Today I’m celebrating a small but meaningful milestone—61 subscribers on my YouTube channel, wwonderwwho! It may seem like a quiet number in a noisy world, but it means so much to me.
Thank you for subscribing, watching, and being part of this homebody life—a space for the cozy, the slow, and the intentional. Whether you've been tuning in for gentle vlogs, kitchen experiments, thoughtful reflections, or everyday calm, I appreciate you more than I can say.
If you're new here and just discovering this blog or channel, welcome! You can subscribe to the channel here and explore recent videos rooted in simplicity, creativity, and care.
📝 I'd love to hear from you in the comments:
What kind of content brings you the most comfort or joy? What would you like to see more of on the channel?
Your presence here helps shape this cozy little corner of the internet—and for that, I’m grateful.
Growing salad greens indoors during summer doesn’t have to be complicated, especially with a compact hydroponic setup. It's early June. The heat in zone 8a, Georgia, has settled in, and it's only going to get hotter. When those tomatoes and cucumbers are ready to harvest, I know that I am going to want to enjoy lots of salads. The leafy greens and lettuces I love don't tolerate the heat well could bolt soon after the cotyledon leaves emerge.
I don't want to add conventional salad greens to my shopping list to go with my homegrown tomatoes and cucumber. I want to limit my time in the grocery store and save on grocery expenses. I have all these seeds just waiting for their opportunity to show their splendor. My solution is to grow indoors using one of my hydroponic garden planters. I have two eight-hole devices and one twelve-hole device.
In my latest video, I walk you through how I’m planning on growing fresh, vibrant lettuce without soil, even during the heat of summer.
Whether you're new to hydroponics or just want a peek at my low-effort, high-yield system, you’ll find plenty of helpful info in the video.
📺 **Watch the full video here:**
Why Hydroponics in Summer?
Space-saving - the footprint of a hydroponic garden can be as small as a sheet of printer paper. Devices that size can generate 8 crops in that small footprint.
Heat challenges with outdoor greens - lettuces, leafy green brassicas generally do not tolerate heat well. There are varieties of lettuce that are slow to bolt or heat resistant. Also, there are leafy greens that can thrive in the heat, like my beloved New Zealand spinach.
Indoor control = better results - My family likes the AC on freezing. Which will contribute to the lettuce and greens thinking it is fall, when it actually is not. Seriously, I can control the indoor temp, the amount of sunlight, and be more exacting with fertilizer application. This all may sound complicated, but trust me, it will not be that way.
My Seed Selection Process
To help me think about what I wanted to grow, I went to ChatGPT to prompt it to suggest lettuces and leafy greens to grow in the twelve-hole hydroponic garden. In the initial prompt, I stated that I wanted the variety to generate enough to feed two people for 2-4 meals a week, and the varieties needed to complement each other in a salad. Lastly, I wanted suggestions that were cut-and-come-again.
ChatGPT and I go together, real bad. I love automation and learning how AI works and how to use AI myself. That being said, the response to my prompt had suggestions of varieties that I had seeds for and liked, seeds that I had and didn't like so much. It didn't know that much about me. I have to keep some secrets. Also, I noticed that arugula was not included. I had to teach it to get to know me a little better. So I gathered my seed collection of lettuces and leafy green brassicas and typed up a list in the chat thread, as well as mentioning that arugula was missing. After some follow-up chats, a list was compiled that I knew I could thoroughly enjoy eating. The video shows the seed packets that I am growing in this cycle.
I created a simple Hydroponic Greens Planner you can download and use to plan your own setup.
The device comes with growing sponges, net cups, humidity domes, labels, and nutrients. You add the seeds and distilled water. Some steps I shared from the video are:
Soaking the sponges for at least 30 minutes.
Getting your labels created to place over the net cups.
Soaking the seeds. I decided not to do that. I moistened the seeds before adding the humidity domes.
The lighting selection. The device had three options: flowers & fruits, vegetables, and herbs. I selected the vegetable lighting option.
Nutrients are not added until the seeds have germinated.
Results & Reflections
I started this cycle on the night of June 1st. On June 5th, I saw seedlings all over the pods. After I checked closer, I was able to remove the humidity domes from all of the seedlings. There was 100% germination at 4 days! Now is the time to add the first application of nutrients to give the seedlings the boost to grow strong and healthy. I expect to be able to begin harvesting in 3-4 weeks. I can already imagine the salad that I will enjoy eating.
Want to Try It Too?
🛒 My Hydroponic Garden Tools & Supplies
These are the exact tools and supplies I used in this video:
• 12-Hole Hydroponic Garden System → https://amzn.to/4kOlBZH
• 8-Hole Hydroponic Garden System → https://amzn.to/4kuvEmb
• 5-Tier Rack (fits 3 units perfectly when modified to 3 tiers) → https://amzn.to/3FsjX0p
• Squeeze Bottles → https://amzn.to/43BpXgA
• Colored Dot Stickers → https://amzn.to/3ZW7RmX
Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you. Let me know in the comments what you’ve grown and loved!
💬 Have you tried hydroponic gardening?
Remember to subscribe to the blog to obtain the free download --Hydroponic Garden Planner.
And if you’re new here, welcome! I share cozy, grounded kitchen and garden content rooted in authenticity and intention.
Thanks for being here, friend. May everything fall into place for you today. 🌿
I’ve been looking forward to sharing this sunshine-in-a-jar recipe with you! This small-batch mango lemonade concentrate was a joy to make and even more of a joy to sip once it was done. I used frozen mango cubes, lemon juice, and sugar, and then steamed-canned it for long-term pantry storage.
