organized this private relief effort in the wake of devastating floods unleashed by the remnants of Hurricane Helene, more than a million pounds of goods—food, heavy equipment to clear roads, medical gear, blankets, heaters, tents, you name it—have been flown from here to dots all over the map of western North Carolina.
“We’re not the government, and we’re here to help,” says one of the two men standing by the makeshift gate—a pair of orange traffic drums—that controls access to and from the Harley-Davidson dealership’s parking lot and the piles of donated items neatly organized within it. “We can do it quicker, we can do it efficiently, and we genuinely just want to help our neighbors.” He identifies himself only by his first name and later asks that I don’t use even that. It’s an understandable request, as what he’s doing is probably not, strictly speaking, totally legal.
There are a lot of those blurry lines in western North Carolina right now, and thankfully the police are either too busy or too grateful for the help to care much about it. An ethos of do-it-yourself-ism, plenty of cooperation, and a healthy amount of “ask forgiveness rather than permission” is on display everywhere in Asheville and its surroundings.
Every bit of it is needed. The flooding caused by Helene is catastrophic, as I witnessed firsthand during a two-day trip to the area last week. Pictures and videos on social media and in the news do not fully capture the scope of this disaster—and the digging out, picking up, and rebuilding is a process far too large and too important to be left to the government.
The Harley-Davidson dealership in Swannanoa, North Carolina, has become an official relief center in the weeks since Hurricane Helene hit. (Photo by Eric Boehm)Piles of bottled water, clothes, gasoline, propane, and more donated goods in Swannanoa, where an ad hoc helicopter landing pad has been set up. (Photo by Eric Boehm)
“It’s been miraculous.”
The man largely responsible for organizing the Harley-Davidson airlift is a burly, bearded former Green Beret who goes by Adam Smith—yes, really.
Smith was on a work trip to Texas on September 27, when the remnants of Helene stormed into the southern Appalachians and dumped over 20 inches of rain onto the mountains. After losing contact with his ex-wife and 3-year-old daughter, Smith drove through the night to get back to the Asheville area. What greeted him was a nightmare: Roads to the mountain hamlet where the two lived were completely impassable thanks to downed trees and power lines, mudslides, and collapsed bridges. After two days of trying to get to them, and still no contact, Smith feared the worst.
“They’re about eight miles that way,” he gestures toward the mountain ridge that runs south of Swannanoa, an area where some of the worst flooding in the area occurred. “I just assumed they were dead at that point.”
Former Green Berets don’t give up easily. Through a series of connections, Smith got in touch with someone who owned a small recreational helicopter. On the morning of September 29, he hitched a ride on his last hope.
He found them, alive and well. Tears well up in his eyes when I ask him about that moment. “We landed the helicopter and I was getting out of the door and I saw them walk from the tree line,” he says. “And they were perfect.”
They weren’t the only ones who needed help. Smith’s day job these days is running Savage Freedoms Defense, a training and consulting firm, where he draws on his military experience to help prepare people to take care of themselves and their loved ones under difficult circumstances. Through that business and via connections with other retired special operations veterans in the area, Smith launched what’s been called a redneck air force to get supplies to flooded mountain towns. Smith owns motorcycles and knows people who work at the Harley-Davidson dealership. He also knew it would be a perfect spot for the group’s ad hoc operations: a big parking lot with a single entrance, and a large field out back where the helicopters have been landing.
By the end of the first week, they had three civilian helicopters running missions, and it has only grown from there. In addition to food and supplies, the group has carried Starlink devices into places where internet and cell connections were down.
Bringing together veterans and others with experience in emergency response meant that the group had people who knew “the different systems and procedures and process, and understand the red tape and also understanding the people on the ground,” says Austin Holmes, who is handling communications for Savage Freedoms.
The bootstrapped operation has gained notoriety in the region—and a visit from former President Donald Trump on Monday of this week—as well as the respect of the National Guard, which has started piggybacking on some of Savage Freedom’s supply runs. When I visited on Friday, a truckload of National Guardsmen were picking up a free lunch—smoked turkey, with peas and carrots—being distributed by volunteers in the parking lot.
Even the bureaucrats at the Federal Aviation Administration have had to get out of the way: The field behind the Harley-Davidson dealership was granted an emergency designation as a legitimate landing zone.
Smith says this is meant to be a “collaborative” operation, rather than a fully private one. But there are no uniformed cops controlling access, just Travis and his buddy, who declines to speak with me. The National Guardsmen who are here seem to be waiting for orders rather than giving them. What’s happening here resembles a militia operation, in the best and truest sense of the term.
“Now that we’re three weeks into it, we’ve had no less than 60 people here. At the height, we had 130 people here every day,” Smith says. “It just, it’s been miraculous.”
(Photo by Eric Boehm)
Who will build the roads…and the hot showers?
