Aloes are flowering succulent plants. There are over 250 species of Aloes in the world, mostly native to Africa. The most commonly known is the Aloe vera.

I have several Aloe vera plants. I use the gel in the leaves on my dry skin. I bought one of my plants at a garage sale over the summer. It is a huge old plant that was in a teenie-tiny pot along with 5 large pups (you can see the picture below). Mama Aloe and her pups have since been repotted and are all doing great!

I enjoy my aloe vera plants so much that I thought I would share a few tips on keeping these easy to care for plants.

Guide to Growing Aloe Vera

Aloe vera is extremely easy to grow. Here are a few things to keep in mind while caring for your Aloe Vera plant:

1. Choose a suitable pot. One that is four times larger than the root ball is a good size. Make sure the pot has a drainage hole.
2. Aloe will grow in most soils, but a Cacti/Succulent potting mix is ideal. You can always mix in 1/3 sand to 2/3 potting mix as well.
3. Do not over water your aloe! This is important, so let me repeat it… DO NOT OVERWATER! An aloe can go for months without water, but will rot if given too much. Allow the soil to become dry before giving the plant any water. During the winter the plant will become dormant and should need minimal watering.
4. Keep your aloe in a partly sunny and warm location of the house. A few hours of sun is more than enough for an Aloe Vera plant. Sitting right next to a cold window can be harmful. Keep an eye out for darkened, shriveled leaves. You also do not want to place your plant near a heating vent. Try for a warm but even temperature.
5. I always put my aloes outside for the summer. Introduce them to the sun gradually so they don’t burn. A week or so in the shade before moving to a partly sunny location will help prevent burning. Orange discoloration or brownish spots on the leaves is a sign of too much sun.
6. Aloe Vera is cold hardy to about 45 degrees. Zones 8-10 can keep it outside. If you are in a colder zone take your plants in well before a frost, since even a light frost has killed off some of my younger aloes.
7. You can fertilize once every two months. I use Miracle-Gro. Just follow the directions on the package.
8. If you are harvesting the leaves you should use the outer ones first. If you don’t use the leaves very often, and the outer leaves start to sag and turn brown at the tips, you can cut or gently pull them off the stem. This will help the plant keep its shape.

How to Divide Aloe Vera

Aloe vera plants form offset pups and will eventually become a clump of plants. These plants need to be removed to keep your mama plant healthy. It is easy to tease out the small plants, and I can usually pull out my pups after they are 4-5” high. They have their own little root systems, so all I do is plop each one in a brand new pot and water them.

Sometimes the pups grow attached to the mama plant. If your pups are growing on your aloe plant you can slice them off. Let the cutting sit overnight so it has a chance to callus over. Put 1/3 of the cutting into the soil (cut end down). Do not water the cutting heavily. I usually mist it. Roots should start forming within a month. When you actually see it start to grow you can water it. Don’t worry if it shrivels a little in the first weak or so, that is normal.

Using Aloe Vera

I love to just open up the leaves and use the gel on my hands. It make a wonderful moisturizer for sensitive skin. You can also extract the gel and use it for a few months. Aloe vera gel is great for several skin issues:

• Speeds up healing on minor burns, rashes and cuts
• Great for sunburned skin
• Fantastic moisturizer

To make Aloe Ver Gel from your plant, follow these simple steps:

1. Harvest several large leave from the outer edge of the plant.
2. Stand each leaf upright on the inside edge of a bowl, allowing the sap to drain out of the leaf for 15 minutes.
3. Lay your leaf flat on a cutting board. Cut off the tip of the leaf, as well as the serrated edges on both sides. Then slice the the leaf lengthwise.
4. Use a spoon to scoop out the the slimy mucilage and the clear gel. Avoid scraping out the sticky sap.
5. Store your aloe juice in the refrigerator. Use a glass or plastic container. It will keep for a month or so, but remember, aloe gel is best fresh.

I hope you enjoy growing and using your aloe plant as much as I have!

I was not able to plant a full garden this year due to monetary and time constraints. We recently moved to this new house and there was so much to do! I compromised by planting my favorites in container gardens. The herbs have been flavoring my cooking all summer, but I just picked the first vegetable of my labor, a medium hot pepper.

My favorite thing to do with hot peppers is to slice them and put them in my salads for extra zip. I have pimentos and cayenne peppers ripening also, so I will be able to make salsa soon.

I am already thinking about next year and what I am going to plant. Because they are my favorite, I am planning the pepper section first. I am going to order my pepper seeds from fantastic site, pepperjoe.com, they have a great selection. It is a favorite of Martha Stewart, don’t just take my word for it. They offer no genetically- altered seeds, and they are 100% organic. You should check out the X-rated pepper that is shaped like a (gasp!) penis. No really, it is…see the “Peter Pepper” here.

I grew the PEPPER JOE CAYENNE this year, and I cannot wait to try these other varieties next year…

• HAITI CLUSTER PEPPER
• PAPRIKA PEPPER
• 5 COLOR MARBLE
• BARNEY PEPPER
• FIRECRACKER CHILE
• CHICKEN HEART PEPPER
• JALAPENO PEPPER-EARLY
• ITALIAN PEPPERONCINI
• CHARLESTON PEPPER
• SWEET CRIMSON
• FLUORESCENT PURPLE PEPPER
• and of course, the “Peter Pepper”

You can see all of the Pepper Joe pepper varieties on the Pepper Joe website. Happy browsing!