You can enjoy this concentrate diluted with cold water or sparkling water, or unsweetened iced tea. It makes a refreshing, shelf-stable drink that can be enjoyed all year round.
This post goes along with my YouTube video, where I walk you through the entire process.
📺 Watch the full video here:
⚠️ The recipe below is the output of a prompt that I created using ChatGPT. It follows safe water bath canning guidelines. Always check for updates via trusted resources, such as the National Center for Home Food Preservation.
✅ Ingredients for Mango Lemonade Concentrate
•6 cups mango puree (fresh or frozen, well-blended, no added sugar)
•4 cups bottled lemon juice (not fresh-squeezed; bottled is required for consistent acidity)
•6 cups granulated sugar
•(Optional) 1–2 cups water for blending/puree consistency
✅ Step-by-Step Canning Instructions
1. Prepare Jars & Equipment:
Wash jars, lids, and bands. Preheat jars in simmering water. Prepare water bath (or steam) canner.
2. Make Concentrate:
-In a large pot, combine mango puree, bottled lemon juice, and sugar.
-Stir well and heat just to 190°F (88°C), do not boil (to preserve fresh flavor).
-Stir to dissolve sugar completely.
-(Optional: For a smoother texture, strain puree before heating.)
3. Fill Jars:
-Ladle hot concentrate into hot jars, leaving 1/2-inch headspace.
-Wipe rims, apply lids and bands finger-tight.
4. Process:
-Process in a boiling water bath canner for 15 minutes (pints and quarts).
-Adjust time for altitude as needed.
5. Cool:
-Remove jars, cool for 12–24 hours. Check seals.
✅ How to Serve the Concentrate
Mix 1 part concentrate with 1–1.5 parts cold water, sparkling water, or to taste. Add ice and enjoy.
✅ Tips for Safe Canning
•Use bottled lemon juice to ensure safe acidity. Do not substitute with fresh.
•Do not reduce the amount of lemon juice or sugar, as this affects safety.
•This recipe is adapted from safe, tested recipes for fruit concentrates.
A Note on Taste: This is good! You can dilute it with water, sparkling water, or use it in mocktails. Whatever you can imagine, you can do it. You made it so the rules are your rules.
Don't have canning supplies? No problem, friend. I gotchu! You can also freeze this concentrate ❄❅❆.
What's Next: I am planning to do more seasonal drinks like blueberry limeade or peach lemonade as the summer goes on. Make sure to subscribe to this blog and subscribe on YouTube so you don't miss them.
And if you’re new here, welcome! I share cozy, grounded kitchen and garden content rooted in authenticity and intention.
With just a few gardening seasons under my belt, I’ve already found seeds I plan to grow season after season.
When I started buying seeds in 2023, I didn’t exactly have a strategy — it was more about variety and beauty. I wanted seeds for vegetables I loved but could only find at specialty markets (like local Asian grocers), and I absolutely wanted color. Why choose orange carrots when red, yellow, or deep purple were options? Why grow plain green beans when I could have golden or purple?
Purple had me in a chokehold that first season. 💜
I also searched for fresh herbs that I loved to buy but couldn’t use up before they went bad — like Thai basil and Korean perilla (kkaennip). I dreamed of stepping outside to harvest just what I needed and reducing both food and money waste.
And yes, I definitely fell down the garden influencer rabbit hole and bought seeds from any company I saw mentioned repeatedly. (No regrets. Some of those impulse buys turned out to be treasures.)
🌱 What I’ve Learned About Buying Seeds
From these early seasons, I’ve picked up a few truths:
Beauty doesn’t always equal production. I had to reconnect with why I was growing — to feed my household nourishing food.
Hybrids are okay. I was hesitant at first, but now I look for varieties that help me grow more reliably and easily.
Quality beats cheap. With the exception of a few herbs or flowers, I no longer buy seeds from certain retailers
Growth habit matters. I’m firmly on #TeamDwarf for tomatoes, and if I’m planting in vertical planters, I check for container-friendly traits.
Seed company values matter. I now consider the company’s mission and growing practices before purchasing.
🌿 A Few of My Favorite Seeds So Far
These are a few standout seeds I’ve grown and loved. The full list lives here on my blog and will be updated as I discover more.
🔸 Giant Red Mustard
Absolutely stunning. I grew it in a vertical planter the first time and loved it. Then I tried it in a raised bed — and it showed out. I even made a video about it if you'd like to see.
🔸 Upland Cress
A random pick during an end-of-season seed sale. It germinated easily, grew quickly, and added a mustard-meets-arugula kick to salads and sautés.
🔸 Bolero Carrots
These gave me my first truly successful carrot harvest. I used pelleted seeds from Johnny’s after seeing rave reviews from gardeners I trust. Smaller size was on me — next fall, I’ll be ready.
🔸 Tiny Tim Micro Dwarf Tomatoes
These tomatoes introduced me to the magic of dwarf varieties. I grew them hydroponically last fall and got more tomatoes off that one little plant than from all my summer plants combined. I’ve since found a seed company that specializes in dwarf types — I’m trialing a few now and will share the results soon.
🌾 Want to See the Whole List?
Of course I’ve got you, friend.
I’ve curated a page with seeds I love and where to buy them, and I’ll keep it updated as I grow and experiment. I believe in sharing what works — there’s enough for everyone, always. You can find that full list right here.
Have questions about a specific variety? Want to swap garden wins (or flops)? Drop a comment or reach out. I love hearing from fellow growers.
If you’re new here, welcome! I share cozy, grounded kitchen and garden content rooted in authenticity and intention.
