Bits of This & That (New Year's Day)

The start of a brand new year. New dreams, hopes, and wishes all start today. I'm not sure what the new year will bring but sure am looking forward to all the new beginnings. New yard, new garden, (sort of) new town, new people to meet, new job of some sort, maybe?

But on to the good stuff... I don't know about you guys, but as soon as the holiday is over, I start thinking, breathing, living gardening. I have so many ideas in my head right now about what to write about this month, I need to jot them all down so that I can share them with you.

Viola and Strawberry baskets... love the cone shaped baskets!

This is a great time to bring out your journal from last season, to make plans for the season ahead. What went well? What would you do different? Did you do all the things that you had put into your journal? If not, if you still like the ideas, just move them over to the new one! I always get so many ideas that I cannot possibly do them all in one year, so whatever I did not do or try, if I still think it is awesome, I make a point of moving it into the new journal.

My cone shaped strawberry baskets that were mixed with violas is an example of that. I had that idea pinned for about 5 years before I finally found the perfect baskets for them!

Plan your colour scheme. This used to be one of my favourite things to do with my neighbour. We would get together to plan our planter and basket colour schemes for the season ahead. This helped me with my ordering from the local, bee safe flower supplier. I made sure to get lots of different hues of the colours we chose together, in spillers, fillers, and thrillers. I also ordered other colours, of course, but this gave me a good footing to start off on as there are overwhelming kinds and colours of basket stuffers!

I often changed up my colour scheme just a little bit, according to what was left on the greenhouse floor when I finally started my baskets, but she was very focused on her hues. I think the best part was just the planning process though. What fun we had.

Don't forget to keep feeding the birds! This is when they need you most of all, till things start to pop through in spring. Here is the recipe for my all natural, healthy, yummy birdseed wreath that all the birds love.

https://www.vegetableacademy.com

This picture above is from Jared at the Vegetable Academy, a blogger and food grower in Saskatchewan. He has an amazing amount of growing information, is a You-tuber, too. I just wanted to show this great picture that he posted with the difference between Broccolini and Broccoli. I grow both, enjoy both, but prefer the broccolini, as I like the crunchy stems more than the florets.

Okay, here are the fun gardening links that I found over the holidays that caught my eye! I'm so excited to get going on the new season ahead... even though January is really just for planning and dreaming.

Watch this episode of Gardener's World for year round garden ideas from Stephanie Hafferty. She just moved to Wales less than 2 years ago, to a grassy patch, and has since turned it into an amazing food garden using no-dig practices. Want to know how to perennialize your broccoli? You need to watch this! Of course, we cannot do this here in our zone 3 gardens, but those of you on the west coast can absolutely do this!

The show also gives you a how-to for making a really great bug hotel, a clematis wreath, and how to save your clematis from the dreaded clematis wilt.

The top 12 highest yielding vegetables to grow this year. Save on your grocery bill and with the instability of the supply chain, grow your favourite foods to eat fresh, can, freeze, and dehydrate.

All about the seed industry! Are you mystified by the terms hybrid, heirloom, and open-pollinated? Concerned about genetically modified seeds? Organic seeds versus inorganic, does it matter? Wondering what it all means and how (much) it concerns you and your garden? This is the best explanation I have ever read! it is an interesting read, not just facts thrown on a sheet. A must read : )

Still about that same article above ... I was often asked why I grew so many assorted varieties to sell each year (about 60), rather than sticking to a few varieties and growing lots of each kind. I'm thinking life would be pretty boring if we all just grew the same things all the time. There are so very many wonderful (heirloom and op) tomatoes out there that I want to grow. It is always an adventure to try a new kind to see how it fares in my climate, my yard, my weather.

Tom Stearns, founder of Vermont-based High Mowing Organic Seeds, sells a mix of hybrids, heirlooms and modern OPs says “A tomato’s final flavor is 60 percent genetics, 40 percent environment.” That is why after 13 years of trialing different tomatoes in the zone 7 garden on the island, I was selling 80% tried and true varieties (tomatoes that did well for both me and my customers) and introduced about 20%, give or take, new ones each year. I grew each new tomato variety two years in a row to give it a fare kick at the can, unless it did really poorly, in which case I dumped it and moved on to something else/better.

I now get to start this process over again in my new garden, my new zone. I will start with my absolute favourites, of course, add a few new ones, and see how it goes. How excited am I! I hope you all continue to trial new kinds without me, either from seed, or from small, local, organic growers selling an assortment of cool tomatoes, whether from their backyard or a wee greenhouse business. Btw, those are the best ones, you all ; )

To trial new seeds, check out your local Seedy Saturdays/Sundays. They will have local, small companies that sell seeds grown in your area, for your area, all op or heirloom. That seed house article above also mentions some seed companies worth checking out. Here is my list of suppliers that I tend to buy from. I will often buy one or two packets from a new (to me) company, to check them out, but they are not on my list as they vary from year to year. If you are on the island, there is a small seed company that sells their seeds through the Pomme Naturals store. Cannot remember the name but I sure love those seeds!

Here are a whole bunch more ideas of organic American veggie seed companies to check out!

This article for how to get kids interested in gardening, from toddler, to tween, and even teenagers.

Here are some of the easiest crops to grow from seed, perfect for beginners. I am not sure that I agree with them about the peppers, as they can be a bit tricky, but all the rest are great. Most can be sown directly into the garden.

Want to try different crops than the norm? Here are 6 veggies that you can try. I have tried most of them! While I grow mainly only what the family will eat to take best advantage of my garden space but I also like to trial new-to-me things as you never know when you will find a new favourite.

Are you into self-sufficiency? Want to try some staple crops this year? Read here for a self sufficient garden plan with crops that are calorie rich, return high yields and store easily.

Winter sowing native plants and winter sowing and growing.

While this yard in this article is very different from the look that I strive for, there are so many practical ideas that intrigue me for today's changing landscape, like the rain garden, dry creek bed, gardens instead of front lawn, and the use of drought tolerant, easy plants that are favourites of butterflies, birds, and other wee critters. So many really good ideas in this article.

https://www.yourhomestyle.uk/home-decor/cottagecore-aesthetic-home-decor/

Interesting item I found that is not gardening related...

Have you heard of Cottagecore decorating? It is kind of granny style but also kind of the newer version of Farmhouse Style that works for all sorts of houses. This new house is not very farmhouse looking on the inside or the outside. If I were to do the stuff that I usually do, it would look a bit out of place in this house, so Cottagecore works really well for me. Is cottagey, flowery, rustic, and homey. Here is an article about how to get this look of cosiness and the feel of home baked bread in your home.

Read the article about Cottagecore decor that you see in the picture above HERE.

That is it for this week's Bits. Lots and lots of interesting stuff to poke through. There will be so much gardening stuff coming up over the next few weeks, my brain is on overload with ideas to tell you about...

See You Soon... and hey, Happy New Year, eh ~ Tanja