Any doubts about the necessity of those helicopters disappear as I wind my way into the mountains southeast of Asheville. It’s been three weeks, but U.S. Route 74—the only main road in this area—is passable only in the strictest sense of the word. Trees have been cut and the mudslides partially cleared, but power lines are down everywhere. In some places, it looks like every third tree was felled by the storm. In others, whole mountainsides came loose and tumbled down.
Where the road wasn’t blocked with debris from above, it was washed out from below. After crossing the top of Strawberry Gap, Route 74 follows Hickory Creek as it spills down the side of the eastern continental divide toward the Broad River. In places where floodwaters from the storm came into conflict with anything man-made, the creek won. The road is open now thanks to piles of gravel and steel plates filling some of the washed-out sections. Hastily constructed culverts have replaced destroyed bridges in so many places that I lost count.
“I’ve never dealt with anything like this, and I hope I never do again,” says Jay Alley, who has been the chief at the volunteer fire department in Gerton since 1994. “We had pretty much no roads, no bridges, no power poles, nothing. Had a lot of homes destroyed.”
Despite the damage, he’s proud to report that the town didn’t lose a single life in the flooding. “We actually gained one,” he says. “We had a baby born in the middle of all this, so that was really great.” The stories that kid will be told.
Other places have not been so lucky. As of October 23, there have been 96 deaths attributed to Helene’s impact on North Carolina—seven of them in Henderson County, where the town of Bat Cave (just down the road from Gerton) was nearly wiped out.
Flooding washed out sections of U.S. Route 74, slowing relief efforts. (Photo by Eric Boehm)A message of defiance in Bat Cave, North Carolina. (Photo by Eric Boehm)Debris from homes line the roads of western North Carolina. (Photo by Eric Boehm)
Donations and supplies that poured into Gerton overflow onto the driveway outside the firehouse: propane heaters, sleeping bags, warm clothes, and more. A trailer with a massive propane-fueled rotisserie oven—one that’s normally used to cook turkeys for church dinners, says Debbie, who offers me a chili dog while I wait to chat with Alley—has been churning out hundreds of hot meals every day for first responders and residents alike.
“It speaks to the generosity of the people who have come to help us,” says Alley. “We had lots of faith-based organizations and volunteers who came in and they rebuilt roads and they rebuilt things for everyone in the community.”
Wait, even the roads?
“We’ve had private organizations from Ohio, Kentucky, Alabama, just all over the country have been here rebuilding our roads,” Alley says. “I don’t know how they got here, but we said ‘hey, go fix this problem,’ and they went and fixed it.”
Groups with names like God’s Pit Crew have poured into North Carolina in the weeks since Helene, armed with the power of prayer, chain saws, and front-end loaders. In a church parking lot near Mills River, I meet a group of volunteers from Pennsylvania as they’re packing up a trailer to head home after a week of cutting tree limbs and clearing debris. In two days of driving around, I see more “Texas Strong” decals on trucks and trailers than Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) logos.
The Cajun Navy, a Louisiana-based disaster response team that made headlines in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, is here too. At an outpost the group established in the parking lot of a Dollar General in Black Mountain, Chris Woodard is serving corn bread and chili. He’ll be here for a week, and then other volunteers will arrive to take his place. World Central Kitchen, the relief group founded by Chef José Andrés, has set up a massive outdoor kitchen in downtown Asheville, where the public water supply was only partially restored this past Friday: For the first time since the storm, toilets could be flushed and residents could take showers, but the water was not yet safe for drinking or cooking.
Outside of the more well-established relief efforts, local networks of volunteers have sprung up around churches, firehouses, and other gathering points. Many rely on the ingenuity of the people running them, or at least a willingness to think outside the box. At BattleCat Coffee in East Asheville, staff are hauling tanks of water from a nearby World Central Kitchen distribution point, and using a jury-rigged pump system to feed it into the expresso machine.
The community pool in Black Mountain has become another of the many ad hoc relief centers in the region: Piles of donated clothes fill the locker rooms, hot food is being grilled on a trailer in the parking lot, and volunteers who traveled from Maryland and Indiana are crashing in the swim team’s clubhouse. This one has something that many other do not: hot showers.
“We had an idea and we just went with it,” says Heather Hensley, who works as the pool’s assistant manager during the summer months. A few days after the flood took out Black Mountain’s power and water supply, Hensley and her colleagues realized that the pool could be used to filter the available water—which was unsanitary due to broken pipes—to make it usable. A generator got the filter up and running. Then, another problem: the October sun wasn’t warm enough to heat the solar shower bags someone provided. So, she called a friend who owns a propane-powered turkey fryer.
Like so many of these off-the-cuff setups, it’s the sort of thing that almost certainly violates at least a few of the town’s ordinances. Hensley says she’s found it’s better to ask forgiveness than permission when attending to flood victims’ needs.
That approach has turned Hensley into something of a field marshal. Our conversation is interrupted at one point by a volunteer who is in contact with some members of the 101st Airborne Division, which has been deployed to the region. The other woman asks Hensley to decide what task the airmen should be given: Are they needed here to unload a truck of donations scheduled to arrive shortly, or focus on clean-up efforts down the road?
