East of Eden Farm

05/29/2026

The honeybee gets the attention. These eight do most of the work.

Native bees pollinate earlier in spring, fly in cooler weather, and visit flowers honeybees skip entirely. Most of them nest in the ground or in hollow stems — not in hives. Most of them can't sting you. And most of them are in your yard right now without you knowing it.

The metallic green one on the coneflower is a sweat bee. The one cutting perfect circles from your rose leaves is a leafcutter. The large one hovering near the deck is a carpenter bee — and the males can't sting at all.

05/01/2026

I don't own the rights to this music 🎶

04/18/2026

04/01/2026

03/31/2026

🐰New Zealand Rabbits UFD

03/31/2026

Last year had the best intentions to try this non-toxic method for pest control. Unfortunately my husband ended up in the hospital and by the time I could wrap my head around the garden again I had missed the window of opportunity. So I will try again this year!

KAOLIN CLAY

Kaolin clay has many uses but in gardening it is used as a natural, non-toxic pest control and plant protectant by creating a white powdery film on leaves and fruit. The clay film makes plants less appealing to insects so helps by disrupting their feeding and egg-laying cycles. It also helps control fungal disease spread by spores by creating a barrier between the spores and the plant.

Kaolin clay is a naturally occurring mineral and is considered safe for humans and the environment. I’ll be using netting and row covers for as much as I can but for the larger fruit trees and my vining plants like grapes I will be trying this!

Kaolin clay is usually sold in powder form and then mixed 3 cups to 1 gallon of water and sprayed on plant leaves and fruits. It is best applied after petal fall for fruit trees and as needed for vegetables and other plants. It is recommended to be reapplied every 7-21 days (depending on how much rain we have).

I am praying it deters the Japanese beetles from decimating everything.
Fingers crossed 🤞

03/31/2026

03/28/2026

03/26/2026

I don't own the rights to this music 🎶 Own the KNOW

12/06/2025

Picture this: you’re driving down a Portuguese highway, the sun blazing overhead, and suddenly you spot rows of fruit trees — figs, oranges, plums, olives — all free for anyone to pick. No vendors. No fences. Just food growing openly along the road, waiting to be shared.

Across Portugal, forgotten strips of land beside highways are being reborn as “fruit walls” — long edible corridors cultivated for public use. What began as a simple pairing of farmers with extra saplings and municipalities with unused land has grown into a movement of generosity woven directly into infrastructure.

These roadside orchards don’t just feed people — they stabilize soil, reduce emissions through dense green cover, and offer natural shade to travelers. Community volunteers and farming co-ops maintain the trees with care, pruning, watering, and keeping the tradition pesticide-free. Hand-painted signs identify fruit varieties, inviting travelers to pick what they can eat on the spot, preserving a culture of respect over exploitation.

Portugal’s fruit walls prove that public land doesn’t have to be empty — it can nourish. It can welcome. It can remind us that food and kindness don’t always need a price tag.