How To Do Jacobs Ladder

The ewes have few lambing problems and make protective mothers, even using their horns to ward off predators on occasion. Often described as an "ornamental" sheep, the Jacob sheep can be raised for wool and lean, grass-fed meat.

That same section of sunflower-stalk screen can be tacked atop a simple structural frame to shade a patio, garden sitting area or children's summer playhouse.To really keep the kids busy over the summer, challenge them to make flutes out of sunflower...

If you like spicy-hot food, add the seeds to your dish along with the chopped jalapeno pepper flesh. Do not freeze them.Use dried jalapeno seeds for cooking. They're often added to Mexican, Thai and American dishes.

Use lukewarm water, which has fewer bubbles to clog up the stems, and top off the water each day. Hardy in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 3 through 8, tulips (Tulipa spp.) are dignified in the garden, standing straight and tall while...

These types of "false" lilies may or may not benefit from deadheading -- it depends on the individual species. People concerned with tidy garden appearance may choose to trim off old, spent lily flowers from the stem tips to make the plant look better.

The base of the flower lies above the cluster of leaves. Water shrubs regularly in dry weather so the soil stays moist, and in spring apply a fertilizer for acidic plants, such as a liquid 30-10-10 product diluted at a rate of 1 tablespoon per 1 gallon...

As with outdoor ferns you may choose to remove dead fronds. Evergreen ferns are vibrant year-round but they can benefit from cleanups to remove damage and dead fronds. In the garden, occasional removal of dead fronds will improve the appearance of the...

Cure squeaky hinges with a swipe of a piece of cucumber. Placing pieces of cucumber in aluminum pans in garden beds deters grubs and slugs as the vegetable emits a repellent odor only detectable by the pests when it interacts with the metal.To prevent...

Beans are largely self-pollinating, so seeds from open-pollinated bean varieties can easily be harvested and saved for planting next year. Other root crops, such as beets, turnips and carrots, are now snug under the protection of a layer of fabric row...

Additionally, it has gorgeous umbellifer blossoms typical of members of the Apiaceae family, which attract beneficial insects like beetles and bees. The stems of ground elder have a triangular cross-section, which is not shared by any potentially toxic...

You've gathered herbs and harvested late-season vegetables. This is actually the perfect down time you've been waiting for. You'll no doubt make a list much longer than what you'll realistically be able to afford and/or have the time and space to plant,...

Stretches of wet, cool, humid weather make pears more prone to splitting.freestar.queue.push(function() { googletag.display("div-gpt-ad-300x250-ATF-1"); });While you can't control Mother Nature, you can improve your chances of avoiding split fruit.

After the meat has simmered, drain the rice, layer it on top of the meat, top with the onion and raisin mixture and put the whole thing in the oven for another half an hour. You can pull those seedlings up or you can let them grow for a little while,...

So what to do with the flavorful, fragrant stalks? Use some of them during the summer and fall, when herbs (such as basil) that compliment lemongrass are in season. But where I am, in Texas, the best shot I?ve got for getting this tender perennial to...

If you aren't growing Thai basil, you can substitute any of the more traditional basils without too much of a loss in flavor.Citrus basils (such as lime and lemon) make a great addition to sauces for chicken pasta dishes, and are great sprinkled over...

The seeds need not be saved. Sampling the flowers before using them gives a better idea on how much to use in each dish.The small, pink or white flowers growing on the ends of oregano stems add color to the herb garden.

You can blend fresh dill weed with butter, spoon it into mounds on a metal baking sheet lined with parchment paper and freeze for a few hours to serve with seafood. So, when you plant dill, it is a good idea to add a few extra plants for the caterpillars...

Garlic is added to honey to enhance the immune system, while sage is used to help fight the common cold. Plants also provide nutrients to livestock which many humans eat.Cotton, hemp and flax are plant materials used to make clothing.

Sunflowers, especially the taller varieties, usually form a single taproot and a thick mat of side roots. From the towering Russian Mammoth to the multi-branched, red-flowered Moulin Rouge, sunflowers (Helianthus annuus) are bright ambassadors of sunny...

Secondly, you can treat powdery mildew infections themselves with; just make sure to test a few days ahead of treatment and then apply it liberally. Brighten the garden with their bright, happy blooms.

The usual scenario is as follows:You receive a bonsai as a gift for Christmas or for your birthday. Unless your bonsai is a Serissa (a poor choice) or a Ficus, keep them outside as much as possible.There are a few more species for bonsai which will tolerate...

A little bit of the herb goes a long way, so even a small chives bed can feel like more chives than you will ever be able to use. What can you do to make the most of all those chives?

It is in the same family as carrots and celery, which may be why it goes together with them into the stock pot to form the basis of so many soups.These are flavors that you notice most when they are missing.When a soup or a sauce tastes "flat," I usually...

If you find a nest on the ground, it's possible that it was actually built there. The best, although most difficult, response is to do nothing, and stay away. They use their breast to pack down the mud interior of the nest walls.

Perhaps your farm sprout has a similar bee-interest? For general tips on making candles with children—believe me, you want to be prepared— check out my previous Farm Sprouts post .

Gardeners impatient for those first huge, fragrant flowers can help their lilacs along by starting them right -- and by avoiding common mistakes.There are at least 1,800 different lilac cultivars.Lilacs do best in full sun and often take up quite a bit...

Add five or six cups of tomatoes, a little red wine, and a spoonful of sugar. The herb is a "must" in traditional recipes for black bean soup, refried beans and charro beans. Try adding cheese and oregano to omelets, frittatas and other egg dishes.Bean...