Deer-Resistant Plants & Deer-Deterring Tips

Awww … isn’t Bambi cute!?! Well … that is until he and the rest of his family have laid waste to your garden! That’s not so cute! If your yard seems to be a frequent stop along the Deer Garden Tour, you’re in luck … well, relatively speaking. The post I did for Monrovia’s Grow…

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Christmas Gift Ideas … RYG Style!

Christmas Gift Ideas

Looking for last minute gift ideas for your ground redeeming friend or family member this Christmas? If so, we’ve come up with a few suggestions to help you out.* Hopefully these ideas will work…but if not, maybe they’ll at least get you thinking a bit. Regardless, you better get to it…because times-a-tickin’! (By the way, feel…

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Top Chicken Names | Ultimate Backyard Chicken Survey

On today’s Top Chicken Names post I’m sharing what I think is some of the most enjoyable info folks shared when they completed the Ultimate Backyard Chicken Survey that I published back in the spring of 2017 … what they named their feathered friends! It may not be the most helpful … on a practical…

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Redeem Your “Ground” … While You Can!

Redeem Your Ground | www.RedeemYourGround.com

(NOTE: At first blush you may think that this post has nothing to do with redeeming your ground. But, at the risk of sounding overly dramatic, it has everything to do with why it’s so important to redeem your ground while you can. Besides, writing this post has helped me process what happened … so…

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So Why the 2-Year Hiatus from RYGblog?!?

Hey friends, I’m really excited that we’re finally in a place to be able to reconnect with you! First of all, as I ended my email announcing the “re-start” of Redeem Your Ground, I want to thank you for sticking with us.  As many of you have lived through difficult times yourselves (in some respects,…

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Redeem Your Ground Blog 2.0

After an almost 18-month hiatus from the blogosphere we’re excited about the eventual relaunch of the Redeem Your Ground blog! We apologize for not having posted anything new in a vehhhry loooonnnngg time…and we’re even sorrier if you tried to post a comment or emailed us and it took us a crazy long time to…

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Why Do Leaves Change Color?

[Every year the leaves change color…so every year I’ll likely re-post this post on Why Do Leaves Change Color? I just think it’s pretty amazing…and thought that there might be others wondering the very some thing. So here it is again. But beware, I go a little biology on you.] Have you ever wondered why some…

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How to Make a Tire Swing [Video for Exmark]

It seems like I’m sorry about a lot of things these days. On my last post on fertilizing tips, I was sorry for getting it out late because of kidney stones. And today’s post on how to make a tire swing I’m sorry for yet another delay. But this time it’s because I had shingles!…

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Our Chicken Coop Design (Part 3 of 3)

Finally!  My last post on the design of our chicken coop.  Below you’ll find a description and rendering of the final 3 elevations – right, left, and rear.  Part 1 provided a schematic of the area where our coop/hutch sits, as well as a floor plan.  Part 2 provided a description and rendering of the…

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Fertilizing Basics [Video for Exmark]

Fertilizing Tips - Exmark & Redeem Your Ground | www.WeAreExmark.com & www.RedeemYourGround.com

Okay, truth be told I had hoped to get this post on fertilizing basics … Fertilizing 101 … out a month or so ago when it would have been more timely. But it’s amazing how a teensy kidney stone can put a kibosh on the best laid plans. Sorry about that…but without further ado… Why…

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Our Chicken Coop Design (Part 1 of 2…err 3)

Given the frequency of posts about our feathered ladies, I know some of you may think my life revolves around our chickens.  Well I assure you that’s not the case…but they do add quite a bit of texture to my family’s life.  But with that…I do have yet another post on our chickens…and this time…

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Clay Soil: How to Work with It & My Top 5 Plants

Amending Your Soil - Redeem Your Ground | RYGblog.com

  There are few things that say Georgia more than red Georgia clay. Songs have been written about it and movies, like Gone with the Wind, have taken their cues from it. And for gardeners in the South, clay is just our reality. Although clay-rich soil poses some definite challenges, planting in it doesn’t have…

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How to Protect Your Plants from a Spring Freeze

How to Protect Your Plants from Freeze Damage | Redeem Your Ground | RedeemYourGround.com

Well it won’t officially be spring for a week or so … but with the warm weather we’ve recently had, some of our plants are seemingly getting a head-start. I’m just keeping my fingers crossed that the Spring freeze in the forecast won’t do too much damage to all this tender new growth. I know…

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Family Valentine’s Activity – Family Love Notes

Family Valentine's Day Activity...Family Love Notes - Redeem Your Ground | RYGblog.com

Alright, Valentine’s Day is almost upon us…again…so I thought I’d share something with y’all that we do to make it an occasion that our whole family enjoys.  As with most of our family traditions I can’t take any credit for it. Britt…being the words of affirmation kinda girl that she is…thought of and initiated it…

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Christmas Light Scavenger Hunt … Printables

The RYG Christmas Scavenger Hunt 2016 - Redeem Your Ground | www.RYGblog.com

  Merry Christmas Eve, Eve, Eve All! So for over the years we’ve provided y’all with a list of new Christmas Light Scavenger Hunt ideas so that you and yours could jump in the car and squeeze the most out of your neighbors’ Christmas decorating efforts. We hope to do another one this year ……

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How to Make a Holiday Chandelier

How to Make a Holiday Chandelier | Redeem Your Ground - RYGblog.com

One of the things I love most about this time of year is how warm and inviting our house looks & feels once all of our decorations are up & on display.  Yes, the lights add that special glow and each ornament has a story to tell; but I think it’s the layers of texture…

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How to Make a Magnolia Leaf Centerpiece

How to Make a Magnolia Leaf Centerpiece | Redeem Your Ground - RYGblog.com

One of my favorite trees that graces our yard is a massive Southern Magnolia. She stands over 100’ tall and speaks to both the history of the South and our home’s previous owners. And not only is she the perfect home for our girls’ treehouse, her branches and leaves are great to bring inside to…

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Why are my azalea leaves turning yellow?

