Freebies

Here's something to grow on your desktop; suited to you and I, the garden lovers. The lovely peach dahalia in this photo is from this location. They are free:

desktop


Free gardening newsletters are available many places. Here's a sample of some I've found:

P Allen Smith's Garden Home

Backyard Gardener

Burpee seed company (subscribe in lower left corner of page)


The Garden Glove

A "Miracle" Liquid

Every gardener knows that water is as essential to plants as it is to all of life. It seems ordinary probably only because it's so common. Yet it is able to absorb and dissolve many things into it. This makes it a great conduit for nutrients. It also changes form without significant loss of its essential charactertistics. It changes its state constantly in many cases, absorbing and releasing oxygen, nitrogen, minerals, nutrients and various other substances.

It's the only substance known that expands when frozen rather than contracting.

Want to see how much you know about water? Here's a quiz:

http://ga.water.usgs.gov/edu/sc3.html

I'm happy that I got 9 out of 10 correct. Number 7 is the one I got wrong.


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I planted two types of onions, red and sweet white, last week. The week before last I put in daisy gold potatoes; according to the vendor (Burpee) they are nematode resistant.

A tip: put the seed potatoes or cut pieces in a paper bag with agricultural sulfur and coat them lightly. It can help to protect them against fungal diseases and perhaps other problems. I found gardening sulfur at Lowe's. Besides the application on potatoes, it can be added to soil that needs to be more acidic.

I need to put in my blueberry plants soon. They need acidic soil.

(Source of tip: The Vegetable Gardener's Bible)

Signs of Spring

The people from New York set up their annual tent to sell Easter flowers. It's up every year in the mall parking lot. This means that Patchwork Farms' nursery stand is not far behind!

The days are longer and the snow doesn't lay on the ground very long. I saw a flock of geese flying northward a few days ago. Tomorrow (Thursday) is the first day of spring. This means the Earth will slowly begin tilting its Northern Hemisphere into the sun.

Clothing stores are selling colorful items made of lighter fabric. Garden departments of various stores began stocking seed packets, seed-starter kits and gardening tools in the last month in their displays.

You can't get out in the garden yet, perhaps. So, here's a little virtual fun to entertain you -- at least for a little while. Thanks to my friend Mary for sending it to me! That's her hand holding the flower in the picture below!! (tee hee)

Click on the link below. You will get a black page.




http://www.procreo.jp/labo/flower_garden.swf

Click your mouse anywhere (& everywhere) on the
page & see what happens! If you click repeatedly on the same spot you will get multiple blooms!
Better yet, click & drag
your mouse over the page... Enjoy!!

So The Plot Thaws

I've been thinking of the smell of "fresh" soil since I visited my plot yesterday afternoon in the 51-degree, sunny conditions. By fresh soil I mean earth that has thawed after winter's coldest phase, with enough moisture to make it rather workable but not muddy. I only went to dig the remaining leeks out of the ground. I wish that on my day off tomorrow (Sunday), the weather would not just be barely above freezing as is forecast. That's probably too cold to do anything. Instead, I'll be indoors, starting plants from seed.

Many of the remaining leeks had "leaked" their innards and become mush. Still, I harvested one healthy root and two partially healthy ones. I intend to try a recipe for leek and potato soup I found here: curried potato and leek soup with spinach. I shall use soy milk, just as one of the people who commented mentions. This will elimate lactose intolerance issues for me.

They feature recipes for Irish Soda bread due to St Patrick's Day on Monday. I made it once, and it wasn't bad. I prefer scones.



Best graphics, layouts, and more for your profiles! Click Here!

Some Fun

We're all waiting for the weather to change, seeds to sprout (if started indoors) and soil to soften -- that is those of us who are "growing" types. We've had some pleasant days between cold periods. If an uncharacteristically warm day in fall is Indian Summer, would an uncharacteristically cool day in spring be Eskimo Winter?

What Kind of Flower Are You?