“Did you ever think you’d be giving orders to the 101st Airborne?” I ask her after the volunteer steps away to deliver the message (the airmen get clean-up duty, as Hensley has enough volunteers here).
“I’m not,” she laughs, “I’m not giving orders.”
But, yeah, she is.
Makeshift hot showers in Black Mountain, thanks to a community pool and a turkey fryer. (Photo by Eric Boehm)
The road from Black Mountain back to Swannanoa is lined with piles of debris—the guts of homes that were swamped when the Swannanoa River overflowed its banks. The football bleachers from the Asheville Christian Academy have been dragged across the field and crushed like an empty beer can. Mud-logged cars and trucks have been strewn in fields and flushed down the riverbank.
Amid the destruction, the Valley Hope Church has become a hub of activity. Inside, Amy Berry oversees the stockpiles of donated clothes, bedding, furniture, and food that have poured in from as far away as Canada and Connecticut, and now fill the church’s rec center.
“It just has been amazing to see the best of humanity,” Berry says. “We can always talk about the worst of it, but I have seen the best of it, I really have.”
On the church’s front lawn, Taylor and Frances Montgomery are serving a full hot dinner of roasted chicken, Tex-Mex soup, parmesan pasta, and vegetables to dozens of families from the area. Kids are playing tag in the playground. The buzz of generators and an approaching autumn chill hang in the air.
“We’ve seen tears over salad,” says Taylor, who has been a chef for more than two decades. “My whole career, I concentrate on learning the next culinary discipline or new trend or how to develop flavor. And not one of those plates has been more important or impactful than the plate I’m handing to a person on the other side of this slide.”
In more normal times, Taylor and Frances run the Montgomery Sky Farm and an associated animal rescue center in Leicester, about 10 miles northwest of Asheville. If Smith and his brand of redneck mountain tough guy represent one-half of the western North Carolina cliché, then the Montgomeries are the yin to that yang: crunchy, flannel-wearing folks who talk about “scratch” cooking and run a carefully curated Instagram page. They’re also the type who depend on the area’s agritourism, which usually peaks in the autumn.
Not this year. With their farm partially flooded by the storm and the tourists staying away, Taylor and Frances hit the road with a mobile kitchen trailer and food that’s been provided by fundraising on social media. For two weeks, they’ve been feeding desperate people in stricken communities across the Black Mountains. They’re hoping to keep this up through Thanksgiving, and maybe longer if the donations keep flowing.
“We figured we could sit and cry,” says Frances, “or we could be proactive.”
Scenes of destruction along the banks of the Swannanoa River. (Photo by Eric Boehm)
“We’re the ones seeing our friends float away”
The question that will be asked in the wake of Helene is whether FEMA’s response was sufficient. For what it’s worth, President Joe Biden has already delivered his verdict—”you’re doing a heckuva job,” Biden told FEMA Director Deanne Criswell on October 9 (an irony-free callback to then-President George W. Bush’s questionable praise for then-FEMA chief Michael Brown after Hurricane Katrina).
Many in western North Carolina will have a different view, no doubt. Threats of violence against FEMA personnel earlier this month caused a brief suspension of federal relief efforts in Rutherford County, where the town of Chimney Rock was wiped off the map by the same floodwaters that devastated Gerton and Bat Cave. The man responsible for those threats was quickly arrested, and the recovery efforts resumed.
Threats like that are not helping anyone, obviously, and the people engaged in the actual work on the ground—from first responders like Alley to the redneck airforce leaders like Smith—are quick to dismiss that incident as an outlier. It’s no secret that FEMA’s efforts are often slow, incompetent, and ineffective, but the aid is accepted for what it is. (And it hasn’t been completely insignificant: FEMA says it has shippedover 9.3 million meals, more than 11.2 million liters of water, 150 generators, and more than 260,000 tarps to western North Carolina and eastern Tennessee.)
But the people here also know that FEMA can’t be trusted with the really important tasks.
“If we weren’t here, there wouldn’t be people getting warm clothes, because FEMA doesn’t give out clothes,” says Bob Wright, who is running another of these roadside donation distribution centers, this one in a shopping center parking lot in Swannonoa. Wright works for a local nonprofit, Hearts and Hands, that is distributing heaters, canned food, blankets, and other items alongside plastic bins containing sweaters and jeans in various sizes.
“They give you $750 to go buy some,” he adds, gesturing at the nearby Ingles grocery store that’s been closed due to damage from the flood as if to underline his point.
In any disaster, a federal response is bound to be insufficient. There will always be the need for people in the affected communities—first responders and other public officials, yes, but also ad hoc volunteer efforts and charity.
