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The weather has been absolutely glorious, perfect for dealing with my fall garden to-do list. Most things are going swimmingly, but.... Our front yard is teeny tiny, just a wee patch of grass and lots of shrubs. I love it for its simplicity, nothing much to do but prune now and again. We thought we would give everything a deep water in preparation for fall, as we have not had rain in months... and ended up with a huge pool of water in the basement, under the bay window. What a mess. So, add 'fixing the leak' to that to-do list to ensure that the spring snow melt doesn't all end up in the cold room. I have most all of my garlic planted up but am looking for an additional wee spot somewhere that will hold the last 3 varieties, about 20 of each. My plan was to stick to about 200 bulbs but am going just a little bit over that as I really want to see how the different varieties fare in this garden zone. You never know until you try! You know me, I trial everything! Get your garlic in the ground this month, will post the how-to this week. Not sure what to do till my post comes out? Add a bunch of manure or compost on top of the bed this weekend. We're still waiting for the leaves to fall so that I can rake them all onto the bare garden beds. Not that I am in a hurry for the weather to change! We brought in 7 yards of a good garden soil after the landscapers were gone but making it into great soil will take a few years. Adding leaves is a super easy way to make soil better, it costs nothing but yields great rewards. The leaves break down into compost and leaf mould, making the soil friable and rich in nutrients. Leave the leaves whole or shred them with the lawn mower, top dress around your roses, garlic, over your prized dahlias (zone 7+), anywhere you want to insulate and improve your soil. Have no place to use them yet? Make a big pile, let them rot down into leaf mould . Feed this goodness to your beds or add to your pots for moisture retention. Okay, on to the good stuff.... it has been a pretty quiet week but here are a few things that caught my eye... Here is an article about why you should mulch your garden beds in fall. Are you on Instagram? Love pretty garden pics? Check out this Swedish blogger and her wonderful colony garden. Here is her blog also. Wondering what a Colony Garden is? Nordic Wellbeing ~ Colony Gardens This cute cottage that reminds me of my grandmother's place. Love what they did with the bedroom. Looking to make more of your yard into a permaculture garden? Check out this article about lasagna gardening. Convert Your Lawn to a No-Till Permaculture Garden – Mother Earth News Love Stephen King? Like spooky movies? Check out these movies on Netflix. Doughnuts that are baked rather than fried! Cinnamon Sugar Baked Doughnuts | Julie Blanne r Last, but not least... this German Apple Cake recipe. Happy Sunday ~ Tanja

This week's gardening blurbs are all earth friendly, nature inspired reads. Fun to read or watch, inspirational, and informative. What have you done for your planet lately? ; ) Six nature based fall chore ideas . What to do, and what to leave till spring. Fall fertilising , how and what to do for your shrubs, trees, perennials. Bringing Bio-Diversity Back . I loved this read! Edwina von gal - the future of landscaping . This short video was a lovely watch. Though a larger property than mine, by far, the ideas were able to be down-sized. I particularly like the little tower of twigs for the wee birds! Not sure how I feel about this mini meadow in a rock bed, but I sure like the veggie bed idea. It is a lot like the chaos garden that I was growing ( is now all flowers, no veggies left). Feeds the bees and other pollinators. I am posting this video here so that I, too, can look back on it in spring time. How to use your soil blockers! Use less plastic by making soil blocks to start your seeds. I got these soil blockers as a gift a few years ago but have yet to use them! Seed collecting and saving . How to save your own seeds, it is just about time to start thinking about it, getting all your supplies together. This amazingly cute greenhouse plan popped up in my Pinterest. If you have a handy person who can build this greenhouse, it is (7'x8') absolutely adorable. Recipes that are just perfect for this time of year Sour Cherry Pie Filling . My cherry bushes are only 2 feet tall, but I am already planning what to do with the cherries! If you have Evans, Romeo, Juliet (or any of the other Romance Cherries), you will love this recipe. Delicious Raw Apple Cake . Apple season is here. Check out this yummy looking cake. I will be making this when I host the neighbourhood coffee klatch in a couple of weeks. This Apple Bread looks just as good! Whichever one should I make? Mediterranean Chopped Salad. Make it vegetarian, vegan, or add meat. This salad works for everyone.

We've had a bit of a busy week with painting, babysitting, running to appointments, and setting up a temporary kitchen as the renovation begins in one week. Excited but dreading it at the same time. Will be a long two months! Before and Afters will be coming so you can tell me what you all think of the change. Going from orange wood to white and alder. I ordered myself this cute little coldframe that I will using inside the unheated greenhouse. A greenhouse within a greenhouse. The tops open to vent out heat, as much or little as one needs, and it has three shelves for seed starting or potted plants. I have a feeling this is going to come in super handy! In summer, I can start my fall veggies in it on the deck so I don't forget about them, hah ; ) I am going to start by first doing 'Winter Sowing' in it... without the plastic milk jugs. I am a veggie so have no jugs or deli chicken containers. Will therefore sow the seeds into trays of pots instead and pop them onto the shelves in this coldframe. This is a fun new thing to play with for me and I'll be learning something new. Love to try new things. On to other fun things I found for you this week... Have you seen this scholarship offer from WCS? Two people (Canada) can win a spot in the ' A Year In The Urban Garden Master Class ' workshop. Geared towards beginner to intermediate gardeners. Learn how to plan and design, start from seed, improve your soil, deal with pests, and transition through the seasons. Take the class but make sure to apply for the scholarship, you just never know! You only have until January 29th to apply. Wondering when to start veggie seeds in your area? This is the best calculator I have found. Put your last average frost date in and it will calculate when to start in your area. Here in my Zone 3 garden, in central Alberta, I am going with May 20th. In Nanaimo, I always used April 29th. These dates tell me when to prestart my seeds for good starters when I need them. Are you a dahlia lover? Here is everything you need to know about dahlias ! Want to start your own plants from seed? Check that out here.. How to Start Flowers from Seed - Floret Flowers Seed starting set up ideas! 12 Easy DIY Seed Starting System Ideas – Mother Earth News Do you live in Canada? Check out this little Canadian seed house, they have some great tomatoes, especially in the determinates (bush type) - WILDROSE HERITAGE SEED COMPANY - Home While you are at it, check out all these great seed sellers in Canada by either MAP or by alphabetical order on a LIST. Continuing with the kitchen theme as mine is going under construction in one week's time. This bungalow is cute , but check out that kitchen! Love the lighting choices! I love these ideas to create a spa like experience in your bathroom from West Coast Gardens. I want all the plants and all the things! I am not usually much of an indoor plant person, but I really like the look of these for the new sauna bathroom, would make it so spa like! Hope you are all well. I am thinking about you all! Happy planning and planting ~ Tanja

