Playing in Dirt

I had two little cuties, my nieces, helping me harvest cucumbers and squash in the garden this past weekend. I always enjoy having them with me. I don’t have children of my own, so being able to love on these little ones is such a blessing.

My youngest niece, who is seven, is like my little sidekick. She follows me everywhere, is always curious about what I’m doing, and loves to learn. We definitely butt heads sometimes because she keeps me on my toes, but we love each other fiercely. She has taught me so much about patience, self-control, and unconditional love.

I truly believe God placed them in my life for a reason. I have the privilege of loving them, guiding them, and hopefully being a positive influence as they grow. This weekend, we spent time in the garden, harvested cucumbers, and even did a little photo shoot together. Making these memories with them is something I cherish.

Did you harvest anything from your garden this weekend? I’d love to see it! Share your photos in the community and let me know in the comments what you harvested.

Skip the Carousel

1 2 3 4 5

2 days ago | [YT] | 472

Playing in Dirt

Garden Harvest Time 🥒

Just a little harvest from the garden today.

I’d love to see what everyone is growing! Have you harvested anything this weekend?

Drop your photos in the COMMUNITY tab and share your garden updates. Whether it’s a single tomato, a basket full of vegetables, or seedlings just getting started, I want to see it all.

What’s growing in your garden right now?🥒🌱🥔

Skip the Carousel

1 2

1 week ago | [YT] | 487

Playing in Dirt

My lovely squash plant finally produced a female flower 🌼 … and wouldn’t you know it, I don’t have a male flower open to pollinate it with!

For anyone new to growing squash🖐️, this is actually pretty common. Squash plants often produce male and female flowers at different times. The female flower is the one with the tiny baby squash behind it, but it needs pollen from a male flower in order to develop into a full-sized squash.

If that female flower doesn’t get pollinated, the tiny squash behind it will usually stop growing, turn yellow, shrivel up, and eventually fall off.

If you find yourself in this situation, don’t panic. The plant will usually continue producing flowers, and more male flowers often show up soon after. In the meantime, keep the plant healthy by watering consistently, fertilizing as needed, and encouraging pollinators to visit your garden. 🐝

One tip: check your squash plants early in the morning. That’s when the flowers are most likely to be open, and if both a male and female flower are available, you can even hand-pollinate them yourself for a better chance at a harvest.



Have you ever had a female squash flower open before the male flowers were ready? Let me know below! 👇

Skip the Carousel

1 2 3 4

2 weeks ago | [YT] | 360

Playing in Dirt

My goodness… gardening 😩 Is anybody else dealing with extreme weather right now?

Here in my part of Georgia, it’s supposed to rain for almost two weeks straight, and today alone we’ve already gotten around 3 inches of rain. We even have flood warnings in the area right now, and …ugh!

As frustrating as it is, I’m trying to stay encouraged and just work with what I can control. One thing I do know is that after all this rain settles down, I may need to refertilize my containers because heavy rain can wash nutrients right out of the soil.

So if you’re dealing with nonstop rain too, you may need to go back and feed your plants once things dry out a bit. Assess them and see how they’re doing first though. 🌧️🌱

What kind of weather has your garden been dealing with lately?

3 weeks ago | [YT] | 126

Playing in Dirt

Now, I don’t have to be an experienced gardener to know when a plant is stressed 😅 Y’all, these are my yard-long beans, and it’s my first time growing them… but why are they looking like THIS? This definitely doesn’t look healthy compared to the last picture.

I honestly don’t know what’s causing it. Is it the heat? The soil? Bugs? I’m so tempted to just start over, but before I do, I wanted to ask y’all for advice. If you’ve grown yard-long beans before or have any tips, let me know down below because this is looking really strange. 🌱

Skip the Carousel

1 2 3 4

3 weeks ago | [YT] | 154

Playing in Dirt

Oh my goodness, what a day! I hope you all are enjoying your weekend. 🌱❤️ I spent all day in the garden finishing up the rest of my planting. I have a really busy Summer ahead of me. My two nieces are coming up next week to spend the Summer with their dad, and I’ll be spending a couple days out of the week with them until they go back to school in August for auntie bonding and to help out, so I wanted to make sure I got everything planted and settled in the garden beforehand. That was one last thing I really needed to get done.