Why are my azalea leaves turning yellow? - Redeem Your Ground | RYGblog.com

Well it’s happening again … many of the leaves on my azaleas have turned yellow. So as I did last year, I’m briefly interrupting our holiday-related posts to re-post the answer to a question that I’ve had…and one that several of my clients have asked me recently … Why are my azalea leaves turning yellow?   It seems that…

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RYG’s Top 5 Christmas Decorating Posts

The RYG Christmas Scavenger Hunt 2016 - Redeem Your Ground | www.RYGblog.com

For all of you right-after-Thanksgiving-Christmas-decorating-folks…which I am not…I thought I’d provide you with a single place to find our Top 5 Christmas Decorating Posts. So without further ado, here you go… Chicken Wire Lighted Christmas Balls Our lighted Christmas balls made out of chicken wire is by far the most searched for post we’ve done on…

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How to Hang String Lights [Video with Exmark]

4th of July Must Have...String Lights - Redeem Your Ground | RYGblog.com

We’ve done a ton to our outdoor spaces to make them our own…but after all that we still couldn’t really enjoy them after the sun went down. That was until we added some string lights into the mix. Now…dinners and game nights last a lot longer. I can keep working around the chicken coop with…

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What’s the Meaning of Labor Day?

The Meaning of Labor Day - Redeem Your Ground | RYGblog.com

I originally wrote this post about Labor Day back in 2014…when my girls looked so much younger…and I thought it was worth a re-post this year. To be honest, it wasn’t until recently that I really understood the meaning of Labor Day…I’ve always just thought of it as part of a 3-day weekend and the marker…

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Planting Your Fall Vegetable Garden…Get On It!

Fall Vegetable Garden - Redeem Your Ground | RYGblog.com

Planting my fall vegetable garden always sneaks up on me…and this year is no different. So in the next couple of days I’m going to try to jump out from behind the eight-ball…clear-out my very spent summer flowers & veggies…finally…and get my fall veggies in the ground. And if you’re planning to have a fall…

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My Favorite Late Blooming Hydrangeas

Late Blooming Hydrangeas - Redeem Your Ground | RYGblog.com

I don’t know…maybe I love late blooming hydrangeas so much because I was a late bloomer myself. But hopefully I’ve gotten past my pre-pubescent challenges by now…and it has much more to do with the fact that while most of my yard’s other bloomin’ shrubs have seen a much better day, my Tardiva and Limelight hydrangeas…

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Easy Mustard Pickle Recipe…Try It, You’ll Like It!

Mustard Pickle Recipe - Redeem Your Ground | RYGblog.com

Cucumbers have always been a staple in our family vegetable garden.  I love when Britt uses them in salads of any sort…and when the girls have fancy tea parties with their Mimi, they love making simple cucumber tea sandwiches. And whether we have a surplus of cukes or not, I love making my favorite pickle recipe for…

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4 Must-Haves for the 4th of July!

4th of July Must Haves - Redeem Your Ground | RYGblog.com

In just a couple of days you’ll very likely be hanging out with a group of friends or family…celebrating the 4th of July. Which will likely involve being outside and eating some really good food…and maybe an adult beverage or two…and a sparkler thrown in there to round things out. So…to help you make your…

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Father’s Day for the Gardening Dad

Father's Day for the Gardening Dad - Redeem Your Ground & Monrovia | www.RedeemYourGround.com & www.Monrovia.com

Gardening isn’t just a hobby for me – it’s a passion that both stirs me and grounds me…connecting me to nature’s honest rhythms and to what was best about my childhood. This deep love for the outdoors and gardening began when I was a boy… …transplanting perennials from my grandparents’ yard with my mom… …hunting…

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Herb Garden Basics: 5 Tips for the Bestest Herb Garden Ever!

Herb Garden Basics ... Redeem Your Ground | RYGblog.com

Herb gardens are all the craze these days. But that’s really nothing new…herbs have been used for all sorts of reasons for centuries. They’re really easy to grow, have all sorts of uses, and probably give you the biggest bang for your food gardening buck. So if you’re considering trying your hand at growing food…

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Flower Power 101: Top 4 Tips for Flower Gardening

Flower Power 101: Top 4 Flower Gardening Tips ... Marigolds - Redeem Your Ground | RYGblog.com

There are few things that bring more life and beauty to an outdoor space than flowers. The more the merrier, right? They’re so versatile…bringing feelings of peace and tranquility, or an air of excitement and delight. It just depends on what you’re going for. With Spring now upon us and summer just around the corner,…

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Basic How-To’s for Planting Plants [Video for Exmark]

Long story…but a number of months ago I was asked to be the guy in front of the camera for some how-to videos being produced for the premier lawn mower company, Exmark (see below for more on Exmark). Never did I ever think that this Redeem Your Ground journey would land me there. But sure enough, there was…

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Vegetable Garden Basics: Part 2 – Raised Beds Pros & Cons

Advantages and Disadvantages of Raised Beds - Redeem Your Ground | RYGblog & GrowingaGreenerWorld.com

Alright… in Part 1 of my Vegetable Garden Basics series, I answered the first question you should ask when starting your very own family vegetable garden…Where should I put it? Today I’m going to try to answer the next question…Should I build raised beds … or just plant my veggies directly in the ground? Should I…

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Hey…RYG is on the Living Homegrown Podcast!

