Grow it First with CK Worley ~ Snakes

I was at a garden party last week when a woman asked me if I knew how to keep snakes out of her yard. She lives next to a national battle field and finds them around all the time. Now some snakes are beneficial because they eat rodents and bugs and are harmless. Some are not.
First you have to clean up your property. Move wood piles or rock piles toward the edge of your property.



Those cold blooded creatures love to hide in cool places. Make sure your grass is cut, leafs are raked and bushes are trimmed away from the ground. They won’t go were they can’t hide or find a nesting place.
Dogs are great. The scent of dogs will keep the snakes at bay.


Your bird feeder attracts squirrels and other rodents. It may also attract snakes. Any time you have a food source for wildlife you are asking snakes to dinner. Bird feeders are fine as long as you don’t have a snake problem.
Snakes are beneficial because they eat all those small critters that eat at your garden. Bugs, grubs and whatever else is eating your vegetables and flowers.
What is a snakes favorite flower? Coily-flowers or course! :)

Grow It First with CK Worley - Just another Saturday

We had a busy Saturday. First I took the dogs for a walk to the square. The farmers market is still there as in the You Tube video I did a couple of years ago.



Now across the street they have an artist market! Even more reason to visit!




On the way home we saw some azaleas at the Marlow House that had been trimmed into hedges. Now that they have bloomed they look so cool I had to take a photo.



So here is what we tackled today. I wanted to put separators between the Mondo grass and our lawn. In order to do that you have to dig down in between the two so the Mondo root won’t creep into the lawn.



We dug up the Dwarf Japanese maple tree and built up the base then planted it right back where it was. I wanted it to be higher so it could be seen over the other plants on the ground.



Next it was on to separating the Hostas. The ideal time to do this is before they leaf out.
I wanted to plant this Red Astilbe. I have Red, White, Pink and Purple planted in the bed out in the front yard and since this guy isn’t doing much in this little planter I decided it was time for a move to the front.



We also planted a red encore azalea, two Blue Mirror Delphinium and some more Bugleweed.
Now for an Epsom Salt bath, Doterra Deep Blue for my muscle pain (http://www.mydoterra.com/growit) and a glass of wine. Have a happy weekend!
P.S. My husband just tried Doterra Deep Blue on his lower back and had wonderful results.

Grow It First with CK Worley - Essential Oils

I mentioned that I had gone to an essential oil party recently. Essential oils are extracts from plants. They come from the root, the bark, the flower and other parts of a plant. Some of the things I talk about today are only okay with very high quality essential oil like DoTERRA. It’s certified pure therapeutic grade and that’s an important thing to look for. Herbal medicine is popular but essential oils are a concentrated form and they are becoming more popular because of that.
Why would you use them? Many people are tired of using over the counter medicine with their side effects. Essential oils are an option to over the counter medicine. If you can feel good about what you are putting in or on your body that’s a real benefit. Go to (http://www.mydoterra.com/growit)



I just got my family physician kit in the mail from DoTERRA. This is an essential oil kit that comes with Lavender, Lemon, Peppermint, Melaleuca, Frankincense, Deep Blue, Oregano, On Guard, Breathe, Digestzen and because I bought the kit I got something called Slim and Sassy which is a metabolic blend. It contains grapefruit, lemon, peppermint, ginger and cinnamon essential oils. Take 8 drops in water in between meals to help curb your appetite, calm your stomach and lift your mood. The total cost of this kit is $150 and that includes the membership. You can buy single oils and try them out slowly if you wish, it was just more cost effective to buy the whole kit with membership so I can get the discount on future purchases. I added up the retail cost of everything in the Family Physicians Kit and it came to $394.33 so $150 is a pretty sweet deal.



On the inside top of the box is a blend menu which will tell you what each oil is used for and how to use them.
These are not synthetically made. These essential oils have no pesticides or herbicides and for that reason you can feel safe in using them aromatically in a defuser, topically or internally. It only takes a couple of drops to have a huge benefit.



