Sunday Bits #53 (lemon trees, wildlife gardening ideas, great offices)
- themarigoldgc
- Oct 29, 2023
- 4 min read
It's hard to believe that we went to this (which the dogs just love) ...
From this. This pic was taken last Sunday, when we were finishing up the yard clean-up in readiness for the snow. Good thing we did! As the weatherman was right. Sadly. Hah ; ) Plus degrees coming up this week they say, so with any luck some of the snow disappears.
Gardening & Growing Bits
That said, I now have time to work on other things as gardening is off the roster for now. That does not stop the planning and dreaming though. Don't forget to write tips and ideas in your journal or daytimer so that you don't forget to do the things when spring comes a long. I buy a new daytimer each fall so that I can plan ahead for the following year, keep track of things from this year, and write notes of what I want to do next year. The one I found this year has loads of pages for notes at the beginning of each month so I can fit ideas with the appropriate month rather than at the back of the book. I am also keeping track of weather... or trying to remember to do so each month.
Starting with this great idea. It is an alternative to the poly framed low hoops for winter gardening, or the poly covered cold frames. I liked this idea a whole lot, but not necessarily for winter food growing. Doesn't it look like it would be a great idea for bunny or deer protection? Plus it looks so good, to boot... but then again, I like anything rusty or rustic. Check out the article for more deets about this project.
If you recall from my posts in spring, my goal at this house has been to bring back the wildlife to this year, even the neighbourhood, if possible. I planted all sorts of berried plants, flowering plants, seedy plants, to attract birds, bees, and beneficials. I don't think we have a lot of snakes or frogs, but if we do, they are welcome here. It worked! These birds and bugs will keep my yard free of pests so I don't have to do a thing besides tend to my plants.
Here are three great articles to give you different ideas on how to attract the birds and the bees, and how to make your yard environmentally friendly. Remember, this will not make your yard look messy, will really look no different than before.... but you will know it's better.
This one is about the shelter, food, and water. Lots of nice tips. This one is 5 easy tips that you can apply to your garden to make it friendlier, but this article is my favourite! Check it out for the pretty pictures as well as the ideas! Really wonderful garden pictures. If you love English cottage style gardening, you will love this read.
This article is for you citrus growers, or wanna be citrus growers. The best citrus to grow indoors, lots of fun ideas, plus tips on how to grow them.
Homey Bits
Some nice fall ideas for 'warming up' your home. The candle thing is so true! I have them everywhere.
Are you all Chip and Jo fans? I would love to visit Waco someday, see the silos, shop the silos, lol, and while I am there, I want to stay at Chip and Jo's hotel! Wow, this is so beautiful and I love the 1920's charm.
And you all know my love affair with kitchens... even though my reno is done and I love it so much, I still love to look at kitchens! I love the counter top cabinets in #3 but #5 is so beautiful! All those windows!
Are you making a new office? Making changes in your office? There are so many great desk ideas and decorating ideas here! Makes me want to do something new with my office. Well, most of all it makes me want a new desk! Love those long, sleek ones that I could pile all sorts of things on!
Wine bottles as water bottles for your dinner parties? Love these elegant bottles so much, think it is a fabulous idea.
I don't usually share these but I love to read through a good gift idea list. This one has a few ideas that I really love and best of all, has a range of prices and is not catered to making big sales from any one store. I like to make up what I call 'care packages' that are different for each person, according to their likes and needs. Maybe pajamas or a throw, something nice and cosy, maybe a book, some fuzzy socks, maybe bath stuff, plus always one special something that I know they really want or need. So, check out this gift list, keep on reading past the ads and you get to more great ideas. I especially like the bespoke house sketch idea, the vintage games, and that mini heater! And, quite honestly, if I got a front door mat as the suggest for a grandparent, I would be thrilled! Just not a tacky one, lol.
Recipes!
Monster Cookies from Nigella! These are different than the ones I shared last week and contain peanut butter (so I will not be making them, hahaha).
Regarding the monster mash cookies from last week. I made them but after reading through the comments, I made a couple of changes and they turned out really terrific. Hubby and I like them. I cut the baking soda from 2 teaspoons to just one. I did not add any baking powder at all. Other than that, make the cookies as the recipe states and you should have nice tasting cookies that are neither too flat, nor too cakey.
After sharing this picture of our carrots (harvested straight out of the snowbank), I received tons of questions about how I grow such nice, big carrots. So, I wrote this post the other day with everything you need to know from timing to watering, types of carrots, and more. The main thing is great soil and choosing the right carrot type, but watering and timing are super important, too.
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