Redeem Your Ground on the Living Homegrown Podcast | RYGblog.com

Hey…I’m excited to share with y’all that just last week I was interviewed by my friend…Theresa Loe, to be on her award-winning Living Homegrown Podcast.  And it just went live yesterday (link below). Who’s Theresa Loe? I’ve introduced you to Theresa before on several other posts, but in case you missed them…she’s the Co-Executive Producer of Growing…

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RYG 2016 in Pictures … What a Year It Was!

RYG 2016 Year In Review - Redeem Your Ground | RYGblog.com

I’m still not certain if all this social media shtuff is a net-good-thing or not. Which is quite ironic given that I’m relying on social media to reach you … and it’s partly the foundation on which I’m trying to build Redeem Your Ground. Oh the tension of life. Regardless, one thing I do appreciate…

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The 2016 RYG Christmas Scavenger Hunt (video twist!)

The RYG Christmas Scavenger Hunt 2016 - Redeem Your Ground | www.RYGblog.com

  Over the past few years one of our favorite family Christmas traditions has been to go on a Christmas Light Scavenger Hunt. We grab our list of Christmas lights to find…and our cups of hot chocolate… jump into the car…and off we go for some time of joyful merriment. (Click here to get our…

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DIY Christmas Decorations…RYG Style!

How to Make a Lighted Christmas Star - Redeem Your Ground | RYGblog.com

With Thanksgiving behind us…just barely…and with you know what just a month away, it’s time to start thinking about Christmas. Which at the Scott house means pulling out all the Christmas decorations. So I thought I’d re-share 3 DIY Christmas Decoration projects. Hopefully they’ll help you bring an extra dose of Christmas cheer to your home…

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3 Ways to Bring More Thanks to Thanksgiving this Year

3 Ways to Bring Thanks Back to Thanksgiving - RedeemYourGround.com

Given that it’s Thanksgiving week we thought we’d share a few ideas that might not only encourage a more thankful cadence to things around your house this week, but may also give you something to do while your kids are home for break. Hope you enjoy them…Gobble-Gobble! 1. The Thankful Tree | RedeemYourGround.com This activity…The…

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The Monrovia & RYG Connection

The Monrovia & RYG Connection - Monrovia.com | RedeemYourGround.com

  On my post from earlier this week I shared a video I did with Monrovia on fall shrub care. I know, right? Little ole’ me…RYG… just trying to help others get outside more, working with Monrovia…the end-all-be-all of plant companies. Whhhhaatt?!? Monrovia & RYG So how did I get connected with Monrovia? Well, I…

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Fall Shrub Care: Food | Water | Shelter (a la Monrovia)

Fall Shrub Care: Food | Water | Shelter - Redeem Your Ground | Monrovia (www.redeemyourground.com | www.monrovia.com)

  It’s finally feeling more like fall here in Atlanta…after a loooong, hot summer! As with any change of season, some folks are left wondering what they should be doing outside with their plants.  For me, yard work in the fall has a calmer cadence than it does in the other seasons. It’s more about…

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Tasty & Very Easy Bread and Butter Pickle Recipe

Easy Bread and Butter Pickle Recipe - Redeem Your Ground

If your veggie garden is anything like mine right now, it looks more like a scene from Little Shop of Horrors than the tidy gardens that you see in magazines. And that’s largely because my cucumbers are growing out of control. I really don’t mind though…because we love cukes. My girls love gnawing on them…

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RYG’s Gonna Be On TV Y’all!

RYG 2016 Year In Review | Family Veggie Garden - Redeem Your Ground | RYGblog.com

Probably as is the case with you, these past few months have been a blur at casa de Scott. With all the end-of-school festivities and summertime activities it’s hard to believe that it’s already the middle of July and school’s going to start in just a few weeks! Crazy. One thing that has definitely added…

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10 Great Summer Family Read-Aloud Books

Summer Family Read Aloud Books - Redeem Your Ground | RYGblog.com

Confession time. I’m not much of a reader. I know that’s ridiculous…for so many reasons. Sorry. But unless a book is assigned to me you will rarely find me reading one. Britt and the girls are big time readers…thankfully. Perhaps I’ll become more like them one day…I hope so. But right now, I’m not. And…

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“Slow Down” … by Nichole Nordeman

Slow Down by Nichole Nordeman ... Redeem Your Ground | RYGblog.com

A dear friend shared this song with me recently and I wanted to share it with you. Although I’m certain that the target audience is moms, I think any parent…mom or dad…or anyone really, could get something out of it (i.e., I’m not turning in my “man card” for posting this!). It’s by Nichole Nordeman…

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The Southern Rustic Cabin … by Emily Followill

The Southern Rustic Cabin by Emily Followill - Redeem Your Ground | RYGblog.com

  A year or so ago I did a post on coffee table books…and how they tell a story about who you are – or at least, what you’re interested in.  Well this week we added The Southern Rustic Cabin by Emily Followill to our coffee table stacks and this is what it says about…

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Redeem Your Ground® in Southern Living®!