Not everyone involved in the recovery is a former Green Beret. Not everyone knows how to fly a helicopter or operate a front-end loader. That’s fine. Surviving the first three weeks after Helene required the assistance of farmers and pool managers, of breweries and barbeques, of chefs and fishmongers from the next state—and untold contributions from the wallets of ordinary Americans and the corporate accounts of some of the country’s biggest businesses. The overflowing donations, the pallets of bottled water, the fresh food, and the helicopters, too. They all represent the wealth of America, and not in some metaphorical sense but in a very literal one.
“I do not have time to defend what the government is doing. They are doing a lot of hard, dangerous work,” says Berry. But grassroots organizations like her church have a vital role to play. “We can respond a lot faster. We’re a lot smaller, but they are our neighbors. It is our home. We are going to respond faster because we are the ones standing in the water, in the mud. We are the ones seeing our friends float away.”
Down the road, at the Harley-Davidson dealership, Smith and his collaborators are working on a planto ferry huge tanks of clean water into the mountain hollows that might not have regular service restored for months.
“This is a long-term effort. And we’ve given our word to the community that we will stay and support them as long as it takes for them to get back on their feet,” says Smith. “The mission is to get the local economy up and running again, make sure the community and residents of western North Carolina are taken care of, and to remind them on a regular basis that they haven’t been forgotten.”
Above: Blood orange peel adds layers of seasonal flavor.
My own variations have used sweet pineapples from the corner store, different sources of sugar (granulated, piloncillo, and palm jaggery— each affects the color and influences the flavor), and tap water. I have also included other seasonal fruit, like mango, blood orange, and quince, as well as chile to add the heat that makes one De la Calle flavor (Mango/Chili) the most popular.
If you read more about fermentation you may find various authors suggesting that if you wash fruit you wash away the sacred yeasts that are necessary to start a ferment. I disagree. We are surrounded by wild yeasts: They are on everything. And for many of us, those pineapples have traveled a long way and been stored and handled in ways we can’t control. I definitely wash them. There has never been a problem with a spontaneous ferment beginning.
Above: Flavors—chile and fragrant quince.
Tepache
Different sugars create different-hued tepaches. The lighter the sugar the blonder the beverage. While you could ferment the tepache for longer than four to five days, more time means more alcohol. Taste to see what you prefer. To serve, I pour a glass half-full with tepache and top with sparkling water. If you don’t have a large jar you can use a bowl (keep it covered with a cloth and stir once day). In a cold room fermentation will slower.
Equipment: 1 large, clean 6-cup mason jar.
1 cup chopped piloncillo, palm sugar, or organic granulated sugar
Rinds and core (and some fruit, for extra flavor) of 1 medium pineapple
Optional Extras
1 jalapeño or cayenne pepper
1 mango, flesh only
Zest of 1 clementine, orange, or lemon
Peels and flesh of 1 quince (apple also works)
If using the hard sugars like piloncillo or jaggery, chop them into small pieces (I use a screwdriver on a damp-dish-cloth-wrapped cutting board to soften them thumps and prevent slippage. You could also grate these sugars, or soften them in the microwave.
Place the pineapple core and rinds (and citrus zest, mangos, or quinces, if using) in the jar. Add the sugar. Pour in enough water to reach just below the neck of the jar. Screw on the lid tightly and shake the jar gentle to dissolve the sugar. Loosen the lid.
Allow the mixture sit at room temperature in a spot out of direct sunlight, for 2 to 4 days. Once a day, tighten the lid and shake the jar gently (or you could stir it with a long-handled spoon). After a couple of days you should notice small bubbles rising spontaneously in the liquid. And when you shake the jar, then loosen the lid, there will be an audible ffffft! of released pressure. That’s fermentation, happening. Use a clean spoon to taste daily (this will teach your tongue how the flavor evolves).
If you are adding chile, do this on Day 3.
On around Day 4 or 5, strain the liquid through a fine mesh sieve, and again though a cloth-lined sieve. Siphon into a clean bottle, add a lid, and transfer to the fridge*. It is good to drink at once but develops more complexity with time.
* If you keep any active ferment sealed and at room temperature, you are encouraging an explosive event: The carbon dioxide naturally released will cause pressure to build in the bottle, and it could detonate. The cold of the fridge keeps things safe, and also slows down fermentation.
To serve, fill a glass with half tepache and half sparking water (or tonic water). Add a strip of citrus zest, if you like.
This gorgeous bleached pinecone wreath has rustic charm with a contemporary twist. There is nothing like natural decor to bring the beauty of the outdoors in, but it can be hard to come up with creative ways to display the same natural elements year after year. That’s why I love the look of bleached pinecones, which are simultaneously classic and modern. With just a few easy steps, you can create your own bleached pinecone wreath to enjoy throughout the colder seasons.
Bleached pinecones are all the rage! While pinecones have always been a staple of autumn and winter décor, bleaching them gives them a softer, brighter, more contemporary look than untreated pinecones. The light colour also creates a contrast and makes the interesting shapes of the cones really stand out.
The difference in colour between a regular and bleached pinecone.