Happy Sunday morning! We have a foggy day today, making it feel kind of gloomy. Sounds like a perfect day for crafting or garden planning. I have a hankering to make some of my own reusable grocery bags, has been on my wish list for a while. Maybe today is the day? I have had such a wonderful week. The weather has been sunny and mild, hubby is home from his away-work, grandbabies came for a visit, had a long phone call with my good friend, and my seed orders are starting to trickle in. I'd say that make for a pretty good week. Here are my links for this week. All sorts of great things but a whole lot about flowers, it seems. As soon as I started thinking about flowers for the potager and blogging about them, all sorts of posts arrived in my emails about growing flowers! Check out this bevies bar idea if you are cutting back on caffeine this year. Or just because you want some alternatives for warm drinks when you are coffee-d out. This coffee bar is actually a cute set up for non-caffeinated beverages, has ideas and recipes, too. This is the BEST link! How to calculate how many veggies you need to grow to feed your family. Save this one, you guys! It is a good one. I will be bringing this up again in other posts. How to grow microgreens . Is that time of year. The cost of greens at the grocers is insane, we need some fresh goods to put in our sandwiches and salads. Here is another link that has a how-to video, really explains so well how to grow those microgreens. Winter Sowing Lets You Get A Jump Start On Spring. Here’s How (chatelaine.com) . This article explains all about winter sowing in an easy, understandable way. If you are itching to get something started now, this is for you. For the rest of us, we start this next month and just do planning and dreaming this month. 11 Old-Fashioned Flowers to Create a Vintage Vibe in Your Garden - Pond and Garden Ideas . Flowers that are hardy and beautiful, that stand the test of time... but still make you think of you mom's garden, or grandmother's ; ) This gorgeous flower border though! Wow! So beautiful. This kind of border was my goal at the last house with white, blues/purples, and pinks as my colour scheme (see pic above). I should have added that lively chartreuse to really make things pop! This flower garden post from a Canadian blogger in the interior of BC. Beautiful perennials that are hardy and attract bees to your garden, feed the beneficial insects that do so much good in your potager. Winter Gardening Tips From Your Growing Zone – Mother Earth News . What do now in every zone. 4 Ways to Use a Cold Frame - FineGardening . I just picked up a mini greenhouse/cold frame. It will get here next weekend, so will tell you all about it and how I am planning on using it in my zone 3 garden. These are some great veggies to prestart in spring, or to direct sow after the last frost. 8 Cool Vegetables to Grow from Seeds – P. Allen Smith (pallensmith.com) I got the idea of planting petunias in the food garden to control pests from P. Allen Smith. See the blue in the beds? Love that added pop of colour. Will tell you more about what flowers to choose for your potager in the next post. How to get your soil ready for spring planting! Get Your Soil Ready for Spring: 3 Essential Steps to Hit the Ground Running (growveg.com) This is a great house tour. While the kitchen is beautiful, it is really the exterior that caught my eye, the porches, the patio. Really pretty and lots of affordable ideas to make your patio look amazing this summer. This shop is in Vancouver, a lovely Canadian shop with all sorts of really pretty things for the house. I don't know about some of these Home Decor Trends , but some are super cute. Did you know that mushroom decor is a thing? That is kinda cute, eh? I love mushrooms! Gosh, this sure is a pretty backyard in a nice simple way. Nothing crazy, over the top, just simple design that looks just right in the long backyard. This 3-Strip garden trial by Charles Dowding shows how forking your garden makes for reduced harvests. New to CD? Sign up for his emails, they are super informative. No need to turn your soil or fork in that compost. Interested in vermicomposting ? Inside the house? Making your own garden gold to feed the potager? Here is a simple and inexpensive way to get started. The Flowers and How to Plan Out Your Potager posts are coming up next, so stay tuned. Have questions or want me to write about something that is causing you angst? Let me know! Happy January ~ Tanja

Wow, we have almost come to the end of the year. Can you believe it? It has gone by so quickly. Perhaps it is true, what they say, time speeds up as you get older. This is the last Bits post for 2022 as next Sunday is Christmas day and you all will be visiting and noshing and fest-ing, while I will be eating leftovers from the night before, lounging in pajamas while (hopefully) reading a new Stephen King book from Santa. My shopping is done, gifts are wrapped and ready, much of the baking is done, as well. I am getting there! The renovators basically forgot about me the past two weeks, have done nothing, so I have started to clean up where I can and have put all their stuff in the laundry area. This weekend is all about finishing the baking and getting the house spic and span. I've hired a helper to come by next week to do all the high stuff and low stuff that I am unable to do. I am making Christmas happen this week despite the set backs with the renovators. How cute is this, eh? I got the idea for this card display from HERE and these vintage looking free printable cards from HERE. I love these vintage cards so much that use them each for Christmas for all sorts of things, from gift tags to place holders at the table. There are a bunch of us ladies in our cul-de-sac that get together once a month for coffee, treats, and a really good yak session. They had been doing this for years before I arrived, I am so thrilled that they invited me into the fold. For this last coffee date of the year, we all brought a baked treat so that the hostess would not have to do it all, the holidays are busy enough. I made this almond biscotti that went over really well! I could not find my own favourite recipe but this one is super yummy. I added a bit extra vanilla extract but otherwise followed the recipe to a tee. To do it again, I might add a bit more lemon zest as I love a citrusy bite, but they went over a treat so really no need to change a thing! It is so fast and easy to make, I actually made two batches to have some at home, too. Have you ever thought of making your own mustard ? I love mustards, both the greens and the condiment. I just found this and cannot believe how easy it is to make! We can make our own gourmet mustards, you all! Check out this super easy to make cheesy homemade herbed bread that you make from store bought dough! Simple, Crafty Ideas Fun and easy to make ideas for gifting or decorating, things you can make with the kids or grandkids. This clay bowl that does not need a pottery wheel or kiln, not even an oven. Air dries and looks great! Love the metallic paint for that festive look but could be made with more earthy hues for every day use. Make this awesome looking linen grocery/shopping bag with a flat bottom so things sit nicely in it! Decorate your mantle, your wall, your hutch, whatever