Enjoying Fall

Fall in Pennsylvania is my favorite time of year, September, October and early November.  Don't get me wrong, the other seasons all have their charms; Spring with its fresh new rain-scented air and promise of flowers, Summer with its hot sunny days and colorful blooms, Winter with a peaceful blanket of snow draped over all the sleeping plants.  I love all the seasons here, but Fall seems like a perfect fit for me - the leaves on the trees are all turning glorious colors of golds, oranges and reds, its still warm enough to walk outside with just a sweatshirt and jeans, and the animals are scurrying around getting ready for winter.  I love the crunch of the leaves underfoot when we walk out to pick apples or chestnuts and the sound of my hubby chopping firewood for our indoor wood burner or outdoor fire pit.  The air is cool (but not too cold) and so many of my favorite perennials are giving a great show of blooms:  Purple Dome Aster, Goldenrod 'Fireworks', Beautyberry (Callicarpa sp.), and all the ornamental grasses, just to name a few. 

Sure there is a bit of sadness to 'putting the garden to bed' for the season, but it also is a much needed break for plants and gardener alike.  Spring and Summer bring lots of garden work (and thankfully so after a cold gray winter with lots of snow), and Fall reminds us that it is also good to rest & plan for next year's garden.  There is still a little work to do - trimming, weeding, cleaning the beds, planting bulbs and putting away garden ornaments that may break in the snow.  I look forward to seeing the different varieties of bulbs bloom in the Spring, gardening can teach patience, that's for sure (I am looking at you Mr. Tree Wisteria that takes up to 10 years to bloom... I am also looking at you Mr. & Mrs. Hardy Kiwi that will take 7 years to fruit...). 

Fall also is the harvest season, pumpkins, apples, chestnuts, late veggies, gourds, apple cider and more - all fun to share with friends and family - even if you buy things instead of growing yourself.  Fun festivals abound where kids can decorate pumpkins and make treats for the garden birds to eat - like peanut-butter birdseed pine cones to hang in the trees.  This year I received a present of a squirrel feeder, it is a wooden house-like deal that holds a large glass jar on its side.  You fill the jar with peanuts in the shell or other squirrel treats and they will go in the house to get into the jar, all which is made to stay dry in the rain or snow.  It may sound crazy to feed squirrels on purpose, when so many people think of them as a nuisance, but I like feeding all the critters (especially chipmunks) and I was hoping it would draw the squirrels  away from the bird feeders a little bit at least.  Hubby put the new feeder up yesterday on a tree that we can see from the house, filled it with peanuts, but it sits lonely while two squirrels sit on my bird feeder chomping away.  I suppose it will take them a few days to find the new feeder.   I wish I could just text them and tell them how they are missing out and if they would only look about 30 feet to the left - they would be pleasantly surprised!

Hoping you are enjoying Fall too!

Veggie Bins - Part 2

The veggie bins were largely a success for us.  We wanted something contained, temporary, easy and fun - they were all those things and more.  The only drawbacks were that it took a couple of people to hold the newspaper layers vertically (unless you use masking tape or something temporary to hold it up) while you fill with soil.  Make sure you overlap the edges of the paper layers too.  If you make the layers thick enough (8-10 sheets) then they will last all season.  Ours were starting to degrade from the wind and weather by the end of Fall - but they did make it without any large holes.  If you do get a hole - just shove newspaper in there like a patch.   

The other thing to note is that with the size bin we used (approx. 4" tall, 2" across) you are not going to feed your family of five all Summer long - you would need to make several bins of the same crop if you are looking to really grow a good supply of something.  We were just looking to do some experimental  growing to show our toddler, so it worked out well.  We also wanted to grow fresh herbs - which you will get plenty of in one of these bins.  We had enough basil to use, give away, and freeze for Winter.  Another huge plus for us is the built in protective cage above the soil line.  We have groundhogs, rabbits, deer, etc and none of them ate the things growing in the bins - maybe a few nibbles on something that grew through the wire, but nothing really damaging. 

Over the Winter - we saved the wire cage cylinders and spread the soil out in the other planting beds we have (you could pile it up and save for next year too).  We did leave one veggie bin up that I planted some strawberries in just to overwinter and they came up this Spring - I may leave them in there and see how that works (depends on the condition of the paper layers - I may need to redo the bin).  So would I recommend trying these?  Yes!  They are fun and don't take up much space, they fit in tight spaces where you don't have room for a huge garden.  These could even work on a rooftop garden, patio or apartment balcony with some slight adjustments (like a shallow tray to sit them in, one with drain holes).  Then from year to year - you can move them around and plant something new.  

Here are more photos of the bins and a sampling of the resulting harvest:

Blue Potato sprouting

Radishes sprouting

Growing faster!

Blue Potato harvest

Carrots and Green Peppers

Basil

Veggie Bins - Success? Part 1

We love to grow vegetables, there's nothing like the fresh taste of a veggie from the garden that you grew yourself (and know was not doused with chemicals) but these past couple of years have been challenging for our veggie-gardening activities.  We had a larger plot of veggies, then it kept being reduced as our time for it also was reduced.  We have been doing well with our other gardening pursuits (and by that I mean Those Plants Who Are Hardy Enough To Survive Under Deep Neglect, ha ha) just kidding, actually we tend to grow PA natives, perennials, shrubs, trees, and such, not as much edible for humans, but more to attract other wildlife - birds, butterflies, and small mammals too. 