We have seen single bleached pinecones displayed in glass terrariums, groups of them piled into decorative baskets, bleached pinecone garlands, bleached pinecone ornaments with ribbon hangers, and this gorgeous bleached pinecone door swag. But this bleached pinecone wreath project really captured my heart here at Garden Therapy (you know how much I love wreaths).
This wreath is the perfect way to adorn your entrance this fall and winter. It has a rustic farmhouse look, but the surprising white colour of the pinecones gives it a modern, minimalist feel. And the best part? It is super easy to make!
Here’s how to make one for yourself…
The finished wreath will also store well for years to come.
How to Make a Bleached Pinecone Wreath
Begin by walking through a park, wood, or tree-lined street and picking up a bunch of pinecones. Follow the instructions for bleaching the pinecones here, and then you are ready to begin your wreath.
Materials
This project will require a significant amount of hot glue, so make sure you have plenty of sticks on hand.
Make It!
Divide the pinecones into different-sized groupings so that you can choose between medium and small ones for each layer.
I have a green foam ring, but a white one is fine, too. The entire thing will get covered.
Lay out medium pinecones around the wreath form, with the base touching the wreath. Use professional-strength glue to attach the first pinecone to the base. Add glue to the base of the second pinecone and knit the second one into the first one as you attach the base to the wreath form.
A little bit of space between each is fine, but ideally you want them as close together as possible.
Continue to glue the base of the pinecones onto the outer ring of the wreath form while knitting them tightly together to fill up the spaces.
You may have to try a couple to find the perfect last fit.
Lay out the inside ring of smallest pinecones. Attach those to the inner ring as you did to the outer ring.
Arrange the inner layer, then glue it the same way you did the outer layer.
Add a third layer of medium sized pinecones alternating between the first ring. Nestle these in as close to the other pinecones as you can, while gluing the base to the wreath form.
Add fourth and fifth rings to fill in the gaps between the layers and fill in all the spaces.
I thought this wreath looked pretty great on the white door!
But it’s also at home in the garden. Which do you like better?
FAQ About Bleached Pinecones
Do you bake pinecones before bleaching?
Baking pinecones is a great way to help get rid of pests and mildew on pinecones. It will also dry them out, forcing them to open up.
However, you don’t need to do that for bleached pinecones. The bleach sterilizes and rehydrates the pinecones, which must be left to dry again once they’ve been bleached.
What happens when you soak pinecones in vinegar?
Vinegar is one way to disinfect the pinecones and help clean any dirt. However, it won’t give you the bleached effect.
What kind of pinecones should I use to bleach them?
You can try this out on any kind of pinecones. Try a few different kinds until you find some that you love. I find that bleaching works best on older, dry pinecones as opposed to fresh and still tight ones.
When it comes to Halloween, we are pro-DIY, pro-using-what-you-have. We’re not going to judge you if have some plastic skeletons in your closet, but wouldn’t it be better if you simply shopped your yard for something spooky? Or scrounged your utility closet for a witchy decoration? Or tapped into your imagination for some creative crafting? […]
While an outdoor shower with a French drain was not part of the original plans for my garden, it quickly became a game changer and one of my favourite parts of my outdoor space. If you’re looking for a way to elevate your backyard (which I highly recommend), this is my experience installing and using my French drain and outdoor shower.
If you’ve been following along with my garden, you’ll probably remember that one of the projects I completed was a spa area with a hot tub. While I initially had some concerns about the amount of energy, water, and chemicals that hot tubs use, I knew that it could help alot with my chronic pain.
And I was right! Soaking at least once a day has made a world of a difference, and I’ve managed to find ways to keep my setup eco-friendly and natural.
When I set out to install the hot tub in my garden, my original plans did not include an outdoor shower. However, the second-hand hot tub that I ended up purchasing from Facebook marketplace included one, and adding it to my little outdoor oasis has been one of the best (accidental) decisions I’ve made.
Here’s what you need to know…
My outdoor shower is right next to my hot tub and patio.
What is a French Drain?
If you’re not familiar with the French drain, it’s essentially a trench or hole filled with rocks that allows water to seep through and redirect it. Some drains designed to handle more water also include a perforated pipe or weeping tile.
While similar subsurface drainage systems have been used for centuries, Henry Flagg French popularized the French drain in 1859 when he wrote about them in his book Farm Drainage. This early iteration described by the French used roofing tile, but special drain tiles with perforations were designed later.
Nowadays, French drains are typically used to prevent ground and surface water from damaging buildings and installed along streets and highways as an alternative to open ditches and storm sewers.
The top of my French drain is a bamboo base and smooth riverstone.
My French Drain Design
When I started researching drainage options for the base of the shower, the French drain immediately stood out to me. It was a simple solution that didn’t require any synthetic materials.
Because I only needed to prevent water from pooling at the bottom of the shower, not to direct the water to a different area of my property, I went with a basic design. Rather than using a pipe, I was able to simply create a 3 feet deep hole the size of the shower base.
