Secret Garden of Eden

04/25/2026

I used logs to create raised garden beds, lined with cardboard to suppress weeds, and topped with wood chips for mulch. This method not only gives a neat, rustic look but also helps with soil health and water retention.

04/25/2026

Stop throwing away your broken patio umbrellas and turn that metal frame into a free vertical garden tower that gives you twice as much food in a tiny space. Ripped or faded umbrellas are a common sight after a big summer storm, and most people think they are just bulky trash that needs to be hauled to the curb. Buying a heavy-duty metal trellis at a garden center can cost a lot of money, and many plastic versions are just too weak to hold up heavy vegetable vines. Letting a broken umbrella sit in the garage just takes up valuable room and leaves you with a mess you eventually have to deal with anyway.

Repurposing the metal ribs of an umbrella creates a rock-solid skeleton for climbing plants that will never blow over or snap under pressure. This vertical shape allows you to grow massive amounts of cucumbers or beans in a small corner of a raised bed, which keeps the rest of your soil open for other crops. You get a professional-looking garden feature for zero dollars while keeping bulky trash out of the landfill. It turns a frustrating household break into a creative win that makes your backyard look smart and incredibly productive.

To build your own garden tower, start by using a pair of sharp scissors to strip every bit of the old, ripped fabric off the metal ribs until you are left with just the clean frame. Dig a deep hole in the center of your garden bed and sink the main umbrella pole at least twelve inches into the dirt so it stays perfectly upright. Open the umbrella frame halfway to create a wide "teepee" shape and tighten the locking mechanism to hold it in place. You can even use small metal tent stakes to anchor the ends of the ribs into the soil for extra stability during high winds.

Fill the area around the base with a rich mix of organic compost and dark topsoil to give your seeds plenty of energy to climb. Fast-growing vegetables like Marketmore 76 cucumbers or Kentucky Wonder pole beans are perfect for this setup because they love to wrap their tendrils around the thin metal arms. You can also plant Sugar Snap Peas in the early spring for a wall of sweet green pods that are very easy to pick at eye level. Tuck in some Yellow Marigolds at the feet of the trellis to add a splash of color and help keep garden pests away from your young vines.

Lay down a layer of plain brown cardboard around the base of the pole before adding your wood mulch to keep the weeds from stealing water from your climbing plants. If your vines are having trouble grabbing the smooth metal, you can wrap a bit of rough twine around the ribs to give the tiny tendrils something to hold onto. Wipe the metal frame down with a damp cloth every spring to keep it looking fresh and prevent any old dirt from touching your new vegetables. This simple hack ensures your garden stays organized and gives a second life to something that would have otherwise been wasted.

04/25/2026

The Mulch You Laid This Week Entombed the Spring Pollinators
A heavy wheelbarrow tips, burying a patch of bare, sun-warmed earth under four inches of dark terracotta mulch. Beneath that heavy wooden blanket, dozens of native bees are instantly trapped in the dark.

We are taught that a thick layer of spring mulch is the ultimate act of responsible gardening, necessary to suppress weeds and protect plant roots.

In reality, 70% of North American native bees—including Mining Bees (Andrena spp., a vital native keystone species)—nest directly underground in bare, undisturbed soil. Right now in late April, adult females are at their peak egg-laying phase, meticulously digging shallow tunnels to build their nurseries.

These solitary ground-nesters are the unsung engines of our spring ecosystems. They pollinate early crops and wildflowers long before honeybees become active, while their presence supports the broader food web by feeding foraging songbirds.

When we blanket our garden beds entirely with compacted wood chips, we physically suffocate entire generations. You can easily protect them by leaving sunny, well-draining patches of champagne-beige soil completely bare.

Those exposed, dusty spots are actually bustling nurseries. The mulch meant to protect your yard just silenced the exact pollinators it relies on.

03/27/2026

Save massive amounts of garden space and end the struggle of digging through heavy mud by growing your potatoes in a vertical stack of crates.

Growing potatoes in the ground requires hours of heavy digging and constant bending over to pile up dirt as the plants get taller. Most people run out of garden space because a single row of potatoes takes up several feet of valuable soil. A vertical tower solves these problems by using upward space and making the harvest as easy as tipping over a box. You will never accidentally slice a potato with a sharp shovel again because you do not need tools to find your food.

This vertical method keeps your plants away from many ground dwelling pests and provides perfect drainage so your crop never rots in soggy dirt. You can grow dozens of potatoes in a space only fourteen inches wide which leaves more room for your other vegetables. The stacked design also makes it very easy to add more soil as the vines grow without making a huge mess in your yard.

You should start by placing one plastic milk crate on a flat patch of ground in a sunny spot. Line the inside of the crate with a thick layer of wheat straw to act as a basket that keeps your dirt from falling out of the holes. Fill the bottom six inches of the crate with a mix of potting soil and organic compost.

Place four seed potatoes of the 'Yukon Gold' variety on top of the soil and cover them with four more inches of your dirt mix. Water the crate until the soil is damp but not soaking wet. Wait for the green leafy stems to grow about eight inches tall before you move to the next step.

Place a second milk crate directly on top of the first one and add more straw lining around the sides. Fill this new section with soil until only the very top leaves of the potato plant are showing. Repeat this stacking process until you have three crates high to maximize your harvest.

Be aware that the green leaves and raw tubers of potato plants are toxic to dogs because they contain a natural chemical called solanine. Keeping your potatoes in these high crates helps keep them away from curious pets but you should still keep an eye on them.

Harvest your potatoes when the green vines turn yellow and start to die back in late summer. Simply unstack the crates and dump the contents onto a tarp to find all your fresh veggies hiding in the straw and dirt.

Store your harvested potatoes in a cool and dark place like a basement to keep them from turning green and becoming bitter.

11/07/2025

10/13/2025

Still have a couple gallons of frozen buttery appple pie filling to get us through the winter! 🙏

10/13/2025

PSA: The Bank is illegally not warning potential buyers of the $550k common-law lien they will inherit if they try to purchase this property for half of what its worth ($850k according to a licensed real estate agent) at auction today.

The money is owed to the beneficiaries of the Secret Garden of Eden Conservancy Trust for the improvements, repairs and equity in the property made and earned by the trustees.

We won’t be leaving the Garden until this lien is paid. You’ve been fairly warned! Love and light! 💞✨

Sara Anne Sara Anne

08/05/2025

3 baskets from grandmother apple tree yesterday and that was only half the tree! The three baby “paradise apple” trees are getting pretty productive now too.

07/03/2025

We will start hosting showings at our first “open house” this Sunday, July 6!

06/23/2025

Blackberry season! 2.5 gallons frozen so far and at least 3 gallons of kombucha, but we keep drinking it and giving it away :)

06/21/2025

Helene took out this giant white pine to clear the view for the future owner of the “Tree House” here at the Secret Garden of Eden!