RYG 2016 Year In Review - Featured in April 2017 Southern Living | Redeem Your Ground | RYGblog.com

It’s been a long-time coming…but it’s finally here! The April 2016 issue of Southern Living®! And Redeem Your Ground® & our back yard is featured in it! It is so crazy to see your very own back yard…much less your mug…in the glossy pages of a magazine. And Southern Living® for cryin’ out loud…beyond crazy! We…

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Declaring War on Mosquitoes | DIY Wine Bottle Tiki Torch

How to make a Wine Bottle Tiki Torch - Redeem Your Ground | RYGblog.com

I can’t stand mosquitoes. Sure … I get that they serve some purpose in the greater ecosystem, but as Brownie often asks me, I’m sometimes left wondering too – “Why did God ever create mosquitoes?!?” And I know that I’m not alone. So today’s post is on how-to-make a DIY wine bottle tiki torch –…

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Material Options for Raised Beds

Fall Vegetable Garden - Redeem Your Ground | RYGblog.com

One of the most common questions I hear from first-time veggie gardeners who have their minds set on growing their veggies in raised beds is…What material should I use to build them? This is largely borne out of a concern for the chemicals used to treat pressure treated (PT) wood…since that’s what’s often used for…

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Welcomed Signs of Spring

Flower Power 101: Top 4 Flower Gardening Tips ... Lady Bank's Rose - Redeem Your Ground | RYGblog.com

Spring has really started to show her stuff in our yard. Finally! We have a good bit of shade, so our plants always seem to take their own sweet time waking up from the long winter slumber. And although I’ve had the flu this week, I have ventured out a few times to see what’s…

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What’s Green Mean to You?

The Meaning of Green - Redeem Your Ground | RYGblog.com

[Holed up inside with the flu…YUCK…the only thing green that I’m thinking of right now is being green with envy that I can’t fully enjoy this amazing weather we’re having! But rather than dragging you further into my funk, I thought I’d re-post my post from St. Patty’s Day last year about … the meaning of…

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March Gardening To-Do List

March Gardening To-Do's - Redeem Your Ground | RYGblog.com

Alright…it’s March and Spring is right around the corner! Woopwoop! That said…it’s time to get out there and get ready. Below you’ll find my March Gardening To-Do List. Hopefully you’ll find it helpful! 1. February Gardening To-Do’s Let’s be honest…you were probably a bit too aggressive when you came up with your February gardening to-do list.…

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Starting from Seeds – 3 Key Resources

Starting from Seeds - Redeem Your Ground | RYGblog.com

Greetings fellow Veggie Garden Ground Redeemers! Even if the weather outside doesn’t seem to be screaming “get outside in the garden”, if you’re considering starting your veggies from seeds this year … time’s-a-tickin’. Although we’ve used seedlings the past several years, we started our very first veggie garden by sowing seeds inside. And although it…

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February Gardening To-Do List

February Gardening To-Do List - Redeem Your Ground | RYGblog.com

So it’s February. Not the ideal time to be outside in the garden. Sure…there are pockets of time you could enjoy being outside, but nothing’s really growing … and the weather isn’t typically cooperating. But February is the perfect month to get ready for what’s just around the corner. Spring! So here’s what I have…

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3 Must-See Nature-Themed Time Lapse Videos

3 Must-See Nature-Themed Time Lapse Videos - Redeem Your Ground | RYGblog.com

Needing a little inspiration myself, I came across a few nature-themed time lapse videos that are really incredible. So rather than keeping all the beauty and inspiration to myself I thought I’d share them with you…my fellow Ground Redeemers. And although they won’t make spring come any faster, they may warm these cold winter months…

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Top Christmas Movies

Top Christmas Movies - Redeem Your Ground | RYGblog.com

Merry Christmas everyone! And if your family is anything like mine…after all the presents are opened and you’ve gorged yourself on candy and food you might want to sit semi-comatose and watch a Christmas movie. Okay, I know…you’re probably saying to yourself, “What’s so ground redeeming about watching a Christmas movie”. I get it. However…Britt would suggest that…

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Last Minute Gift Ideas for Your Ground Redeemer

ENO Double-Nest Hammock - Redeem Your Ground | RYGblog.com

I once did a post on last minute gift ideas for your ground redeeming friends and family t … and was recently been asked if I was going to do it again. Well … the answer is, “I am.” Today. Right now. So keep reading. (By the way, feel free to check out the other…

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How to Make a Lighted Christmas Star (or Card Holder)

How to Make a Lighted Christmas Star - Redeem Your Ground | RYGblog.com

Alright…so I’ve shown you how to make lighted Christmas balls using chicken wire and then with folding wire balls. Today I’m going to share how to make a lighted Christmas star. So if your kids are clamoring for you to add a little Christmas life outside…this project is super easy and really cheap. (And if you stick with me to the…

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I’m thankful for … cotton sheets

I'm thankful for...cotton sheets - Redeem Your Ground | RYGblog.com

So for the past several weeks Britt and I have peppered y’all with fall and thankful themed posts…obviously because we’ve entered that time of year and it’s Thanksgiving week after all. I went a little science teacher on you with my post on why leaves change color…and Britt gave you some tasty pumpkin seed recipes…

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NON Chicken Wire Lighted Christmas Balls

Non Chicken Wire Lighted Christmas Balls - Redeem Your Ground | RYGblog.com

We love to decorate for Christmas. But up until last year all our festive decorating efforts were limited to just the inside of our home. This never sat well with our girls. Particularly when we drove down our street passing by all sorts of lighted displays…only to find a lonely, shadowy wreath on our front door.…

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Crazy Stuff for Chickens – Diapers, Harnesses, and Costumes!

Crazy Stuff for Chickens - Redeem Your Ground | RYGblog.com

I’ve become the “chicken guy” to a number of my friends. How do I know? Well because it seems that I’m the go-to for those who are considering raising backyard chickens…reaching out to ask me what it’s really like to have them. While others, who already have chickens, call to ask questions about specific chicken-related issues. But…

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7 Fun Fall Activities … That’ll Get You Outside!