you like, with this cute paper gingerbread house garland . Greenhouse/Growing Related Ideas... I really miss my greenhouse and workshop right now for winter puttering, cannot wait till we get my fancy she-shed built (see the cute inspiration greenhouse above). I have started going through my seeds but will leave the ordering until after Christmas. Hubby goes back to work on the 27th so making up a seeding plan will keep me busy after the bustle of the holidays is over. Here is a grow list from a Zone 5 gardener who is much more organized than I am. The only lists I usually keep are about my tomatoes, hahaha, so you can see where my priorities lie, but check out her list for varieties and quantities that she is growing. I must admit that I have grown Kuroda carrots about 3 times and really did not like them at all, but maybe they prefer a colder zone than the Zone 7 I had at the last place? Anyway, I digress. My grow list will be very different than Susan's, as remember what I always say... Grow what you (your family) will eat! Do not waste garden space on things that you want hubby or the kids to eat (they won't), grow what you eat fresh, what stores well (freezes, dehydrates, preserves), and whatever helps lower your grocery bill. Before I start ordering seeds, I am looking at any that need cold stratification. I will start those in the cold, unheated greenhouse some time in February. That gives me time to order in new growing supplies (seed trays, labels...) and is still 12 to 14 weeks before my last frost date. They will need a month or two of cold weather so sow your seeds earlier if your last frost is earlier than mine (mid to late May). If you want to do this the lazy way (like I do-hah), just sow the seeds in damp soil in trays or pots, pop them out in the unheated winter greenhouse. They will start to grow once the weather warms up. As the temps rise, keep an eye on the trays to make sure they do not dry out. Here is a list of plants that like cold stratification. I really want to start a ton of coneflowers as they are so expensive. I am limited here to varieties that are super cold hardy, but luckily have a few choices. I don't much care if they are all the same colour (purple) as this drought tolerant, long-blooming, pretty perennial is a bee and beneficial insect favourite. If you are wanting to start echinacea (coneflowers), make sure to check the zones and also keep in mind that many of the newer hybrids are sadly not very reliable, often end up being an annual, especially if you get one that is not zone hardy. This cold stratification sowing is quite similar to ' Winter Sowing', which you can do with just about any seeds at all, not just cold hardy ones. It gets your veggies and flowers off to an easy start, you don't have to fuss with expensive lights and stands, pots, water, and all that stuff needed to grow indoors. Tomatofest has a seed sale going on till January 2nd. They are one of my favourite seed suppliers for heirloom and dwarf tomatoes. These results from Charles Dowdings No-Dig Bed versus a Dig Bed. Ten years worth of results! Want to read more about No-Dig? See his Facebook page here. That is for me this week, all the interesting goodies that I found. Our weather is very cold and frightful but is supposed to warm up for next weekend, which would be perfect timing : ) Wishing you all a lovely Sunday and week ahead ~ Tanja

Happy Canadian Thanksgiving! This is my very favourite holiday of all. A time celebrate kinship, sharing good food and fun with family and friends. The apples above are being made into a lovely crisp, super simple to make and always a great hit in fall. Apple crisp or pear and cranberry crisp are our traditional desserts, with ice cream, of course, but we often get a token pumpkin pie, too. The pie came from a local u-pick farm, made from their very own pumpkins! We usually make everything from our own bountiful harvest on the homestead but as we have no garden this year, we are contributing the apples and garlic from our garden while my brother and his boys are putting on the rest of the feast... and deep frying the beast! This veggie girl will be living on mashed potatoes and mushy veggies this year as I had a tooth extraction so am on soft foods for another week yet. I have not got the newsletter made up yet, will get that up and running this week so that the posts come right to your inbox. Thank you all so much for signing up! This week, I started us out with a welcome to my new blog and yard. See that post here. Then also a diy project, how to spiffy up that old piece of furniture from the thrift store. Mine was a lovely little table that I just adore. See how that turned out here. Here are some great articles that I came upon this week, this week's sparks of inspiration, if you will. Check out these bits of home and garden inspiration from my very first Sunday Bits Post. What to do in your garden in October. This dried flower fall wall hanging! So cute. Love the idea of grasses, daisy like flowers (rudbeckia, Shasta's, or echinacea), with clustered blossoms like verbena bonariensis. Here is another idea for drying flowers that looks so very pretty. 6 Reasons To Mulch Your Garden This Fall - Dave's Garden (davesgarden.com) - this is a great read! If you have been following me for some time, you know that I am very big on feeding the pollinators and attracting them to our yards. Here are a few articles about attracting pollinators, feeding them, protecting them. They are crucial to the wee-being of our gardens, without bees and beneficials, we are in big trouble. Hope you enjoy these reads and they give you food for thought for what you can sow now for spring, and plan now to grow in spring. How to Attract Bees and Other Native Pollinators With a Foraging Habitat – Mother Earth News Beneficial Insects for the Home Garden | Biocontrol | joegardener® Reverse Pollinator Decline in Your Backyard – Mother Earth News Drought-Tolerant, Pollinator-Friendly Annuals – Mother Earth News (psst, zinnias feature in this one, my favourite annuals of all.) Speaking of zinnias, found this seed house with super great colours! This is new to me, I have not yet ordered from them, but I will be! Sadly, they do not ship to Canada. This really great guide to growing great zinnias! A Guide to Growing Zinnias: Best Varieties & Care Tips - Cottage On Bunker Hill This cute cottage in Scandinavia, just because I love everything cottage-y and all things Scandi and hygge. And this one is kind of timely if you want to grow food this winter in a hoophouse or greenhouse. Happy Fall! Happy Thanksgiving! Happy Harvest! Wishing you all a wonderful weekend ~ Tanja