My soil was so compacted and saturated from the high water table, that it came out like a perfect cube with straight sides!
Since the shower is next to my hot tub where there are no plants, I didn’t need to line the hole with landscape fabric. Once I had my drainage hole, I just filled it with ¾ inch crush gravel from my local landscape store. I also placed a wood and bamboo base on top of the rocks to make the shower more comfortable on my feet.
Now when I turn the shower on, the water runs into the gravel and quickly filters down instead of pooling!
My French drain is three feet deep, while the drainage by my hot tub is only about 3 inches deep.
The Shower Design
An outdoor shower wasn’t in my original plan for this area. But since one came with my second-hand hot tub, I decided to make use of it.
Like my hot tub, the shower needed a bit of work, but I was able to salvage most of the parts. The main thing I had to do was replace the pipe, as the original one had burst.
The shower is a propane-fueled camping shower, which heats up the water quickly and works so well for the space I have.
I generally have a cold shower after spending time in the hot tub. I do circuits in the hot tub, soaking for fifteen minutes in the heat, followed by an ice-cold shower. Especially during the summer, I find that I haven’t had a shower indoors in weeks.
Now that it’s getting colder, I can also have warm showers outside. It also makes showering before I get in the hot tub so convenient, which helps keep the water clean without having to use chemicals. Showering before entering is one of the main ways that I keep my hot tub clean.
I use my shower before and after my hot tub, and have mostly replaced having indoor showers with it.
Decorating My Outdoor Shower
My hot tub and outdoor shower area are seriously one of my favourite parts of my house. My secondhand hot tub also came with a privacy gazebo made of cedar. The wood has been treat with Shou Sugi Ban, which is a Japanese technique for burning wood to preserve and stain it.
I added some shelves to the walls to decorate, filling it with houseplants, candles, and a knickknacks or two. These houseplants are good to hang out outside for the warmer months, and I’ll bring them in for the colder months.
Around the base, I added some potted shade plants like hostas and ferns to really make it feel like you’re showering in the forest. I use the shower water to keep them hydrated so it’s a great spot for plants that like the moisture.
My decorative shelf and artwork against the Shou Sugi Ban treated wall.
Decorate with houseplants during the summer.
Keeping Your Outdoor Shower Eco-Friendly
Like most things I do, I try to keep my outdoor shower as eco-friendly as possible. Because I opted for a French drain, it’s important for me to keep in mind that all the products I use will drain into the earth.
For me, this means using my own homemade soap and biodegradable shampoo. Right now, I’ve been loving my sunflower and turmeric soap, but if you’re interested in making your own natural soap, I have tons of recipes and tips.
Make sure all your shower products are biodegradable.
FAQs About My Outdoor Shower
Where not to put a French drain?
French drains should not be installed less than 3 feet away from any walls, trees, and fences. Low spots in your yard are also not the place for a French drain as natural pooling can cause the drain to retain too much water.
How deep should a French drain be buried?
This type of drain needs to be at least a foot and a half deep in order to do its job. I chose to make mine 3 feet to accommodate my shower.
What is the best base for an outdoor shower?
The base I chose for my own outdoor shower is made of wood and bamboo. It allows the water to drain into the gravel, but it’s still comfortable to stand on. I also liked the natural look of this option, but stone tiles are another popular choice.
Overall, my outdoor shower has quickly become one of my very favourite things in my yard. If you’re considering installing one, whether you have a hot tub or not, I can’t recommend it enough! If you have any questions about the design or usage, feel free to leave them in the comments below.
Worms have dug their way into my heart, and you’re about to understand why! Using the power of worm castings, you can completely transform your garden naturally. Master the practice of vermicomposting with this guide on how to use worms and kitchen scraps to create the best organic matter.
When it comes to friendly bugs, why do bees, butterflies, and ladybugs get all the love? While I appreciate these beneficial bugs as much as the next person, I’m here to shout out my love for worms from the rooftop gardens around the world.
Whether you think of worms as friends or hard-working employees, they are a welcome addition to my garden every day. Even if I can’t see them.
An unknown practice to many, vermicomposting harnesses the superpowers of the worm to create some of the most potent fertilizers around. With vermicomposting on your side, you will have the fullest, greenest plants in the neighbourhood by far!
Here’s what I’ll be covering today…
Red Wiggler worms (Eisenia fetida)
What is Vermicomposting?
Vermicomposting is the fancy word for having worms as pets. Or, more technically speaking, intentionally using worms to decompose kitchen scraps and carbon materials like paper and straw.
This results in worm castings. And yes, worm castings is a nice word for worm poop.
Why on earth would you want worm poop, you ask? Worm castings have a much finer texture than soil and are excellent when it comes to holding moisture. If you want a balanced garden fertilizer, they are highly nutritious, though the N-P-K values will fluctuate based on the worm’s diet.
Worm castings look like very rich soil. You will see dark brown, teeny tiny bits of material. When you harvest them, you try to leave behind all the worms and take their castings in gratitude.