Why Leaves Change Color? - Redeem Your Ground | RYGblog.com

Alright, I’m going to make this one quick…because the weather outside is amazing and I want to get out there and enjoy it with Britt and our girls. But before I do, I wanted to provide you with 7 fun fall activities that you could do with your family…and friends if you’re so inclined. 1.…

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Auntie’s Fried Apples Recipe…Absolutely the Best!

Although Auntie wasn’t officially my grandmother, she did raise my dad. And besides that, she fit the bill of the quintessential little ole granny in every way imaginable. She was small, sweet…but still a bit spunky, had white hair, really thick glasses, dentures, and would only wear dresses…mostly with some sort of flowered print. And…

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The COOLEST Fire Pit Ever | S&S Fire Pits

The COOLEST Fire Pit Ever! - Redeem Your Ground | RYGblog.com & S&S Fire Pits |SSfirepits.com

I know that the weather hasn’t really been cool enough yet to scream that it’s time for an evening outside around the fire, but this week I just couldn’t help myself. Our summer just seemed extra hot and extra long…and after having what felt like weeks and weeks of rain, I just needed to get outside…

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5 Fall Gardening To-Do’s

5 Fall Gardening To-Do's - Redeem Your Ground | RYGblog.com

Happy Fall Y’all! It’s so nice that not only have we officially turned the page from summer to fall, but that we’re actually starting to feel the refreshing autumn air…at least here in Atlanta.  Sigh… And not only that, it’s the perfect time to do quite a few things in your yard so that you can…

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Irish Garden Shed … Clearly, Not Your Everyday Shed

Irish Garden Shed - Redeem Your Ground | RYGblog.com

  Early last year my mother-in-law did a post on RYGblog about one of her friend’s beautiful potting shed . If you haven’t seen it…check it out…because you’ll see that not only is it incredibly functional (why most people want a shed), but it is gorgeous as well (something few think is possible). I included that…

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5 Must See Videos That Encourage Outdoor Play

5 Must See Videos on the Importance of Outdoor Play - Redeem Your Ground | RYGblog.com

On the heels of last week’s post about designing natural play spaces, I thought I’d follow up with 5 videos that I think, in one way or another, will encourage you to spend more time outside with your kids. Why? Well…because outdoor play is really, really important. Read on and watch these videos and you’ll see…

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Crazy Easy & Cheap DIY Outdoor Lighting Project

DIY Outdoor Lighting Project - Redeem Your Ground | RYGblog.com

  This was such a cheap and easy project that I don’t really have much to write about. Regardless…we couldn’t be happier with how the DIY outdoor lighting project we did for our pergola turned out. And the really cool thing is, we used mostly materials that we had just lying around. It provides just the right amount of light to turn…

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4 Really Basic Veggie Garden Tips

Veggie Garden Tips - Redeem Your Ground | RYGblog.com

Britt and I hosted a really cool event in our back yard one gloriously beautiful morning a few weeks back. 20+ folks arrived to learn more about what a Tower Garden® is…and if it’s something they’d want to consider having for themselves. While sipping on smoothies, we were schooled in all things Tower Garden® by…

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Nana’s Potato Salad Recipe + Bacon!

Potato Salad with Bacon Recipe - Redeem Your Ground | RYGblog.com

She’s back…and this time with a recipe that includes two of my favorites…potatoes and bacon! Check out RYG guest blogger Tracy Prather’s recipe for her Nana’s Potato Salad with Bacon. We didn’t grow any potatoes this year and we haven’t gotten off the grid enough (some would say at all) to have our own pigs…

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Plant Combinations for Spring Container Gardening

Spring Container Gardening Plant Combinations - Redeem Your Ground | RYGblog.com

Last year I did a post with Helen Weis from Unique by Design on container gardening basics. And when I tell you it’s been our most popular post…that’s really an understatement. It’s gotten almost half of our pageviews over the past 12 months. Crazy! [Thanks again Helen…oh-wise-guru-of-all-things-container-gardening!!] Soooo….I thought I’d follow-up with another container gardening…

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4 Things We’ve Learned in 4 Weeks of Beekeeping

Beekeeping 101 - Redeem Your Ground | RYGblog.com

I met Micah a little over 2 years ago now…when we were just starting out on our RYG journey. Micah was part of the awesome team at Proof Branding that helped us come up with the RYG brand and develop our website and blog. And since then Micah, has become both a friend and a fellow…

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Strep Throat, Bronchitis, and Southern Living ®

Southern Living Photo Shoot - Redeem Your Ground | RYGblog.com

Well…that’s probably the first time you’ve ever seen those three things on a list together. Clearly, “one of these things is not like the other” (more on that below). But what they all do have in common is that they’ve kept me from writing my weekly RYGblog posts. And I’m so sorry about that. First…

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Upcycled Nesting Box … Transformed into Boot Storage

Nesting Box Retro-Fit - Redeem Your Ground | RYGblog.com

  Ever since we’ve been raising chickens, we’ve been accumulating chicken-themed stuff … ties, books, towels, objects, etc.  Some of the chicken-stuff we’ve bought ourselves, but some we’ve received as gifts. And not that we’re turning all cat-lady on you …i n a chicken-kinda-way, but I guess you could say, chickens is something we’re becoming…

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A Couple of Easter Activities…for the Family Planner

First of all…I’m clearly, admitedly…and frankly…unashamedly…NOT our family planner. Britt…clearly, admittedly, and fortunately for our girls and me…IS. So to do my part…and to help Britt’s fellow family planners out just a bit, I thought that I’d re-post a couple Easter activities she posted on last year…so that you could get a head-start. Easter Egg Birdseed Ornaments It’s…

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And the Winner for Best New Garden Blog is…

Garden Bloggers Conference...Hall of Fame Award Winners - Redeem Your Ground | RYGblog.com

…Redeem Your Ground! That’s right…we won Best New Garden Blog at the 2015 Garden Bloggers Conference last week…whoop, whoop! Unfortunately we weren’t able to be there to receive the award in person…but I asked fellow chicken-lover and blogger friend Deb Neyens (Counting My Chickens) to let me know once it was announced. And she did…within seconds…thanks…

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[VIDEO] Introducing…Our Backyard Chickens!