I found this quiz at This Garden Is Illegal. What a great name for a blog, eh?

I am a Canna What Flower Are You?

The options for some questions were not enough, and some others I could have chosen more than one option:

When you retire, what kind of house do you want to live in?

A nice cottage


Your indoor plants are:

Making babies and threatening to overwhelm my apartment

The number of late bill payments you had in the past 30 days is:
Bills? I knew I forgot something.


Your idea of a fun dinner is


Eating alone
Eating with a significant other
Eating with a few friends
Eating with your entire family (this is the option I chose for the quiz)
Inviting every person you know over for a barbeque


In your garden you:
Hired no one and did everything with your own two hands.

Your workspace (at home) looks like:

the paper volcano erupted

(at work, for the quiz) There is enough open space for your drinking cup and a few essentials

When you paint a room you:

paint a mural on the wall
Well, I'd like to.

When you have a headache, you:
Pretend you don’t feel it
(eventually, I take something if sleeping, resting or relaxtion doesn't get rid of it)

How many steps does it take for you to do your hair in a typical morning (including steps in the shower):
0-2


Your friend wants you to lie to their spouse about why they came home late the other night, you:

Ask why they need the alibi and then decide if you will lie.


Which kind of movie is your favorite
Science fiction or adventure
(but for the quiz I picked "something gets blown
up")

When you cook, your favorite cooking instrument is:

A good saucepan


When a friend needs help moving

You offer to help them move without them asking

When you need to talk to someone about something important, you

Call your best friend
Call a few good friends


How do you most often get from place to place?

A car
(I walk quite a bit, too)

When you are not gardening, which of these things would you prefer to do in your spare time?

Read a book
(or go for a walk)

Your best friend needs to borrow $100, you

Wish you could, but money is a little tight so you can’t


Your idea of a really good gift from your partner is:
Who needs a gift?
A bouquet of flowers
Your favorite CD
Something handmade
The most expensive thing they can find

(all are equal to me; I picked the flowers for the quiz)

Your favorite flavor of ice cream is

Peanut butter mocha chocolate swirl

Looking Forward to Spring

Yesterday was in the 50s. It was sunny! I wanted to "popcorn" the way my guinea pigs do when they're happy. There's more winter to come, but I'm ready for spring!

While browsing Country Woman Magazine's site, I found some information that may be useful to gardeners. If you want to start selling items at the local farmers' market, they have some advice. You can find the article on their website:

To Market

There's also an interesting article about a flower farm here.


Links to help you sell used books (go to the header that reads "Page 50):

book resale


Here's a pretty scene to set you at ease.

Graphic from: http://www.glitter-graphics.com/graphics/111063

Reasons To Rejoice

Everybody look up cause there's a reason to rejoice you see!
Everybody look up and let's commence to singing joyfully!

Can't You Feel A Brand New Day,
Can't You Feel A Brand New Day!


--from The Wiz (musical)


Hello! It has been a while since I wrote a blog entry here. Now that the winter holidays are over, I have more time. I have added a healthy spider plant and African rubber plant to my indoor "garden".

Spider plants (chlorophytum comosum) are easy to grow. It also reproduces quite well. I have transplanted the "babies" that grow on the end of long stalks in water and in soil.

Growing a rubber plant is new for me. This one is a little under two feet high with oval, glossy leaves that are green on top and reddish underneath. The underside of the leaves must be where the variety gets its name "burgundy".

My other housplants are doing quite well. The older croton has new growth at the bottom of its stalk. The younger one had growth on a tendril-like extension of one leaf, but I yanked it off by accident. The older croton has been with me for over a decade, so no matter how much work it requires -- which is next to nothing -- I'll do it. The large plant in the middle is a spathiphyllum, and the croton is sort of hidden to the left. The light green leaves in front are from my "devil's ivy" (pothos). In winter, I've found that keeping them in the bathroom is beneficial for the humidity they get when I shower.


