The Art of Doing Stuff

33 Vegetable Gardening Tips, Tricks & Strong Opinions

Karen — Mon, 08 Jun 2026 03:28:00 +0000

Welcome to my garden. After more than a decade of growing vegetables, I've learned a lot of things. Most of them right after doing something wrong. This post isn't for the fancy people who buy their broccoli at the grocery store like some sort of aristocrat. It's for the rest of us. The people who...

How to Start a Vegetable Garden - June

Karen — Fri, 05 Jun 2026 03:28:00 +0000

A lot of people who don't garden think the definition of gardening is putting plants in the ground. While that's a logical assumption to make - it's like calling stirring a pot, cooking. The truth of the matter is, pushing some soil aside and sticking a plant in a hole is only the teeniest, tiniest...

Garlic Scape Pest Season NOW

Karen — Wed, 03 Jun 2026 03:28:00 +0000

Garlic scape pesto is the thing this time of year, so this is your reminder: use the swirly, magical offshoot of garlic and make the pesto you'll eat all year. If you need convincing: there's no cooking, no heating, no anything. You put things in a blender. You eat it or freeze it. Done. Just...

The Landscape Project Week 2: Choosing Bricks & Learning to Be Annoying

Karen — Mon, 01 Jun 2026 03:28:00 +0000

Before anyone panics about me destroying a perfectly good English cottage garden, I think it's important to review the current condition of said English cottage garden. Because over the years, photos of it have mostly been taken between June and September. Peak delusion season. Everything is leafed out, blooming, and strategically hiding the structural problems...

Property Management, Potting Soil, & Perjury

Karen — Sat, 30 May 2026 03:28:00 +0000

This week I took delivery of the bees, expanded my grow bag operation beyond its original mandate, and discovered I've been confused about standing. The Housing Market Remains Strong The leafcutter bees arrived, handed over to me by my sister from a large ziplock bag. Inside were thousands of bee cocoons made from pieces of...

I Know You Do Dumb Things Like This Too

Karen — Fri, 29 May 2026 03:28:00 +0000

Which is why I have no problem confessing to my own dumb moves like this one involving ice, a moving car, and intestinal issues. For those of you in warmer climates who might not be familiar with the frosty grip of winter let me explain something. Your car can be transformed into a frozen fortress,...

THE BEST GRILLED CHEESE YOU'LL EVER EAT.

Karen — Wed, 27 May 2026 03:28:00 +0000

You're having grilled cheese for dinner tonight. An ooey, gooey grilled cheese made on a chewy sourdough bread grilled to crunchy perfection, layered with melty sharp cheddar, salty crisp bacon, crisp green apple and a drizzle of sweet maple syrup. Skip right to the recipe. See? I told you. You're having grilled cheese for dinner...

The $1 Fix That Makes Your Bulky Kitchen Counter Appliances Light as Air

Karen — Tue, 26 May 2026 03:28:00 +0000

Move your heavy small appliances with one finger. No lifting. No dragging. No resenting your stand mixer. It's a $1 fix that you'll thank me for if you aren't doing it already. Click here to skip right to the tip! After the big organization of 2023, all of my kitchen appliances are now actually located...

I Hired a Landscape Architect

Karen — Mon, 25 May 2026 03:28:00 +0000

This isn't something I do, hiring an architect. Or an anyone. I am, as a rule, the person who does the thing. Builds it, fixes it, and refixes it. If there's a way to learn it, I'll learn it. If there's a tool for it, I probably don't have it because I have a very...

Foxes, Squatters & Other Backyard Problems

Karen — Sat, 23 May 2026 03:28:00 +0000

If I were to describe this week in one word, that word would be lawless. There were multiple trespassers, ongoing property disputes, and unauthorized digging. Also my dandelion covered, stamp sized front yard has become a woodland corridor. O.K., let's get to this week under the eye of Mr. Snacks. The Silver Fox Situation Last...