Video Introducing Our Backyard Chickens - Redeem Your Ground | RYGblog.com

If you’ve been on RYGblog more than once you’ve probably gathered that we are the proud owners of a small flock of backyard chickens …7 of them. And although we do love them because of the eggs they give us every day, we also love them because we consider them pets…part of our family. Now…I’ve written…

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Top Garden Blogs

Top Garden Blogs 2015 | Garden Bloggers Conference Hall of Fame Awards - Redeem Your Ground | RYGblog.com

Hey Ground Redeemers…so on my Garden Trends 2015 post from last week I mentioned that we had some exciting news to share. Well, one very exciting bit of news is that Redeem Your Ground is a finalist in several categories of the Hall of Fame Awards at this year’s Garden Bloggers Conference. Anyway…this is pretty cool news…

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What Are Your Coffee Table Books Saying…About You?

Garden Coffee Table Books - Redeem Your Ground | RYGblog.com

Besides an old wooden bread bowl filled with pine cones and a wooden box we use to hide our remote controls, the only other thing on our coffee table is books…coffee table books. A lot of them…like more than 20. So besides saying that we should probably get rid of a few coffee table books, the books themselves say quite…

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Garden Trends 2015

Garden Trends 2015 - Redeem Your Ground | RYGblog.com

  Man…when we signed off at Christmas…saying that we’ll reconnect in the New Year, I had no idea that it would be over 3 weeks before we did. Sorry about that…but thanks. Our time away has been very good..and I hope yours was too. We had some great time together as a family…which was really nice and much needed. We also spent a…

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Merry Christmas from the Scotts & RYGblog

Merry Christmas from Redeem Your Ground | RYGblog.com

Britt, the girls…furry, feathered, and otherwise…and I want to wish y’all a very Merry Christmas. We also want to thank you for letting us share some of our ground redemption efforts and stories this past year. We hope that somewhere along the way that we’ve either helped or inspired you to redeem a bit of your…

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How to Make Lighted Christmas Balls

How to Make Lighted Christmas Balls - Redeem Your Ground | RYGblog.com

Ironically…and much to our girls’ chagrin, we have never done much more than hang a few stands of white lights outside to decorate for Christmas. Our deck-the-hall efforts have always focused on the inside of our home. But this year it’s going to be different. Not that our house will rival the Griswold’s from National Lampoon’s…

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A Dad, His Boys, and Their Tree House

A Dad, His Boys, and Their Tree House - Redeem Your Ground | RYGblog.com

I’d like to introduce you to my great friend Jon…fellow daddy of 2 young kids and a guy who loves building things and getting outside as much as he can with his family. Being a master of almost any tool he can get his hands on and having a creative bent, Jon builds things that…

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Caution: Abusing Gratitude Could Be Life Threatening

Gratitude Challenge - Redeem Your Ground | RYGblog.com

As we shift our thoughts and energy from Halloween costumes and candy to Thanksgiving and times with family, I thought this post that I found on my friend Kelly Flanagan’s blog UnTangled was particularly timely. [Credit for featured photo above: Jamie In Bytown via Compfight cc] Until a few years ago, I lived like every resource was about…

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Spotlight on RYG’s Posts on Holiday Crafts & Decor

Birdseed Ornaments - Spotlight on RYG's Holiday Crafts & Decor - Redeem Your Ground | RYGblog.com

So this past weekend we were “officially” introduced to our local community at an event hosted by our friends from a really cool local home & garden boutique – the bird and the bee.  We really had a great time…and are so appreciative to the bird and the bee and everyone who stopped by. Not…

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Tower Garden ® vs. Raised Beds

Veggie Garden Diversification with the Tower Garden - Redeem Your Ground | RYGblog.com

Well a few weeks back I wrote a post about how I was “diversifying” my veggie gardening efforts by adding a Tower Garden® right alongside our raised beds.  On that post I provided the reasons why I WASN’T going down this Tower Garden ® (TG) path…although some people do it for these very reasons… to…

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Let There Be Light…String Lights!

Let there be light...string lights - Redeem Your Ground | RYGblog.com

If you’ve been reading RYGblog for anytime at all, you’ve probably heard me talk about “Scott Family Farm”…which is really just our side yard that we’ve redeemed from the waste of a space it used to be. (If you’re just tuning in and are interested in seeing more of what I’m talking about, check out…

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Redeem Their Ground…Bringing Back the Old-Fashioned Barn Raising

Redeem Their Ground ... Barn Raising - Redeem Your Ground | RYGblog.com

This past Saturday was just one of those days. Not one of those days …bad. But one of those days…good, so good. And at the end of this oh-so-good day we plopped our exhausted bodies, full stomachs, reeling minds, and overflowing hearts in bed…satisfied…content…thankful…wondering why days like this didn’t happen more often. So what amazing…

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BLEND-y Pics on Pinterest

Top Pinterest Pins - Redeem Your Ground | RYGblog.com | BLEND

So I was sitting here trying to think of what I should post about next…and I was drawing a blank…nada…nothing! Maybe it’s because I’ve only had a half of cup of coffee today…I don’t know, but my brain is just a bit fuzzy.  Then I thought…rather than try to squeeeeeeze out any more inspiration from…

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Fall Is In the Air…Time for Fall Family Activities!