Lavender is wonderful to help with sleep or as a stress reducer.
Lemon is a good natural germ killer so put it in a spray bottle with some water and spray your kitchen and bathrooms with it.
Peppermint is a great headache cure. Put a little on a cotton ball and rub it on the back of your neck or even on the bottom of your feet. (don’t get it near the eyes). It’s also good to put some on your chest and neck if you have a cold and cough.
Digestzen is used for upset stomach, nausea or acid reflux. On Guard is meant to decrease exposer to airborne pathogens so diffusing it is a great way to keep everyone in the home healthy.
If you are starting to feel sick use Oregano mixed with a little coconut oil to the bottom of the feet. Your feet have some of the largest pores and the oil can get into your system fastest this way. Oregano is really strong so you have to mix it with the coconut oil
in order to use it topically.
Melaleuca is great for acne or athletes foot or even diaper rash and is mild enough to use right out of the bottle.Breathe can be applied topically to the chest or defused. It helps with respiratory issues such as asthma or coughs.
Deep Blue is a blend that is used for muscle pain or arthritis. Just rub it right into the knee or shoulder and it should reduce the inflammation and pain. It’s good for PMS pain as well.
Frankincense serves as a stabilizer for the body. It can be used as a facial cleanser and it can be used as a restorative for skin. Many of the popular wrinkle creams have Frankincense in it.

These essential oils are natures medical cabinet and I can’t wait to start using them. If you are interested in any of these products just go to: http://www.mydoterra.com/growit

Grow It First with CK Worley ~ Farmers Market Baskets

I first heard of Farmers Market Baskets from my niece Meghan who is the owner of Merge Health, Fitness and Nutrition. You can fine her web site at http://www.MergeIntoHealth.com. She had “Liked” the Farmers Market Baskets page on Facebook so I looked into it and “Liked” them too. I figured I’d try it at some point just to see why people were gravitating toward businesses like this one. Farmers Market Baskets is a family run (Tom and Kristina Plauche’) and volunteer run fruit and vegetable co-op service. There is a one time membership fee of $10 but you don’t have to do that. If you decide not to join you’ll be charged a $1 fee to help cover the cost of running the place. You can also choose to buy a Classic basket (traditionally grown food) or Organic basket.
Well I ordered my first basket (1 Large Organic) for $32.64. (Baskets run anywhere from $10 to $33.) Luckily for me they have several locations for pick up and one of them was my gym. I came with basket in hand. Next time I’ll use a box because as romantic as a basket of fruits and vegetables is while walking home on a spring afternoon, it gets very heavy. I ended up calling my husband to drive around to pick me up. I guess I’ll have to step up my workouts.




I walked up to the front door and there on the Health Place porch (my gym) was Amanda. She was friendly and helpful. She loaded up my basket and suggested I fill up a box instead of my basket but I knew I could make it home, so I declined. Note to self ~ next time listen to Amanda.
I got my goodies home and took notes on what I got for my $32.64. Here is the list and it’s pretty impressive and all organic - 1 bunch of Kale, 2 live root Bibb lettuce, 1 bunch of bananas, 5 ears of corn, 1 cucumber, 2 zucchini squash, 2 tomatoes, 4 sweet potatoes, 2 onions, 1 orange pepper, 1 cantaloup, 4 pears, 6 apples and 4 oranges. Not a bad run. I was very happy with my loot.
Now let me tell you a little about this business and how to get to it and order from it. You go to http://farmersmarketbaskets.com/ and click on the order now icon. You can place a one time order (which is what I did just because I wanted to try it out) or you can repeat your orders every week or every other week. They have add on specials if you’d like. Fuji apples and Wheat Bread were the extras this week.



It was convenient for me to go to the gym but there are other locations and you can even go to their warehouse if you wish. For a $3 charge a co-op members can even drive your basket to your home (as long as you live within the designated area) so there really isn’t any excuse not to try it.
Wondering what to do with all you’ve just bought? Go to the web site for lots of yummy recipes. If you go to the bottom of the page there are icons for volunteering, starting your own group or to set up group deliveries. It’s a healthy and affordable alternative to running to the grocery store or packing a lunch to find a Whole Foods.
Was it worth it? I say yes. Will I do it again. I say Yes.

Grow It First with CK Worley ~ One last winter 13 thing

During an Essential Oils party (I'll tell you more about this later) one of the participants said that she thought gardening was hard. I said NO! You just need to try one thing to get started. Here is a good way to start Growing It First. Take a small pot and plant some lettuce. You can get a salad for two every other day or so just by pinching off what you need. It will grow back pretty quickly. Here I have Bibb and Red Leaf lettuce. We’ve been eating lettuce off of these plants all winter long. (Keeping them inside) If you don’t want to start with seed just go to your local nursery or hardware store and buy the plant. Now is the time to do this before all the plants are gone.

Here I have lettuce that somehow survived the winter. Unfortunately it will have to be pulled because it got very bitter during the cold weather. Bitter lettuce is perfectly safe to eat but I don’t care for it.