Since spring is not far away, there's a little more happening. I've recently discovered some interesting urban gardener sites: moss in the city

Flower and gardening shows will be happening. In Pennsylvania, which is where I live, the Philadelphia Flower Show has existed annually for years. This year it will be from March 2-8. Last year, as I wrote about, some friends and I went to the Pennsylvania Garden Expo in Harrisburg, then watched the St. Patrick's Day Parade. The show isn't big, but attendees may get some landscaping ideas and advice.

A slightly bigger show will be in York, Pa., at the end of February. The mid-Atlantic Garden Show will feature three days of events. I'm sure there are many others.

At any time of year, one place I'd recommend visiting is Longwood Gardens outside of Philadelphia.

My mint and lemonbalm have survived winter indoors so far. I'm enjoying the idea of putting them back on my porch in the warm weather. I feel like I've achieved something by having two of my herbs last. In fact, just as days began to lengthen in midwinter, the lemonbalm perked up and grew quite well. Perhaps I will cut some to try as a tea.

P Allen Smith has his new website up and running, as well as his youtube page. You might want to check them out as soon as possible!

P Allen Smith's home page
Youtube

In fact, to tease us about spring upcoming, here he is with some daffodils:


(photo from internet search; I don't have the privilege of knowing him, despite sharing a last name)

A Perfect Day, Especially For January

The macaroni and cheese with leeks is wonderful! Very rich, too. I used about twice as much pasta as the recipe calls for and I chose Cabot Vermont extra sharp cheddar. The milk was 2%, not full-fat. The butter was a light version, mixed with Canola oil. I don't make baked macaroni and cheese often. When I do, it's worth taking time on it to make it good.

Leeks are sweeter than most onions. They smell like onions though, as I discovered on the drive home. Even with the window down, I had to stop in a parking lot and move them to the trunk. My apartment smelled of leeks for a day or two. (I'll take that over cigarette smoke from the downstairs apartment.) I regret that I didn't take a photo before I cleaned them. Next time!

It was one of those "perfect" days to me. I got to play in the garden, take something home from it to cook, then relax -- in this case with my guinea pigs and a book. Really, I'm not much of a cook. I am doing it because I should: it's cheaper and usually healthier than eating out, and it's a habit I have to reestablish. I generally keep it simple. A couple of books of healthy recipes I have: slow cooking and one filled with Mexican recipes. I love Mexican because of the ingredients often used: black beans, corn, corn meal rice, tomatoes, chiles; however, it can be very unhealthy without alterations.

I'll have to work on streamlining my favorite cuisine more: Italian. Ciao!

Plants In The Air

I live in an apartment. I've never smoked. I have asthma. The resident below me has ... several annoying habits. One of the worst is smoking. Smoke rises into my apartment. Short of moving into a building that won't allow smokers (do they exist?), I'm stuck -- And so are my guinea pigs -- opening windows in winter to ventilate my apartment. Apparently, this could be an excuse for more houseplants, spider plants being one of the best. It's also easy to grow in soil, water and somewhat in air ("babies" sprout on long stalks that grow from the center of the plant).

This article has some other options: Go To The Nursery

Make sure that if you have pets or little kids, the plants are safe. Here's a video with some information: Houseplants

When it comes to spider plants, buying one is enough. The "babies" transplant easily. It's even easier to start them in water before putting them in soil.

Secondhand Smoke Myths

Indian Fall?

Not much is happening. On Saturday, I visited my garden plot. About an inch of snow covered the paths and the wind was blowing. And it was cold. I wanted to dig some leeks from the ground, but the soil was hard and the tool shed was locked.

Now we're having a very warm spell (60s F). It's not Indian Summer. More like fall or spring -- late spring. So tomorrow I will take advantage of the warmth, and return to the plot with my shovel.

What will I use my leeks for? Maybe some leek and potato soup. Also, here's a baked mac & cheese recipe I intend to try, thanks to P Allen Smith.

He also has a video on providing humidity for houseplants in winter. Check it out!
humidity