Hubby and I bought ourselves a Nespresso machine as a combined Christmas gift. He had to tell me all about their recycling program as I worry about the environmental impact of all those pods. Truth be told, I was not really big on the idea at first, but am I ever glad now that we did! The machine was purchased for the occasional cuppa. We still brew a big pot of dark roast every morning but is perfect for when hubby wants a cup after supper (I only have coffee in the morning) or I want an unsweetened cashew milk latte (something not sold in shops as most people think that sounds disgusting, ha! ). I know most people would not enjoy a latte with zero sweetener in it but I got hooked on them last summer when I was doing the Whole30 elimination diet for my allergies. The body adapts fairly quickly, I gotta say. Now when I have a latte from the shops, I find it much too sweet so is a true treat to make my own with any non-dairy milk I prefer and choose my sugar level. Turns out that this machine came in super handy as I may have given myself an ulcer. Was told to avoid just about everything I love in life (including tomatoes!) while things settle and we do more tests. I am being really good but still want a small jolt of caffeine in the morning to get my brain kickstarted. Apparently a latte has less caffeine than a cuppa does, so I allow myself one of my no-sugar, cashew milk lattes as I poke through my emails and office stuff in the morning. Such decadence! Cannot wait to set up a coffee bar area! Looking through all sorts of ideas on how to fit one into my new, very small kitchen. Anyway, on to the good stuff! I have so many great links for you this week, and they are all garden, gardening, or yard related. When you click on these pictures and posts, you don't have to like everything about the picture and take it exactly as is. I am just hoping you see something that peaks your interest or tweaks your creativity, makes you want to learn more, see more, or make something. I am hoping they take you down some rabbit holes, hoping a link peaks your interest about something or another so you click on the next link, and the next one, and so on... so much to learn and read about. Grab your morning coffee, or three, and see where this post takes you : ) Check out these Sunday Bits of Inspiration, with ideas for the garden and the home. Check out the pretty raised 'trough' beds in this post and how to fill your new raised beds and save money . If you remember, we started a process just like this in fall but simply ran out of time when we went from 20 above to 20 below in 48 hours. Yikes! I will be asking all my neighbours for their tree clipping when they prune in late winter. With any luck, someone is doing a big prune and there are big branches involved! My beds are deep and big! Here is her article about how to start planning your garden . There are so many great tips in there if you are adding to your garden, starting from scratch, or just want some general tips about growing. The only thing I would say though, is to please not use landscape fabric. That stuff is not good for your plants, soil, or the environment. Just use cardboard or newspapers if you need a weed barrier. This Seed Starting post is a good one, especially if you are new-ish to gardening, or starting your own. Here are some Exciting Pepper Varieties and Where to Find Seeds – Mother Earth News Make these cute plant labels . I decided against doing my annual garden trends post this year but really enjoyed this Pinterest Prediction of the top 12 trends this year. It is not just about gardening, of course, but rather trends in general, is a lot of fun. I like #1 a lot, #4 is so good (but not sure about the crafts they mentioned), #7 is me for sure ( I wanted a blue one, just like in the picture but they were impossible to come by so we ordered a white one instead), we just did #9, I'd love to do #10 but not sure how much I can fit out front, #11 is a given! Want to build a beautiful potting shed? Check out this one! These outdoor spaces got me thinking, how to recreate this feeling in my backyard this summer? They are simple yet so so pretty. Love the all white big pots... hmm, do I dare paint my beloved terra cotta? I saved the best post for last. If you are still in seed ordering mode, you are going to love this one. Many little seed houses with fantastic (new to the market) heirloom seeds. Even though I thought I was done seed shopping, I will be getting some of these! If you check out the tomato section , many of the tomatoes they sell have been on my Tanja's Top Ten (or 12) Tomato list over the years, they are true winners. You can find those posts on my old ngp blog . Just put in tomatoes, or top ten, in the search bar to find about 10 years worth of my top picks. From this article, I learned how to say Chioggia properly. Let me tell you, I was not even close! Listen to the podcast as it is superb, but in case I peaked your interest, it is 'Kee-o-ja'. Like, uhm, what? Hahaha. Also, from this podcast, I found this place , selling just cucumbers! I am enthralled! I love cucumbers, is my third favourite veggie to grow (tomatoes, garlic, cucumbers). I hope you enjoyed this week's all garden related Bits post! Stay healthy, dear friends ~ Tanja

Annual flowers add colour and beauty to the yard and provide us with cutting flowers to bring in the house. They also contribute to the health and happiness of the vegetables in your garden by attracting garden both pollinators and the beneficial insects that eat or destroy bad bugs. A garden just isn't a garden without some flowers here and there. No gonna lie, I grow a whole bunch of flowers each summer. Some for my pots and planters, some for all the hanging baskets, and some for my potager beds. My goal this spring was to attract all sorts of wildlife to my quite barren (new to me) garden. Critters like bees, bugs, and birds. I am happy to say that by growing annual flowers this year, more annuals than you can imagine, I succeeded in spades. I had bees, hoverflies, ladybugs, butterflies, birds... However, buying all those flowers and seeds adds up really quickly. I try to shop the buy some, get some basket stuffer promos and seed sales, but it still is enough to make the pocket book cry. To tighten my belt and save money next year, I have been collecting some of my favourite flower seeds to either direct sow in spring, or start indoors 6 to 8 weeks before last frost. Collecting your own seeds is super easy to do. Here's a how-to for collecting seeds from six of your most popular annuals. Marigolds aka Tagetes ... The best companion plant of them all - repels aphids, hornworms, even deer don't like them! No food garden is complete without marigolds. Plant them in your deer zone, around your tomatoes, in planter boxes. Snap off the spent, dry flowers. Lay them out to dry completely. When completely dry, pull the dry flower tuft off the top of the seeds, you will be left with these beautiful long seeds. You'll harvest many seeds from each blossom, so no need to worry if you only have a couple flowers left out in your garden. You can even pick the dried ones off of the beds when you do your garden clean up. Label your envelope, stuff it full, or use several envelopes and share them with friends. Ready to go in spring. Can be direct sown or started 6 to 8 weeks before last frost. Zinnias My favourites. Great to attract beneficial insects, great for long lasting blooms, and hummingbirds love them, too. Zinnias are usually hybrids so be aware that what you grow from your seeds may not look exactly the same as the flower you harvested from. Which is just fine with me, as I have never met a zinnia I did not like ; ) Let the flowers dry completely on the stems before harvesting. Cut the flower heads off and save them warm and dry till you are ready to deal with them. The seeds are those 'arrows' at the bottom. Pull off the top parts and place the 'arrows' into a shallow bowl. Winnowing - gently blow over the seeds to remove petals and infertile seeds. If the seeds blow away when you gently blow over the bowl, they are not viable and will not produce flowers. The heavier ones, the ones that are a bit fat in the middle, those are the ones you want. Do not be distressed when you see those flat ones blowing out of the bowl with the dry petal bits. Direct sow in early spring. Mid April on the island, mid May on the prairies. Sunflowers Sunflowers are a favourite of mine to grow. They add height and colour to bare spots, are super easy to grow, need no special care, they just grow. The feed the bees when they are in bloom and when they finish