Last year I saw this great idea for a space-saving eco-friendly temporary growing bin, we called them veggie bins since that's what we grew in them.  They were basically made of 4ft turkey wire fencing that you put into a column shape (any diameter, but ours were approx. 2 ft. across) and then you line them halfway up with newspapers (thickly, like 8-10 layers), fill with yummy amended organic soil and voila - an above-ground growing space that is temporary from year to year. 

We decided to grow some token vegetables and herbs for our toddler, Violet, to see as examples - we did not expect to feed a village on the small sampling of what was being grown, but it was fun, manageable and a great teaching garden for her (and easy for us!). 

I want to give you the pros and cons of the bins - in case you want to try them yourself.  Here is a photo of the first 5 bins set up in the backyard (we ended up with 7 total).  We planted one crop in each:  radish, blue potatoes, Italian pole beans, baby carrots, basil, cherry tomato, green pepper. Nothing too fancy - just some fun things that we thought Violet would enjoy.  The Italian pole beans are from seeds that have been carried on in my family for generations - coming from my father's side of the family who came over from Italy.  We need strong supports for those nice flat beans - that is the bin with the three poles in it. 

to be continued...

What to Do With All That Mint? Easy Tabbouleh Salad Recipe

If you grow mint too - you are probably inundated with it each year and looking for new ways to use it.  I love growing mint - we grow several basic varieties - spearmint, peppermint, chocolate mint, and hope to add more in the upcoming years.

I am always looking for easy mint recipes - aside from using the leaves in iced tea and in chocolate smoothies (yum), here is a favorite salad of mine that uses mint, enjoy!

Easy Tabbouleh Salad

Ingredients:

2 cups organic flat leaf parsley, minced

1 cup organic fresh mint, minced

1/2 cup fine bulgur

3 or 4 medium tomatoes, cored, seeded and chopped

1 small organic white onion, chopped finely

Dressing:

1/4 cup freshly-squeezed lemon juice

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

Freshly ground pepper to taste

Salt to taste

1. Follow directions for soaking bulgur (about 20 to 30 minutes in water). Drain bulgur very well and squeeze out all water.

2. Combine all ingredients except dressing.

3. To make dressing, whisk together olive oil and lemon juice. Add to salad and season with salt and pepper.

4. Toss before serving

Share your favorite mint recipe below :)

In Awe of Hummingbirds

In our region (Southwest Pennsylvania), we have a nice variety of birds for those of you who watch birds or garden for them.  One type we really have been enjoying for years is the Ruby-Throated Hummingbird - which is usually around our area from April- October. 

We put out the usual hummingbird feeder (just the common glass or plastic ones with the red bottoms that are available most places, usually $8 or less) and fill it with our own sugar mix.  Contrary to popular belief - the sugar water does not need to be dyed red (the red on the feeder is enough to attract them) and you can make your own at home for a fraction of the cost of the pre-made packets.  Just mix one part granulated sugar to 4 parts water (if you have a water filter that takes out the chlorine in tap water, that's the best choice).  Mix until sugar is dissolved and fill your feeder.  Some people will boil the sugar water mixture and then allow to cool, but either way - be sure to clean your feeders once a week to prevent harmful things from growing in or on the feeder - the sugar solution and the hot sun make for a nice breeding ground for all sorts of nasty things that are not good for your birds.  We label the extra mix and put it in a container in the fridge - so it doesn't spoil.

We usually get two male-female pairs that come back to our feeders each year, even though our yard is fairly open.  Friends of ours who have more enclosed yards actually can get dozens at a time - they will hover a few feet from you and you can see them up close - it's amazing.  The male has a ruby-red throat, while the female has a white throat, both have shiny green-bronze backs.  They are about 3 inches long and weigh less than a penny.  I saw a hummingbird nest back in my school gardening days and it was the size of a thimble - very cool.  Their wings move so fast you almost forget they are actually birds - they seem more like some amazing fantastical creature from a child's storybook.

If you want to attract them to your garden, in addition to putting out the sugar water feeders in April, be sure to grow plants that have tubular flowers that are red, orange or yellow, they can also be attracted to other colors like purple or pink.  Some plants to include in a hummingbird garden in this region are columbine, jewelweed, hibiscus, hollyhock, coral-bells, Lithonia, fuchsias, cannas, mimosa, azalea, bee balm, petunias, gladiolus, nasturtiums, trumpet creeper and honeysuckle. 

So tell me what your hummingbird experiences have been - any tips, tricks or plant suggestions?  I am always looking to improve the habitat for these fun avian friends :)


Photo courtesy of Wikipedia (male ruby-throated hummingbird).

First Official Post

To say I was strongly encouraged to start a blog by a very dear friend of mine would be an understatement (thank you dear friend for the gentle shove, I needed it!).  I appreciate that anyone would think that the ramblings of a late 30-something horticulturist/plant nerd/mom/gem hound/second-hand store, garage sale, and estate sale devotee/animal lover/eco-interested person would ever be much worth reading.  I hope to write some things of great interest - at least to me - and hopefully to you dear reader.  This will be a nice outlet for all the random thoughts and varied interests swimming in my brain - see I'm getting old and must make more room in there for new fun things, stay tuned!

Photo I took of a waterlily in our garden a few years ago.