Sunday Bits #76 (potatoes, ground covers, and what to plant after bulbs)

Our weather has warmed up a bit but the wind is cool and makes yardwork less of a fun thing. Everything is blowing around like mad in the backyard so I keep waiting for a better day. Luckily, I am in no hurry to get anything done in the garden. I do stuff on the nice days, and bake sourdough on the yucky days.. I have become obsessed, hah!

We've also been working on our bedroom revamp in between all the other stuff going on. It's not a huge transformation like the grandies room was, just a few things to make it feel homier. The lovely wallpaper is up on the wall behind the bed, the drywall has been fixed up from the new slider door install, and I found some beautiful linen curtains that go all the way to the ceiling. The room is not yet ready though, still hunting for a new ceiling fan, the baseboards still need filling, sanding, painting.... It's a slow go. I need to tell you all about those new sheets, they are so soft, so cosy, I am in love with how they feel, and they are affordable!

I found some great gardening bits for you guys this week. So many good reads, and some are just great because of the pictures. You all know how I love to snoop in other people's yards.. whether in person, or via photos and articles ; )

These ideas for plants that will hide the yellowing foliage of your tulips and other bulbs as they die back for the year.

Great advice for growing potatoes. Is funny. I have been growing spuds forever, but I still like to read tips like these to see if I can learn something new, up my yield... never quit learning : )

Here is one about growing rhubarb. I am picking up a rhubarb plant from a friend next week as she has two and only needs one, while I only have one but would like to have two. Now to choose the perfect spot for this thing!

Cilantro gone to seed is a bee favourite. As is the borage seen here.

I really enjoyed this article about gardening for the pollinators. I had no idea! and I am big on planting for the pollinators.

How to grow cilantro and coriander. I love to grow cilantro. Not for cooking. We really don't care for it, but I love to grow it for the bees! You can harvest the leaves till it bolts, which it tends to do very quickly when summer arrives, then allow the bees to enjoy the flowers till they finish off, go brown, make seeds, then you harvest the coriander (it's a win, win, win).

Are ground covers really better than grass? Plus this one 'How to make your lawn wildlife friendly'. I love the pictures and ideas in this quick read.

Do you have a problem with whiteflies in the greenhouse? They are a very common pest in greenhouses, on your fresh little baby seedlings. Keeping the greenhouse clean is one of the best things you can do for pest control. Here are some other tips that you can try. I always recommend that you stop using the yellow sticky traps as soon as you start leaving the door open, windows open. When you start to get bees and birds in the greenhouse, is time to remove them.

How to create a wildlife friendly garden, and then.... great ideas for how to stop snails from eating your plants.

This was a fun watch. I have always loved Floret Farms, kind of wanted to do a bit of flower farming along with my vegetable growing, but here we are... no more acreage ; ) Still love to watch how they plan their plantings though.

We need to redo more of our fence again this summer, including at least one, if not two gates. The back is done and now we have to do the south side. We seem to be doing it in sections. Partly due to cost, partly time, but maybe we will do the north side, too... will see what the quote comes in at. Anyway, way to make a short story long, Tanja! Here are some really great gate and arbour inspirations!

These DIY Bits

How to diy these wooden garden tuteurs for your beans, peas, cucumbers.. anything vining. Maybe flowers, if you like, too.

Sarahjoyblog.com

Diy painted pots with vintage French seed labels. These flower pots are cute! I, personally, would buy inexpensive pots (like these) for this diy and use them only for flowers. Nothing edible, just in case.

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Recipe Bits

This no-bake, strawberry, lemonade, ice box cake. Sounds yummy!

I made some overnight cinnamon buns from my discard. They look great, but I won't share this recipe as it was not awesome. Will wait till I find just the right one : )

So... my whole wheat sourdough is coming along nicely. I have been baking with the discard, really enjoying it. Made the yummiest focaccia bread ever! Made some boules, and now thinking of making these homemade pop tarts for the grandies. I am intrigued, plus homemade is always healthier, especially for kids with adhd who cannot have dyes.

I have made some other recipes, like discard banana bread and these cinnamon buns above, but though they looked great, they were not amazing, so I won't share them till I find a better recipe for you.

My sourdough discard loaf : )

This is the whole wheat sourdough starter that I made. It is simple to follow as she gives step by step instructions for each day. So far, I have not found it to be super sour. I can taste the sour, but it is not in your face. Which is good as I am really not a fan of a strong tasting sourdough bread.

This is the discard bread that I made a lot of during the sourdough making process, hahaha. We like it! I still need to work on making them pretty, but for now am happy if they taste good. Here is the focaccia that we made. It is out of this world good! We used fresh rosemary, garlic, and tomatoes on top.

Happy Sunday, friends!

Have a great day & an even better week ~ Tanja