for the season, they feed the birds, too. I grow both the multi-headed types (they branch out and make many small flower heads) and the tall ones with just one large single flower. The bees love both, the birds love both. In late summer, my multi-branched ones are covered in the little birds, like chickadees and nuthatches. Sunflowers are ready for harvesting when the flower petals have dried up, the back of the flower head has turned from green to yellow, and the seeds are black instead of white see the above picture. I leave them out to dry in a sunny area, protected from rain, and will hang these heads from the fence or a post in winter, to feed the birds. I also saved some of the seeds for gifting and for planting next year. I have many empty pockets in the yard where I can just toss seeds into and see what happens. I give them no love but they usually do just fine. Love happy surprises. Sunflowers germinate in warmer soil. Purple Dianthus (aka Pinks) - A perennial! These carnation like flowers are easy to grow, smell like cloves, add long lasting blooms to your beds, and feed pollinators. Leave the flowers to dry on the plant so that the seeds ripen. Deadhead your plant to remove the finished seed heads. Inside each of the spent flower heads, you will find dozens of seeds. Rub the dry blossom between your fingers over a plate or bowl, the seeds easily fall out. This purple dianthus is really the prettiest flower~ My neighbours all fell in love with it so I saved quite a bit of seeds and have shared the bounty. This type of Dianthus (there are several kinds) also goes by the common name of Pinks. So, I thought it would be kind of cute to stamp 'Purple Pinks' on the envelope ; ) Nasturtiums - aka Nasties (not because they are nasty, just short form ; ) These pretty flowers add a bright pop of colour to the garden, are lovely cascading over the sides of raised beds, vining and clambering over and through the beds. They also work as a lure crop, to lure pests away from your food crops. Plant them near your cabbages to keep the aphids on the nasturtiums. Nasties are a real favourite with hummers, too. Both the flowers and the seeds are edible! How to collect the seeds - Look amongst the foliage for the twisty stems of the spent blooms for that is where you will find these round, lovely seeds. They may be brown or green, either works just fine. They may be in clusters of two or three, like you see here in the picture, or they may be singles. The green ones will be clinging to the stems while the brown ones will have fallen onto the ground. Both will dry and store and grow equally well next year. Start indoors a few weeks early or direct sow in late spring. Calendula aka Pot Marigolds These super bright and happy flowers are also edible and are great companion plants in your garden, especially near tomatoes and cabbage plants. Calendula is a great work horse plant in your food garden as it attracts a good variety of both pollinators and beneficial insects. Calendula petal are great dried and made into salves, soaps, ointments, teas, and balms of all kinds. They have antiseptic, anti-inflammatory, antibacterial and antifungal properties that prevent infections. Pick the dry seed heads off of the calendula plant. If they are not yet dry, harvest the entire branch and let the flowers dry on the branch before harvesting. Rub your finger along the dry flower head to loosen the seeds from the flower cap and leave out to dry thoroughly. You can also pop the branches of blooms into a paper bag to dry and the seeds will simply fall into the bag when dry. The seeds are 'C' shaped curly cuties, but kind of look like caterpillars if picked when green. Calendula is very cold tolerant, you will often see them flowering in the snow! Sweet Peas Sharing this how-to even though my seed pods are nowhere near ready. I will be out of luck for harvesting my own, this year. When your sweet peas have made these little 'peas pods', you leave them on the vine until they are brown and dry. The seeds in this picture are still very green and the seeds small and flat. If I were to pick these, they would not produce flowers. The pods have to be dry and brown, the seeds round and a little bit plump. A fun tip - Sweet Peas do not cross pollinate so pick whatever colours you have that you like and they will come true from the seeds. Sow some seeds in late fall for earlier blooms, or in early spring, a couple weeks before last frost. Make sure all the seeds are good and dry before you package them up to prevent them from going mouldy, or bad. If they are not completely dry at picking time, place them in a warm, dry spot for a week to finish up. I used to do this in the greenhouse back on the acreage. Now I use my lovely new potting shed, but you can just keep them on the kitchen table! I bought myself some letter stamps and envelopes to make my own seed packages, and whatnots. I love the imperfect look of the stamped letters and will use these stamps a whole lot at Christmas time for crafting and gifting. I love this 70 piece stamping kit. It comes with upper and lower case letters, numbers, and a few common punctuation marks, too. You can line them up real nice, if you prefer, but I like the letters just a wee bit askew and so I do it on purpose! \I also like to mix an upper case letter in with lower case now and again. If you like to make your own gift tags, print something meaningful on artwork, make linen napkins, bread bags, or other items with a stamp on it, this set has everything you need. What I Used... Disclaimer - Here are the items I used for making the seed packets. If you wish to buy them, just click on the link and it will take you straight to the item on Amazon. If you buy the items from one of my links, I make just a wee bit of money to support my blog, but the price you pay is exactly the same as it would be if you went there without my link. You do not pay extra to support me using these links: ) 70 piece wooden stamp set / 100 small kraft envelopes / Corner Punch for gift tags I love these letter stamps, I have used them oodles of times since I purchased them. They are handy for seed saving, Christmas and birthday gift tags, and also for the seeded tags and paper. The paper envelopes are the perfect size for gifting seeds, saving seeds, and for making personalised gift card folders. They fit the card just right! Use the tag punch to make several sizes and types of corners, using any pretty paper that you have at home. Or, buy these ready made gift tags instead. I have both as I love the simplicity of kraft paper, but I also love using my pretty floral sheets of paper. It all depends on the occasion, eh? 100 kraft gift tags / 30 piece flower garden paper / 12 piece vintage/autumn hued stamps A 12 piece floral wooden stamp set / 150 Seed Saving Envelopes / Letter Stamps with Ink . What great fun this is to do. Saving seeds. Gifting seeds. It is super simple, cost effective, and is a lovely gift idea for your gardener friends. Happy Seed Collecting ~ Tanja

