BLOG POSTS
Everything you need to know about gardening through all the seasons
6 Easy Veggies For The Preggo Gardener to Grow

Feasting Year-Round from a Small Backyard, Meet Debra at Abundant Mini Gardens!

I had to take early retirement due to medical disabilities. I needed to focus on something positive in my life, other than the chronic pain and physical limitations I was dealing with every day. So, I decided to share my passion for gardening through a website, which is now called Abundant Mini Gardens.
I had been a public speaker as a Master Gardener volunteer for several years. I was no longer able to do much public speaking due to my chronic illness, but I could gradually write articles and share my gardening experience on the internet.
I’ve also learned how to produce even more vegetables from limited space, to reduce how much work we have to do in our garden to produce most of the large amount of vegetables that we eat every day.
To help other gardeners learn how to create a highly productive small garden, I provide a free 12-page guide, 9 Ways to Grow More Food in Less Space, to everyone that joins my Abundant Mini Gardens community.
Artist. Urban Homesteader. Crazy Chicken Lady. Meet Michelle!
My girls are one piece to the permaculture system I am attempting to establish. The chickens help out the garden: fertilizer, insect control, turning the dirt, mixing in compost. In turn, the garden helps the chickens: insects, garden scraps, dedicated chicken crops. Plus the garden and chickens contribute to the compost (poop and scraps), the chickens turn the compost and then the compost nourishes the soil.
I also use the chicken pool water (yes, my chickens have a swimming pool of their own during our hot summers) to water my bananas, grapes and blackberries. The water has a very diluted amount of chicken manure that adds nitrogen to the soil. Finally, the garden feeds the family.
I do the best I can to have a complete system. And hopefully my kids are learning valuable life skills by observing and helping out with the chickens and gardens.
On a personal level, nothing grounds me more that sitting with my chickens. Watching them scratch around and do their chicken things is the best way to shake of a rough day. I will sit on the ground and hand feed raisins. I often end up with chickens on me! That is a reward I never expected from keeping chickens.
The Tom Jones Story

My name is Tom Jones, I am 34 years old. I am a combat Veteran of the 101st Airborne Division “Air Assault” I served two tours to Iraq. 2003-2004, 2005-2006. Today I am the Project Coordinator of Michigan Operation Freedom Outdoors, which is a collaborative of affiliates that strive to reintegrate disabled Veterans and others with health challenges back into nature. The State of Michigan DNR being my biggest partner, allows me to have access to public land across the state. I host many events, and am proud of what I am able to still provide on this great mission. I fought for my fellow service members to get inside the wire everyday for two years, but I also fought for everyone in this country. I can not begin to tell you how rewarding it is to be there witness to someone's first trip back to nature. With the amenities I have, it really breaks down barriers. I have Action Track Chairs and accessible blinds around the 4,600 Sharonville state game area.
Learn To Grow with Pacific Northwest Garden Mom. Meet Misilla!
I liv

Real Food Enthusiast on a Quest for Simplicity. Meet Kristin from Live Simply!
In 2008, my husband and I decided to start eating “healthy.” Both of us grew up in the ’80s and ’90s–a time of Kool-Aid, freezer meals, and packaged chocolate chip cookies. Packaged food was commonplace in our homes, along with home-cooked meals. College turned both of our tastebuds toward a heavily processed diet of fast food and packaged snacks.
One evening in 2008 Dustin issued a challenge, “I bet you can’t shop, cook, and eat from just the produce department for a week.” I’m not one to turn down a good challenge so I responded, “Sure, I got this!” The next week was difficult. Beyond difficult. But, we survived. Soon we started eating from the produce department regularly and within a few weeks embraced veganism.
In 2010, the birth of my first son changed our eating habits again
Ex-Dolphin Trainer Starts His Own Business Helping Communities Grow Food. Meet Matt!
There is nothing better than home grown anything - flavor is key and home grown food tastes the best done right.
I find myself tuning into natures’ patterns and I make my judgement largely based upon observation which I enjoy because then I am following it’s guidelines rather than trying to re-write the book.