New Adventures in Gardening! Hopefully This Won't Turn Into a Tragic "Shoulda Woulda Coulda" Garden...

I've previously posted about patio gardening here at the apartment in El Paso.... I think we can all agree that I'm not a super-awesome gardener. The newest update in my black thumb is that my boyfriend, M, has graciously agreed to let me take over a small section of his yard in Carlsbad, NM for a garden.

After perusing the seed catalog over at Fedco Seeds, M and I chose several veggies and herbs. Basil, Cilantro, Sage, Kale, Spinach, Bell Pepper, and Broccoli seeds are all on their way to me! I also plan to buy some seeds at the local Lowes.... tomato, green beans, mint, red potatoes, garlic, etc are all being considered.

I've been researching gardening apps for tracking the growth, life cycle, watering, and weather of my local garden. I've been reading every gardening blog I can in hopes of finding some tips. My girl over in Bisbee has a great gardening blog that I'll refer to as needed... Poco Sobre Mi Vida. I'll even be asking a lot of questions of my dad as the year progresses. Every little bit helps when you're a plant killer like me.

This last weekend, M and I were visiting friends in Austin and came away with a great new idea.... Tubs! Instead of digging into the ground, laying some type of tarp-y ground cover and cutting holes for the sprinker system, then filling with dirt, and building up the edges with fencing to keep the dogs and boys out, we are going to try tubs. Big metal washtubs that are movable, dog and boy-resistant, and hopefully highly grass and weed-resistant.

My dad is even in on this experiment. He gave us a  hefty gift card to Lowe's to finance our new garden. Thanks dad!

I'll keep everyone updated on the garden goings-on as the year progresses. For now, we are in the hopeful state of research and purchasing.

Continuing the Green Christmas, a Tradition in the Making

This year's Christmas was in two parts.... part one was December in Carlsbad where I got to meet M's family and spend the holiday with them. I wrapped most of my presents in plain recycled paper or in reusable gift bags. Since I was with a new family that may or may not get my "green Christmas" style, I chose to keep it pretty tame.

The second Christmas was this last week in Houston, where M got to meet my family. Again, my presents were wrapped in reusable bags, but a few were wrapped last minute in regular wrapping paper. My mom, however, went all out. The following are images of the cool stuff she created. Kudos to her ingenuity!

Wrapped in old state road maps.... I would
have NEVER thought of this. Awesome! Also note the ribbon....
VHS tape makes awesome ribbon.

2 gifts were wrapped in kitchen dishtowels.
I love dish towels for daily use instead of
paper napkins. This is a gift wrapped
within another gift. Tied with old stretched-out
hair ties.

all those sales circulars that you can't opt out
of come in handy when wrapping - especially if you
make the wrapping a hint... I got yoga pants out of this box. :-)
Also, note more VHS ribbon.

Cute and applicable cartoon used as nametag

awesome VHS ribbon bow

I did do one last-minute green wrapping job...

for those awkward or large presents.... a big black trashbag
and reusable bow. We used the bag to collect trash later that day.

Happy 2013!!!! For previous Green Christmas entries....
I'm Dreaming of a Green Christmas, part 1

I'm Dreaming of a Green Christmas, part 2

Christmas, Green-Style