We've had a busy week hosting dinners, doing yardwork, and I have started the deep clean of the house. Like a good spring cleaning, but in late summer. The yard still needs a whole lot of doing, too. Tis the season! With Hemingway gone, there is a lot less drool, hair, and dirt being tracked into the house, so I have started a good clean before winter comes and is time to hunker down. That sounds like we don't care, but we care a whole lot. Miss that big guy every single day. I am taking it room by room, with loads of time in between each room, as it is hard work - m washing windows, sills and screens, taking down all the chachkas to wash, redoing the shelves, cleaning baseboards, changing out the summer decor to autumnal things. Every single carpet in the house has been washed, and I bought a nice new big (machine washable) rug for the sitting room, as this is where we spend the majority of our time). The rug is 6'x9' and on for a really great price. It comes in 3 other colour combinations and I l love them all. Would love to pick up that black/green one, plus the teal/multi one, too. Sorry about the ugly laundry basket, it is all we could find to gather up all the fallen apples. My nephew wants them for his wildlife cams. Don't ask me why. All I know is that it is a good way to get rid of all these apples, better than throwing them in the green bin. We were already getting a lot of fruit drop from the dry summer, and then the birds came. I was telling my brother that the apple trees and mountain ashes were full of baby crow like birds. He told me that they would be either grackles or starlings... so I looked it up. These guys had shiny blue heads, so were definitely grackles. They land in the trees to eat the berries and the apples, causing loads of apples to smash to the ground. Lucky that we are having (yet another) bumper crop year! There are still plenty of apples left for fresh eating and making into juice with our mehu-liisa juicer. This popped up in my memories yesterday. I had just received my new greenhouse. I ordered it from a farmer/builder just west of town by a bit. He built all the pieces at the farm and then delivered it and built it here in the yard in just 3 hours. He provided the 4x4 foundation, everything included. Inside it is just grass at this point. He built it, the rest was up to me. It is 8'x12'. We painted it white inside and out, put up burlap shade curtains, installed a rubber stepping stone pathway, and raised beds. The first summer, last year, we had in ground beds. They were just okay. The plants took a long time to take off as the solid sides provided so much shade. This year, everything is thriving, even the watermelons, as they are in these lovely pistachio green raised metal beds. These beds are on at a phenomenal price right now, btw, $80 less than what I paid! Argh, lol. Gardening Bits Here are this week's inspirational gardening bits to peruse and ponder. I am forever looking for grass alternatives for either a lawn replacement, or in between stepping stones, etc... here are 12 low maintenance ones to try. These 7 ideas for sustainable gardening . I've implemented all of them to some degree, but always room for improvements. Still looking for nicer looking water buttes/barrels/troughs. Ideas, anyone? Check out this wee little white garden shed. Isn't it the cutest? This article about Chaos Gardening from Martha Stewart. I made a chaos garden bed this year, will definitely do it again. I think that I will make sure everything works for the same season though, as when I pulled my bolting spinach and lettuces, I ended up with lots of empty spots. Which is great for replanting, new sowings, but you really have to work at figuring out what to sow in mid July, in a heat wave, that will thrive. These veggies that you can plant in your empty spots now . Now, some of these will not have time in our areas (say no to planting carrots and parsnips now), but anything that requires less than 60 days is fair game. Spinach on the island will give you leaves this fall, leave it in for the winter, fresh leaves again in spring. Have no empty spots? Pull out anything just about ready to bolt, bolting, cucumbers getting powdery mildew (there is no saving them once they start to mildew), plants that did not thrive, in the garlic bed... Flowers to take cuttings of now  for more plants next year. Plus, flowers you can sow now  for new flowers next summer! I have these 3 piles of seeds for fall sowing, ready to go. Flowers to sow now for earlier blooms in spring (echinacea, beebalm, and calendula). Fresh crop of fall veggies ready to go in now, as in the article above (spinach, lettuce, chard) Veggies to sow beside the house and in the greenhouse just before snow flies (leaf lettuce/winter lettuce, carrots, spinach, and breadseed poppies). How to plant, grow, and care for cannas . If you are on the island, or in a zone 7/8, you don't even need to do anything special to them. I used to take pot and all, haul it into the unheated greenhouse on the island, stop watering, and it would be raring to go in spring when I started watering again. I also had a customer who left hers in big pots and kept them on her deck, under the eaves, they just got bigger and better annually. Homey Inspo Bits These two articles with cottage core bedrooms really hit the spot with me this week, as I am working on my room by room deep cleaning. Loving some of the ideas for fall bedding, to cosy up the room a bit, make it more charming. My bed could use some cosying! The cottage core bedroom in this article with 8 dreamy bedrooms is utterly perfect. Here are some bedding sets to achieve that look! I also love that whimsical bedroom. Blue Pinstripe Duvet Set / Blue/white plaid sheet set / Blue Gingham Sheet Set Yellow Plaid Duvet Set / Super Cute Pillowcases / Blue Gingham Sheet Set *As an Amazon affiliate, if you purchase an item from one of these links, I make a teeny bit of money to support my blog. It does not cost you a penny more than it would if you went to the item on your own, without my link. Huge thanks : ) and then there is this cottage style bedroom refresh that is so pretty. Love the bedding so much. It would look amazing on my white country style bed, eh? Here are some bedding ideas (below) in linen and cotton to help you achieve the same look. Love the waffle weave and gingham together. This white lacy dust ruffle is easy to put on the bed, this delicate lace ruffle , or ( oh my, be still my heart) this flax linen bed skirt . Recipes A few recipes to use up those apples and eggplants from your garden! If you like eggplant, this recipe for e ggplant salad sounds yummy! Plus healthy and low cal. I plan to give it a try : ) Sourdough rye bread - posting this one here for me. I must try a rye bread someday very soon! I made this Sourdough discard apple fritter bread. for the (family dinner) dessert the other evening. I thought it was nice with a cup of tea, but hubby really like it a lot. It did not make his diabetes go off the wall either, always a goal with me. This blast from the past showed up in my fb memories. The summer of 2021, when we had a heat dome and 2 or 3 heat waves. The only bit of green in our yard was this strip on the septic field. We still did okay... each year in the garden is a brand new ballgame. Wishing you all great week - Tanja