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I had planned on purchasing crocuses to plant under my weeping cherry, and I decided to do a mixture of blue, white and yellow varieties.

But when I went to the directory page under BloomingBulb.com’s “Fall Planting Sale” there was a section ambiguously named “Misc.Bulbs- Fall”. Hmmmm…. miscellaneous you say? *click*

And there, about 3 lines down, I was greeted with the most ridiculous looking flower I had ever seen…

Allium hair. These are SO going in my front yard.

Plus I bought my crocuses and another variety of Allium (Moly) to pant with my weirdo hair plants -

PLUS…I saved a bunch of money. I get really excited by many things, but planting new flowersand saving money are at the top of my list. So when these factors come together, it is an absolute “joy-explosion” in my brain. My brain has gone into happy overload because not only were their regular prices cheaper than I expected, but I got 20% off through their current sale, then I signed up for their newsletter and received another 10% of, = 30% savings, yay! check it out and get some “hair” flowers of your own…

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If you do not have the room for a large compost pile, your city will not allow it, or you would just rather have it neatly tucked away out of site, a composter made out of an inexpensive garbage can might just be for you. You can even use this method if you live in an apartment or condo, and have access to a balcony or patio.

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To make a composter out of a garbage can you will need:

• Plastic garbage can with handles that clamp the lid on, size 32 gallons or larger
• Roll of fiberglass window screen
• Duct tape
• Several bricks or stones
• Bag of topsoil
• Drill
• 2-inch saw bit
• Scissors or a utility knife
• Tape measure

This project will take about an hour, and will cost about $20, depending on the size and quality of the garbage can you buy (mine was $11) and if you need to purchase a saw bit ($7).

How to build your composter:

1. Drill holes into top, bottom, and sides of the plastic garbage can with the 2-inch saw bit. Place the holes about 6 inches apart. This will provide the necessary ventilation for your compost to decompose.
2. To keep the compost from falling out of the holes, cover the inside of the garbage can with the screen.

• Cut the screen into squares, and attach the edges of the screen to the inside of the garbage can with duct tape.
• I used small squares to cover a single hole for the lid and bottom.
• I then cut larger sheets for the sides that covered 5 or 6 holes at a time.

3. Place the composter on the bricks/rocks to keep it off the ground.
4. TA-DA! You have built your composter! Now you can start composting…

What to add to your composter:

The general method of adding material to your compost is 4 parts “brown” matter to 1 part “green” matter.

Brown Matter:

Dead leaves
Shredded paper or newspaper
Brown cardboard
Small twigs
Coffee grounds

Green Matter:

Fruit and vegetable scraps
Tea leaves and bags
Egg shells
Weeds, green leaves, and plants
Grass clippings

Though the general rule is 4:1, brown to green, the real key is balance! Try for a good variety of items, and do not add too much of one thing. This gives a good balance of carbon and nitrogen contributors, which makes for effective composted soil for your garden. I always add a bit of topsoil to a new batch of compost to get it started.

DO NOT ADD pet droppings, meat, fish, chicken, dairy products, cooking oils, or non living items like plastics. Your pile will smell, attract pests, not decompose properly, and make lousy compost that could harm your plants.

How to care for your compost:

You need to make sure that your compost stays moist, but not wet. Think wet sponge instead of dirt soup. If your pile gets too wet, it will smell. If it gets to dry, it will take much, much longer to break down. I usually water mine once a week.

You will also need to keep your compost aerated (meaning, make sure it gets a lot of air). Once or twice a week, lay the bin on its side and roll it to mix the contents (make sure the lid is on tight!) This will provide the oxygen necessary for the composting process.

How to tell when your compost is done:

While your compost is breaking down, the compost will be warm. While it is composting, the temperature should be about 160 degrees farenhieght. Once it cools and you cannot identify any of the original materials, it is ready to use. If you keep the bin moist, break up larger pieces before putting them in the bin, and turn it regularly, you should have completed compost in 4-6 weeks.

How to use your compost:

• Use it in new flower beds. Mix it into the existing soil before you plant to create a nutrient rich home for your new additions.
• Use it as fertilizer for existing plants. Spread a thin layer of the compost around the base of the plants, and the nutrients will work their way to the plants roots.
• Use partially complete compost as mulch. This will also release nutrients to the plants.
• Make your own potting mix. Mix 1/3 compost with 2/3 soil for a nutrient rich mix for your potted plants. If you are starting seeds use less compost, so the plant roots have something to take a firm hold to.
• Fertilize your lawn. You should sieve the compost first, and then drop it over the lawn by hand or with a spreader.

Additional composting tips:

• I use multiple bins so one can be composting while I add materials to another.
• When you remove compost from a bin, leave about ¼ to ½ of the compost in the bin to move along the next pile. This eliminates the need to add the topsoil to the bin!
• A meat thermometer is a great way to check the temperature of the bin. Or get a Compost Thermometer.
• If you have problems with your lid popping off when you roll the bin, use a bungee cord to keep the lid on tight!