Can y’all guess what plant I’m holding up right now? I’m so excited about this one. Let me know in the comments what you think it is.

1 month ago | [YT] | 242

Playing in Dirt

Happy Mother’s Day to all of the mothers and mother figures out there. ❤️

Man… what you do is no small thing. The patience, the perseverance, the sacrifice, the mental strength it takes every single day. Wow, I truly applaud each and every one of you.

I don’t have children of my own, but I consider myself a motherly figure to 3 little nieces, and even that alone has shown me just how much love, energy, and care it takes to pour into others. I honestly can’t even fathom the level of strength it takes for those raising young children day in and day out. It truly takes the hand of God to sustain and strengthen you.

Without mothers, none of us would be here. Your role matters more than words can express.

I hope today feels special for every single person who carries a motherly role, whether you birthed children or not. And truthfully, you deserve to be celebrated every single day, not just today.

Enjoy your day. You are appreciated more than you know…sending virtual flowers 🌷🌺🌷🌸🌻🌼🪻🌹

1 month ago | [YT] | 94

Playing in Dirt

Can you do me a favor, por favor? Please go to the Community tab and share pictures of what your garden is looking like right now because mine is struggling…a little bit😅

My cucumbers are a hot mess. The stems are super thin and stringy. My tomato plants are looking leggy, and honestly… I’m a little concerned. I’m hoping once the weather stays consistently warm, everything finally takes off.

Even my peppers are not peppering. 😂 They’ve stayed the same tiny size forever and barely seem to be growing. My eggplants aren’t really taking off either, even the ones I purchased as starts.

So now I’m wondering… is it the weather, or is something else going on?

I’d love for us to share pictures, compare notes, encourage each other, and maybe even offer advice. Let me see what y’all are growing right now and how your gardens are doing this season 🌱

Skip the Carousel

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

1 month ago | [YT] | 262

Playing in Dirt

I don’t know about you, but I’m so ready to move these plants outdoors 😅

My tomatoes and peppers are already starting to flower, and I’ve probably got about a week and a half left. I’ve been watching the weather closely, but we’ve got a couple nights dipping into the upper 40s (around 49°F), so I’m holding off for now. Tomatoes and peppers might be okay, but I don’t want to risk it just yet. I’ll likely move some plants out sooner and wait on the rest.

If your plants are starting to flower indoors, make sure you’re pinching off the entire flower (the whole bulb), especially on pepper plants.

This helps because:

* It prevents the plant from putting energy into fruit too early
* Encourages stronger roots, stems, and overall growth

Peppers benefit the most from this. Tomatoes are a bit more forgiving, but I still remove early flowers indoors.

Once your plants are outside full-time with strong growth and good sunlight, you can let the flowers stay.



Are you moving your plants out yet, or still waiting? 🌱

Skip the Carousel

1 2 3

1 month ago | [YT] | 233

Playing in Dirt

Today was such a beautiful, peaceful, and quiet day, exactly what I needed. I can’t remember the last time I allowed myself to slow down like this. Lately, I’ve been constantly on the go, without ever really pausing… and today reminded me how important that pause is.

I spent time in the garden, enjoying the beautiful weather, and reading one of my favorite childhood books, Little House on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder. I have the entire series, and this one was a special gift from a friend, so being able to sit outside and read it felt even more meaningful.

There’s truly nothing like being in nature… being still… just existing in the moment.

If you’ve been feeling like you’re always moving, always doing, I encourage you to pause. Take a moment for yourself. Do something you love. Sit in stillness. Be present. Sometimes, that’s exactly what we need most.

When was the last time you truly slowed down and enjoyed a quiet moment?💚

Skip the Carousel

1 2

1 month ago | [YT] | 568