I am going to plant these fingerling potatoes that I got from Whole Foods. They are organic and have developed eyes or buds. You can cut potatoes leaving two or three buds on each piece because each bud will produce it’s own plant. Always plant a certified seed potato but this is an experiment of mine so I’m going against my own advice but just this once. Cut the potato into pieces two days before you plant. That way the potato will form a kind of a scab and this will help to keep the potato from rotting in the soil. Plant the potatoes in a sunny spot with well drained soil. You can always grow potatoes in a container that is deep enough to hold the root if you don’t have a yard or a place that has a lot of sun. Just make sure you have drainage holes in the bottom.

Just wanted to show you some peach blossoms. They are so pretty! My peach trees are now about 5 years old and if you remember I planted them about 2 years ago so they are still growing strong. I have more about pruning fruit trees on an earlier blog if you are interested.

I wanted to tell you about my new go to side dish for dinner. Onions, kale, carrots and chickpea sauté. My kids will be so proud!

I heard a great review on the Pocket Hose from my friend Shelly and wanted to try one. Unfortunately when I went to the web site they wanted $7.99 for shipping and handling so I was happy to find it at Bed, Bath and Beyond. I was able to use my coupons there as well and since I got such a great deal - I bought 2. It’s a very light weight hose that expands when used and shrinks down to fit into a small pot for easy storage. I like it a lot. Good suggestion Shelly!

Another thing I found was a scratch free Scrub Daddy. It’s firm in cold water and soft in hot water. I was told it originated on Shark Tank (one of my favorite shows) so I had to try it. It really does what it says it does. I'll need to get another for outside use. It's cool and I like seeing that smiling face at the sink every morning.

That’s it for now. I’m going to start planting and I’ll keep you updated on my progress and results. Let me know how your plants are coming along. You can comment here or go to my Facebook Page “Grow It First”. Happy Growing!

Grow it First with CK Worley - Katie Did It!

I just got back from a friends house where she had her first craft show. What a cool selection of holiday, wreaths, floral and custom themed crafts! Her business is called “Katie Did It” and I’m sure it will be a great success. I’ll just post some of the photos I took today and you can see for yourself.


This is the wreath that greeted me at the front door. So cute~



She sold a couple of these. Katie can custom design any of these crafts in the colors of your choice.



Isn't this cute? There was a lady who wanted a different color base and that was not a problem for Katie.


Halloween!


Fall~


A couple of us bought this design.

There was so much more I just can't show them all to you now. I think I can definitely say, "Katie Did It". Remember to follow your heart in whatever you do and success will then follow you ~ Great job Katie.

Grow it First with CK Worley - Biltmore Estate and Gardens

We visited Biltmore Estate and Gardens in Asheville NC for our 26th wedding anniversary last weekend and it was really fun. Although we have never been there in spring time when all the flowers are out or Christmas time when all the lights are up, any time is a good time to visit.


We took a carriage ride around the estate. Here we see the back of the house from the reflecting pond area.

Let me tell you a little bit about the place before we go on. It’s the largest privately owned home (178,926 square feet) in the country built between 1889 and 1895 by George Vanderbilt. The house is magnificent and they have all kinds of tours from roof top to butlers tours. Not only is the house fascinating but so are the grounds. Eight-thousand acres of it. Mr. Vanderbilt hired Frederick Law Olmsted to design the grounds in a French and English garden style. Mr. Olmsted also was the designer of Central Park in New York so you kind of get that same feeling here.

Everything was just starting to bloom out while we were there, but this caught my eye so I decided to share it with you.



These trucks on the west side of the house on the veranda were ginormous. First we see the truck of a Chinese Wisteria (Wisteria sinensis) which is from the Pea Family. I’ve always heard that Wisteria needed a sold post to grow on and now I know why!




Next is a Japanese Wisteria (Wisteria floribunda) from the Pea Family. Another strong root system. Both these plants have large drooping clusters of lavender flowers that give out a heavy floral sent kind of like lilacs.




I photographed this plant because I thought it was from the Wisteria family as well but it’s called Common Trumpet Creeper (Campsis radicans) and this is from the Bignonia Family. I have some of this in my backyard. You can see it on my post “Spring at Setters Run” dated March 31, 2012. It's the plant with the orange trumpet shaped flowers but they can also have yellow and pink flowers as well. I had no idea how big it could get so I’m moving it this weekend to a less invasive area of the yard.
I not only had a great time sharing Biltmore, the winery and the village in Asheville with my husband on our anniversary - I also learned something very valuable for my own garden. Move the Trumpet Creeper!


You can always visit www.biltmore.com to see photos of the house and gardens. It's truly one of the most beautiful spots we've visited.