Fall Family Activities - Redeem Your Ground | RYGblog.com

This past week has been so nice here in Atlanta – we’ve officially turned the calendar to fall and with that have come the cooler temps and breezes that mark the season. So before all the leaves are off the trees and winter’s cold winds take over, I wanted to jot down some of the things that my 3…

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Tips for Fall Container Gardening – Helen Weis | Unique by Design

Tips for Fall Container Gardening...Helen Weis | Unique by Design & Redeem Your Ground | RYGblog.com

Back in April I did a post on container gardening basics … Container Gardening 101. Since today is the first day of fall…I thought I’d give you a bit more container gardening goodie…but this time I’ll put a fall twist to it. Like I did last spring, I’ve enlisted the help of the container gardening guru herself – Helen Weis with Unique…

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Veggie Garden Diversification…The Tower Garden ®

Tower Garden vs Raised Beds - Redeem Your Ground | RYGblog.com

I’ve already gotten one almost visceral “What?!?” response from a fellow veggie garden buddy when I told him that I was going to try my hand at growing veggies using a new-fangled approach to gardening. And when I say new-fangled, I mean that there’s no dirt…which seems crazy to me! But still…I’m entering the world…

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Best Fall Flowers – Bringing Life to Your Outdoor Spaces

Best Fall Annuals - Redeem Your Ground | RYGblog.com

Truth be told, I’m not a huge fan of annuals…at any time of the year really. They’re an added cost…and frankly, I’m really not into the extra work they require – planting them and then taking care of them…waaah!  And with fall approaching…as the days are getting cooler and shorter…and my yard starts to slip…

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Redeem Your Grounds…Your Coffee Grounds That Is!

Using Coffee Grounds in Your Garden - Redeem Your Ground | Redeem Your Ground

So I was at home writing a post when Britt texted me a pic that she had taken while at Starbucks picking up a morning boost…with the message “What a great idea for a blog post.” Her pic was of a sign promoting Starbucks’ “Grounds for Your Garden” program. Friends have told me about how they’ve…

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The Vital Importance of Outdoor Play for Our Kids

The Vital Importance of Outdoor Play - Redeem Your Ground | RYGblog.com

If you’ve only read our posts on gardening or chickens you may have missed the fact that the primary reason that Britt and I embarked on this RYG journey was to help get people outside more at home…to connect with their family, friends, neighbors, and nature.  We believe that when you do that your life…

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How to Prune Hydrangeas…and When

How to Prune Hydrangeas - Redeem Your Ground | RYGblog.com (PeeGee Hydrangea)

Several weeks ago I started a series of posts on one of everyone’s favorite landscape shrubs…the loverly hydrangea. I started with defining and describing the different types of hydrangeas…and next how to plant hydrangeas.  Today I’m going to continue along the hydrangea path with answering one of the most common questions I get from friends and family…How do you prune…

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Introducing … Lisa Steele and “Fresh Eggs Daily”

RYG 2016 Year In Review | Farm Fresh Eggs - Redeem Your Ground | RYGblog.com

As I’ve said on previous posts, one of the biggest perks of this RYG journey has been getting to  meet some truly amazing people. (I air-quoted “meet” because I haven’t actually met them…or even talked to them, but I have gotten to know them on their blogs and through emails back and forth.) Anyway…the latest person I’ve met is Lisa Steele…a 5th…

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How to Plant Hydrangeas

Types of Hydrangea - Redeem Your Ground | RYGblog

Last week I started a series of posts on hydrangeas…which seems to be one of everyone’s favorite plants – particularly here in the South.  My initial post was all about the “what”…outlining the importance of knowing what kind of hydrangea is best for your space…and noting that there’s a ton you can get by simply looking at the scientific name.…

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Hydrangea – Quick Reference Guide

5 Must Have Shrubs with White Flowers (Annabelle Hydrangeas) - Redeem Your Ground | RYGblog.com

Based on the positive feedback I received from some of my fellow ground redeemers, instead of burying the Quick Reference Guide to Common Landscape Hydrangeas at the end of the post where some folks might miss it…I’m giving it a post all to itself. So if you did miss it and want to download and print it off……

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DIY Pallet Board Coffee Table

DIY Pallet Board Coffee Table - Redeem Your Ground | RYGblog.com

I’ve finally jumped onto the DIY pallet board bandwagon. Last week I finished up a pallet board coffee table to go in front of the hanging day bed on our pergola. Now…the girls and I did make a wall hanging of sorts for Britt for Mother’s Day a couple of years ago out of pallet…

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A Hydrangea…By Any Other Name

How to Prune Hydrangea - Redeem Your Ground | RYGblog (Printable Reference Guide)

It’s clear by just quickly looking over our yard that hydrangeas are one of Britt’s and my favorite plants…particularly during the late spring and summer months.  Not only do we love their massive blooms popping all over our yard, we also love the life they bring when we take them inside. And apparently we’re not…

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My Potting Bench (Post #2 of 2)

How to Build a Potting Bench - Redeem Your Ground | RYGblog.com

If you’re just tuning into RYGblog and haven’t seen the first post about my potting bench, I’d recommend that you do. It provides you with a bit more context, as well as some instructions on a few of the potting bench’s details (i.e., this post doesn’t cover it all). Regardless, let me remind you of what…