Worm castings create a very rich, dark brown compost-soil-like texture.
Composting vs Worm Castings
You can add worm castings directly to your soil or as a wonderful addition to your compost.
Similar to composting, you need greens, browns, water, and air in order to make vermicompost. BUT, you need another very essential ingredient…worms!
As mentioned earlier, vermicompost holds moisture. This is due to its high concentration of humus, a carbon-based substance that not only keeps soil hydrated but spongy texture also helps to aerate the soil. Combined with the high levels of nutrients, vermicompost tends to be more valuable than compost in the garden.
You will see that reflected at the store too. You can purchase worm castings anywhere that also sell compost. Vermicompost will have a higher price tag than compost, which is why making your own vermicompost bin is so valuable!
Since you have living creatures in your vermicompost, you need to keep your bin cool. Compost on the other hand values heat to decompose material and this helps to kill pathogens, weed seeds, and other issues. This means that vermicompost may still have some pathogens and other tiny bugs inside.
However, the extra nutrients and benefits of vermicomposting are well worth it. The process is completely safe for you and your plant babies.
Vermicomposting bins are a lot smaller than traditional compost bins, such as the compost tumbler pictured.
Types of Worms
Not all worms are born equal. When it rains, you can’t simply go outside and collect worms off the sidewalk to put in your vermicomposting bin.
For vermicomposting, you don’t use the earthworms you would find out and about in your garden. Instead, you want hungry worms who will happily eat away your kitchen scraps.
Red Wigglers (Eisenia fetida) are the most common worm used for vermicomposting. They don’t like soil, instead opting to survive in decomposing leaves, manure, and other decomposing materials. This is why they thrive in a vermicomposting bin!
Another popular option is red worms (Lumbricus rubellus). They like similar conditions, although you will find them further down in the bin, and they may reproduce a tad slower than red wigglers. But they will happily eat away and create some worm castings for your benefit.
Taking Care of Your Worms
Create a Home
To make a home suitable for a worm king, you need to satisfy their 4 needs:
Browns: the bedding and shelter for the worms to live in. They will also eat this too.
Greens: garden waste and kitchen scraps for the worms to feast on.
Water: typically, the kitchen scraps provide all the water that is needed.
Air: air holes in your vermicomposting bin, along with loosely packed material, are necessary.
You’ll also need a bin itself. See below for an easy DIY version. If you provide all these materials, your worms will quickly get down to business and start digesting the food and bedding. Every month, their population should double, and they will slowly build up the space.
Don’t worry about expanding your worm bin. More often than not, you don’t have to worry about taking worms out or adding more. They’re self-regulating creatures. Once the food or space runs low, the worms will stop multiplying and control their own population. It’s a worm-eat-worm world out there.
Worms will control their own population depending on the space and amount of food available.
Feeding Your Worms
Think of worms as gluten-free, raw vegans. They have a very particular diet! Worms love to eat any raw vegetable scraps, eggshells, coffee grinds, flowers, and green leaves from the garden.
In terms of kitchen scraps, there are certain things you will want to exclude from your vermicomposting bin.
Like us, they need a balanced diet to stay healthy. Make sure that no more than 20% of the food is made up of one material. A mix is good!
Avoid meat and dairy as well as processed and cooked foods for your worms.
Worms on Vacation
Worms may sound like high maintenance, but they will do just fine on their own. They can easily last a month on their own without any new food being added to their bin. Feed them before you leave and when you get home, and they will happily do their own thing while you’re away.
Troubleshooting
Rotate Where You Place Food Scraps
Some things may go awry with your bin. To make sure your bin is a hospitable place for the worms to live, alternate where you place your food scraps in the bin.
Each week, designate a new corner for the scraps. After a month, the worms will have eaten and digested the first corner of the scraps.
Foul Odour
An odour is also possible and indicates something has gone wrong. Look at your four corners and see if you can get to the root of the problem. For instance, lots of acidic materials can change the pH, and the worms migrate away to the opposite side of the bin where life is good.
Clean out the materials that seem to be causing the problem and replace any bedding as necessary. The bin should be spick and span again in no time.
Fruit Flies
If fruit flies can’t get enough of the vermicomposting bin, make sure the bedding stays on top of the food. You may also want to avoid any fruit or sweet-smelling scraps that attract fruit flies.
And if all else fails, you can make a fruit fly trap and nestle it on top of the bedding to try and capture the pests.
Fruit flies are attracted to sweet-smelling scraps such as fruit.
DIY Vermicomposting Bin
Over the years, I have used many different vermicomposting bins. However, my favourite comes from Pau Farré, who teaches workshops on vermicomposting at City Farmer here in Vancouver, BC. This project and 80 more can be found in my Garden Alchemy Book.
This design works perfectly for my urban garden, staying small but providing plenty of worm castings.
But I also have a worm hotel version throughout my garden that I have shared in my book, The Regenerative Garden. It helps folks work with nature rather than against it by showing the steps to make over 80 permaculture projects I use in my garden.