So much has changed in just a few short weeks. Let me fill you in! To start with... Beware, this is the month of powdery mildew. With the warm days and cool nights, the dew point rises. Pumpkins, cucumbers, and squash start to get a white powdery coating on the leaves. Water in the mornings or late afternoon to make sure the ground is dry as you go into nighttime cooler temps. Water at ground level only, try not to get the foliage wet. This is when weeping hoses or drip systems come in handy as they are underneath those big leaves. Don't waste your time/money spraying with milk or baking soda. It will not be effective this time of year, and does not work well on these hairy leaves. Snip off leaves early in the season to help slow down the spread. And yes, it will spread. It also helps to get better air flow around the plant. When your cukes are more yucky leaves than good leaves, pull out the plant, but leave your pumpkins and squash till the fruits are ripe. The p/m will not hurt the fruits. Relax. It is normal. Happens every year at this time. The Back Yard A few days ago, we decided to move our raised beds from the backyard to the side, and make the back corner into a layered shrub and flower bed. An ode to the cohousing gardens , of sorts. This is what it looked like just a few days ago. We literally lifted up the wooden beds and moved them over to the side yard, a better growing zone for my garlic, potatoes, onions, and flowers. Will show you that part of the yard after the landscaper has finished up. These potatoes were harvested early (going to be the potato salad for our family gathering tomorrow), the flowers were moved to other beds throughout the yard, the peas harvested and vines composted. This whole thing from start to finish, from the talking about it, to finishing, took less than a week. Whew! This is it just after we mulched it up last night. Hubby just finished, as you can tell from the dirt on the patio, but I could not wait to show you the new space. Now for the plants to fill in this space - in 3 to 5 years, hah! There are roses, hydrangeas, spirea, dwarf lilacs, penstemon, balloon flowers, salvia, veronica, heuchera, and lots of echinacea. In The Potager What a change in weather we have had... and the plants are loving it. We went from smoking hot to downright cool, and got an inch and a half of rain to boot. Most plants loved this change, some plants did not... Lettuce - loves cooler temps, but most all of it had bolted during the heat wave. I had three patches, all been started at different times, so we have had lettuce every day... till now. I now have a short window with no lettuce to harvest, but the two rows that I sowed last week are already up and well on their way. The rain and cooler temps really helped them germinate quickly. We'll be eating lettuce from the garden in no time once again. The tomatoes - like hot and sunny, but are sighing with relief with this weather change. The cooler temp is helping them slowly begin to ripen in the garden and greenhouse, finally! They are looking pretty great, all in all. I was worried with that late start, but all seems to be going well. The broccolini - started flowering in the heat, but I just snapped off those stalks and left the plants. They will soon make new sprouts, will keep on going till frost takes them down. Pss, the flowers are edible, yummy, and look great in a salad. Sadly, my celeries - bolted. It appears that they can handle heatwaves just fine, and heat domes, too. Cool weather is fine, wet weather is fine, and winters on the island are fine. Turns out what is not fine is abrupt weather change. As our night time lows went down to single digits after being in the high 30's, the celery thought that time was up, winter is here, and went to seed. While they are still usable for soups, can be frozen or dehydrated, they are not great for fresh eating. Luckily, I have some in the greenhouse that is still fine! In the Greenhouse The peppers and eggplants are overrun with aphids. I bought a bag of ladybugs last week to help clean things up organically. No spraying in there as that might kill off my bees and pollinators, which I need o too. I gave the plants a light spray of water in the evening, as per directions, and placed the ladybugs here and there in the raised bed, right on top of the aphid covered leaves. I then shut the door and left them in there for 2 days before opening the door again. The hope is that they'll have laid eggs before they flew away, so their larvae eat up the rest of the aphids. The parents did a decent job, but I am still inundated. I am starting to despair. In the left side raised bed, everything is doing so well. Tomatoes are ripening, cucumbers are flowering and fruiting, and my melons are doing so well. They are my babies. I go in there every couple of days to help pollinate all the females, just in case the bees did not do their job. Thus far, I have about a dozen melon babies hiding in that jungle. These are round, small watermelons ( Mini-Love and Ice Box Doll Babies ) great for shorter summer areas like mine. To make sure your melons are being pollinated, you can hand pollinate. The female blossoms have a baby melon underneath the flower. Leave those flowers attached to the vine. The male flowers have just a slender stem. Pinch off one of the open male flowers and (ahem) rub the centers of the two flowers together. That's it, job well done. I usually take a new male for each female as they tend to make more males than females, but you can just use the one. I have started topping the indeterminate tomatoes in the greenhouse. This puts the energy back into the fruits and flowers that are already on the vine. You may have to do it several times, especially if you have allowed some of the suckers to grow. We have been eating tomatoes from the dwarf potted plants, but only a few from the greenhouse and garden. Most are still green, so they have about 4 weeks till possible first frost to finish up. Yikes! The greenhouse ones will be fine for longer, of course. My baskets are kind of ho hum this year, but the planter pots are fairly nice. It is not the year that I hoped it would be. The petunias are not my faves, will not do those again (I bought the pink bubblegum waves). Anyway, things look nice, despite the fence. The landscaper has begun working in the side yard, the backyard will be done last. That fence is temporary snow fencing. Will be used to keep the dog off of the new sod, once that has been laid. I actually kind of like the look of it, hahaha, but we want to leave the middle of our pie shaped lot free for Berkeley to do her zoomies, so it will go once winter sets in. Q&A's Q- This year, I have lots of male flowers, but few females on my squash and pumpkins. Is there a reason for this? Tanja - This is a very common issue as it takes more energy for the plant to make females. They often produce males first, for the first few weeks. This may just be a maturity issue as it takes more energy to make females. Weather can make a difference. Too cool (or hot) and the plant does not have enough energy to put into making females. Having more males than females gives you optimum chances for pollination to occur. If you have more females than males, you may not get much fruit production. Lack of nutrients to make female flowers. You may have poor soil, or too much nitrogen so that you have healthy foliage but few flowers. Feed with liquid seaweed or kelp for an organic boost. Stress from lack of water, too much water, too much sunshine/heat, or bugs can all cause your plant to make more males. Q - the tomatoes in my greenhouse are not producing as much as they usually do. Is this a lack of pollinators? Tanja - Yes, it may well be. Luckily, tomatoes are self fertile so you just need to give the vine, or the cage, a good shake. That will move the pollen about, imitates the action of bees. For more ideas to help your tomatoes produce more, better, bigger tomatoes, see here. Q - My tumbler tomato has stopped growing, the new flowers have shrivelled up, does not have bugs... is it a bust? Tanja - Determinate tomatoes have a determined life span, so it sounds like it is just finished for the year. It has reached the height it is going to get to, will not grow or produce more flowers or fruits. Q - I am putting in some posts with lights, somewhat like you did not the acreage (see photo above). I keep seeing that I need to sink the posts 1/3 of the way into the ground. That seems like a long way to sink a 7 foot post. Can you please ask hubby how far down he sank yours? Tanja - Our posts went 3 feet down and were cemented in so that they would not lean, tilt, or twist. To get that same look, I would get a 10 to 12 foot post, depending on how high you want the lights to go. Alternately, you could put in a charming split cedar fence, or similar, and hang the light on that instead. Still have to go deep but posts do not need to be as tall. We had considered that option, would still be a cute look. Q - Do the seeded paper and seeded gift tags work with all flowers? Could I try it with zinnias? Tanja - Many of the easy to direct sow annuals can be used in the seeded paper. I used both cosmos and alyssum, both worked super well. Zinnias and calendula would also be great options. Our sweet Hemingway crossed the rainbow bridge last week. He is very missed, by us and by Berkeley. He was the sweetest marshmallow of a boy. Hope you all are enjoying the better sleeps in these cooler night time temperatures ~ Tanja