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My Potting Bench (Post #1 of 2)

How to Build a Potting Bench - Redeem Your Ground | RYGblog.com

Greetings fellow Ground Redeemers. I hope this post finds you well…enjoying the final days of summer – which is so hard to believe. Well, I’m excited about sharing how I’ve spent some of my summer days…building a potting bench. And I’m a tad bit proud too…not only because I made it with my own two…

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“I love my new yard!”…Backyard Makeover Tips

Backyard Makeover Tips - Redeem Your Ground | RYGblog.com

There are few things that satisfy me more professionally than seeing pics like the one above and hearing words like “I love my new yard!”…especially from my youngest of clients. And that’s what eventually happened after I got a call from a good friend of mine late last spring…asking if I could help them figure…

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Tips for Growing Tomatoes

Tips for Growing Tomatoes - Redeem Your Ground | RYGblog.com

Whether your veggie garden consists of a single pot or vast acreage…or whether you’re a veggie garden beginner or a seasoned veggie veteran, odds are that tomatoes are a part of this summer’s harvest. Like my other posts on gardening how-to’s, there’s so much more to know…but understanding the following tips for growing tomatoes really…

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Why, Yes…Our Backyard Chickens Do Have Names

Backyard Chickens DIY Sign - Redeem Your Ground | RYGblog.com

I shouldn’t find it funny, really…that one of the most common questions people ask about our chickens is “Do they have names?”. Although having chickens as pets is trendy in some circles, it’s still not the norm…so given that most peoples’ context for chickens is what they’re having for dinner, it’s not that odd of…

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30+ Fun Activities for Kids to Play in the Dirt

Fun Activities for Kids to Play in the Dirt - Redeem Your Ground | RYGblog.com

As I’ve shared on previous posts, I’ve got a thing for dirt…I love the way it smells, the way it feels, and all it represents. And if you’ve ever been on RYGblog before, I hope that you’ve noticed that I love my girls from my head to my toes…and that I have a passion for…

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How to Grow Cucumbers

How to Grow Cucumbers - Redeem Your Ground | RYGblog.com

As I mentioned on yesterday’s post (Tracy’s Mustard Pickle Recipe), cucumbers are always part of the Scott Family summer vegetable garden.  Not only because we love cucumbers and pickles, but also because I’ve found growing cucumbers is very easy…and truth be told, I like easy when it comes to gardening.  Now there have been some…

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How to Grow Blueberries

How to Grow Blueberries - Redeem Your Ground | RYGblog.com

We love our blueberry bushes…especially this time of year when they’re busting with berries. Britt and I love how having them teaches our girls where food comes from…beyond from a carton at the grocery store.  We love the daily family-berry-picking sessions. We love casually snacking on them while we’re playing or working outside.  We all…

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There’s Just Something about a Tire Swing

How to Make a Tire Swing - Redeem Your Ground | RYGblog.com

I don’t know what it is, but there’re very few things that say carefree summer days more to me than a tire swing.  That’s probably why when we were trying to come up with images to represent the PLAY section of RYGblog that we landed on a tire swing.  The crazy thing is, I didn’t have…

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Zucchini Crisps with Basil Dipping Sauce (from McNack’s Kitchen)

Zucchini Crisps with Basil Dipping Sauce - Redeem Your Ground | RYGblog.com

One of our favorite veggies to grow is zucchini…always the first to make the list when we sit down to plan our summer garden.  They are easy to grow…as long as I’m able to keep the vine borers and squash bugs away from them…and the girls and I love it whenever Britt fixes zucchini for dinner. One of my favorite things about my RYGblog…

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Take the Party Outside!

Outdoor Party - Redeem Your Ground | RYGblog.com

When considering where to host a special event like a birthday bash or a large dinner party, it seems that most of us limit our thinking to either having it inside or paying to have it somewhere else – when all along there’s very likely a great space just outside our doors.  With just a…

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Redeem Your Day

Redeem Your Day - Redeem Your Ground | RYGblog.com

This weekend was bittersweet.  Sweet in that Sunday was Father’s Day and I was showered with love and attention by Brown & Littlest One…and Britt.  It was really great…soul-filling…affirming…and so rich. I’m blessed. Bitter in that I got the news of 2 horrible things that had happened this past week.  First, a guy I briefly worked…

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How to Prune Azaleas…and When!

How to Prune Azaleas - Redeem Your Ground | RYGblog.com

A few months ago I wrote a post about some of my favorite white spring flowers.  If mine had been in bloom at the time, I would have also included the Mrs. G. G. Gerbing Azalea (Azalea Rhododendron indicum ‘Mrs. G. G. Gerbing’).  Because my G.G.s make up the foundational backbone of my landscape, I…

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got margin?

got margin? - Redeem Your Ground | RYGblog.com

got margin?  I don’t. But I need to.  Really, we all need to. Either real or perceived, it seems like we are all running around with very little margin.  And when we don’t have margin…or don’t feel like we do…we don’t rest, can’t rest…don’t see, can’t see…don’t feel, can’t feel…don’t think, can’t think…don’t dream, can’t…

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Inspiring Gardens

Inspiring Gardens...Howard Design Studio - Redeem Your Ground | RYGblog.com

Sometimes I just want to be inspired by what I see…and not be distracted by someone blathering on about some deep thought or story.  So in an attempt to not distract you, I’ll simply include a number of images of gardens that have inspired me. But because I can’t help myself, I will give you  just a…

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