My favourite vermicompost bin design, that I’m going to show you how to make.
Make sure you’re using two of the same bins so they stack nicely.
Make It!
Using your power drill (or hammer and nails), make drainage holes at the bottom of your two nesting bins. Make air holes on the sides of the bin. The air holes should be spaced around the perimeter of the bin, above where the two bins overlap.
Your worms will need air holes, as well as loosely packed materials to breathe.
Fill one of the tall bins 1/3 full with the mixture of dry bedding materials. Wet down the bedding until it reaches the consistency of a wrung-out sponge.
Add your worms to one corner of the bin. On top of the worms and bedding, add 4 cups of roughly chopped kitchen scraps. Cover the kitchen scraps with another layer of dry materials, leaving them dry this time.
Place four of the wooden risers in the shallow bin to allow room for the leachate to drain. Set down the middle bin on top of the risers, then add four more risers in the bin. Place your worm bin on top and secure it with a lid.
Keep the vermicomposting bin outside in a cool, shady spot in the summer and a warm, covered spot in the winter. The temperature should be between 5-30°C. If you live in an area with a cold winter, move the worms to a garage or place a blanket over the top of the bin if it doesn’t get too cold.
Worms won’t leave the bin, they prefer to stay put.
Harvesting Worm Castings
My DIY vermicomposting bin makes harvesting worm casting bins easy, collecting in one easy bin. When you are ready for worm castings, stop feeding the worms for a few weeks until you notice that all the kitchen scraps have been digested.
Remove the dry top layer of bedding and move the worms to the middle bin. You want to set up the empty middle bin with new bedding and kitchen scraps, just as you initially set up the bin. This time, leave out the worms.
Put your new bin on top of the one that contains all the worms and castings. The worms will now migrate up through the holes to get to the bin with the food. This leaves you with a nice, clean supply of castings to use in the garden. You can harvest worm castings every 3-4 months for your garden.
The nutrient-rich vermicompost will be readily available to amend the soil.
How to Use Worm Castings
Vermicompost is good for any and all plants, including potted plants such as houseplants and succulents. To use worm castings, you can sprinkle them over top of the soil and let the nutrients work their way down.
Alternatively, you can mix the vermicompost with the regular topsoil when planting potted plants inside or in the soil outside. It especially helps to give clay or sandy soil more organic material. They also work extremely well in making a seed starting mix.
The only time you wouldn’t want to use worm castings is when you already have soil rich in organic material. After all, too much of a good thing can turn bad.
Just like adding too much fertilizer to a plant, you can overdo it with nutrients. Use worm castings sparingly, treating it as potent fertilizer.
FAQ About Worm Castings
When to add worm castings to soil?
You can add worm castings whenever they’re ready. Worm castings generally take about 3-4 months to be ready for harvest.
I like to add it especially in the spring and summer during the growing season since it acts as a potent fertilizer. You can leave the worm castings for longer in the fall and winter, waiting to add them to your seed-starting soil mix.
Are worm castings high in nitrogen?
The N-P-K values will fluctuate based on what the worm is eating. Overall, the castings are highly nutritious and well-balanced if you are feeding a good mixture of kitchen scraps.
Can you use too much worm castings?
Treat your worm castings as a potent fertilizer. So yes, too much of a good thing is absolutely possible. If your soil is already high in organic material, you don’t need worm castings. Overall, you could add it as frequently as you might fertilizer, and your plants would be completely fine.
What do I do with my worms in winter?
Worms like temperatures between 5-30°C (41-86°C F). For those with mild winters, keep them in a covered place in the winter. For those with harsher winters, you want to move your worm bin to a garage or place a blanket over the bin.
I’ve lost worms before in the winter. I don’t beat myself up over it, instead starting fresh in the spring with some new worms, bedding, and kitchen scraps.
And that’s it on all things worm poop! Be sure to keep an eye out for more information and projects from my permaculture and garden books, Garden Alchemy and The Regenerative Garden. I’ve only just scratched the surface of permaculture with vermicomposting! Let me know in the comments down below if you are going to add worms to your composting routine.
DIY Vermicompost Bin
Give your garden a major boost with worm castings! Here’s how to build a vermicompost bin that’s small but has plenty of power.
With a power drill (or hammer and nails) drill drainage holes at the bottom of the two nesting bins. Also use the drill to make air holes on the sides of the bins around the perimeter where the bins overlap.
Fill one of the tall bins a third full with a mix of the dry bedding. Wet it down so it feels like a wrung-out spunge.
Add the worms to the bin in the corner. Then top with 4 cups of kitchen scraps that are roughly chopped.
Add a layer of dry bedding, leaving dry this time.
Add four wooden risers in the shallow bin. This will allow room for the leachate to drain. Then, set down the middle bin on top of the risers. Next, add four more risers to the bin. Finally, place your worm bin on top and add the lid.