We have had a week, you all! Decided to make some changes in the garden, so started taking down the two beds right away, getting that corner ready to plant up into a bed inspired my our visit to the cohousing gardens in Saskatoon. Will show pictures once it looks like something. Right now is just a pile of dirt with some potted plants sitting on it so we can get the spacing right ; ) Our sweet English Mastiff, Hemingway, crossed the rainbow bridge on Tuesday, so it has been a glum week. He was a singer, so I find myself stopping to listen when I hear a siren on tv, or in the distance, thinking 'oh, there goes my boy again'. Sadly, it is no longer is Hemi. He was our fifth mastiff, but our very first singer. He sang when he wanted inside, wanted outside, when he woke up from a nap... well, he just loved to sing. We miss him bunches. Sunday Bits of Gardening Inspiration! I was poking about on my old blog, looking for something, when I came across this. Thought it was super cute then, still cute now. His tips are very wise, spot on! I had a conversation with a young man the other day (9-ish years old) who has been growing and studying how to grow really great sunflowers. Here are some of his tips.  1. Don't waste your money on little packets of seeds, grab the ones that are in birdseed mixes and plant those instead. They grow great and make seeds that the birds love. 2. The bigger the cup or pot that you pre-start them in, the bigger your sunflower will grow. This is a super great tip. Applies to other plants, too. If your tomato (or whatever) starts are small or stunted, pot them into something bigger for their roots to have room to grow and the plant will get bigger and better in a matter of days.  3. If you plant them out into poor soil, very well draining (sandy, gravelly soil) you will get big, fat, sturdy stems on your sunflowers that are really well rooted in the ground. Good rich soil tends to make them wimpy.  4. Feed them with bunny poop for a great, organic fertiliser. They love it.  Having just finished our heatwave(s), I thought this article about what to do in the garden in extreme heat had many great points. I need to remember the first one - take pics of my garden every couple of weeks next summer so that I can find and fill those empty pockets with perennials later.... when I hit the fall sales ; ) I love looking in/at other people's greenhouses. The set up, how it fits into their yards, the landscaping around it. All the things. Check out all the pretty greenhouse ideas in this read . I love that one that you can walk right through. It is very simple, but how great is that idea, eh? Is like a greenhouse arbour. The airflow in summer would be amazing. While you are at it, check out this food garden with greenhouse , too. This quote from the article is exactly what I teach and preach... ' I believe it is possible to create gardens that are not only beautiful and ecological but also put food on the table,’ says Alison. We absolutely can grow food in pretty gardens that are earth friendly, too. This backyard garden with rows of dahlias, vining tomatoes and cucumbers, raised beds overflowing with foods and flowers is what makes my heart and soul so very happy. Not a blade of grass to be seen... there's just no room ; ) These 8 flowers that we can sow this month for flowers next spring. Going to try them, nothing to lose but a few seeds if it does not work. I know some of them self sow and come up nicely, so hoping the others work here, too. I do not grow delphs, have not grown them in years, as they get very wormy. Less so on the island, I believe, but super wormy here. Life is too short to be fighting with wormy flowers. I plant monkshood instead. It is also tall, stately, comes in blue and white, is beautiful, and never wormy. This lovely fall garden retreat . Love the lighting in the seating area. H ow to make and use compost tea . I love using teas to feed my plants! Have been making my own organic 'fertiliser' for many years. The one in the picture is my alfalfa tea that I use for seedlings and roses in spring, and then I love on to compost tea. I do not aerate, but the article tells exactly how you can do it! Easy and inexpensive way to feed your soil life, your plants, and increase disease resistance. I think you probably have heard of Charles Dowding and no dig gardening , but if not, this article is for you. No more digging, you all! It is hard on your back, bad for your garden and the planet, and totally unnecessary. Words from Charles - 'The basic principles of his no dig method are disarmingly straightforward: ‘It is about two simple things – not disturbing the soil and feeding the soil life with organic matter on the surface.’ Sunday Bits of Recipe Inspiration This is one of my most favourite salads to make as a meal in itself... bread salad, aka panzanella. Though the author uses a sourdough, you can use any nice, crusty bread that you like. Have some stale artisan bread or ciabatta buns hanging about? Perfect! This pickled Swedish salad in a jar . Huh. Don't remember every having this or seeing this, but it looks delish! What a great way to preserve your harvest. I am growing my melons up strings this year as I saw Charles Dowding doing with his last year. Saves on space, no trellis needed. They are baby watermelons, just grow into small round melons, so should be okay on the strings. I hope so, as I have a bunches of baby melons coming. To make sure all the melons are truly well pollinated, I have been going in the greenhouse (door is left open night and day) every day or two to hand pollinate each and every female blossom, hahaha. The male is on the top, the female on the bottom, she has a little melon baby under the blossom. Isn't it the cutest? Happy Gardening, Friends. Hug your doggies, hold 'em tight ~ Tanja

I was watching Homegrown the other day, a gardening series on Magnolia Network. There are no gardening shows on HGTV, despite that G in there. Any who, I watched the new for this season episode first and then a repeat from last year. The repeat was about building a lovely garden room and plant propagation. I somehow loved it more this year than last, for whatever reason. I am not really big on indoor plants, they're just not my gig. However, I loved this episode a whole lot, so when I saw this podcast about propagating plants, I had to give it a read. If you love indoor plants, you will like this one (and Homegrown is a great show for all of us crazy about gardening peeps). I must admit, a pretty propagation wall would be super pretty. If you have Magnolia, the Floret story is on today, too. Such a great watch. I have a bunch of interesting reads and so many pretty greenhouse and potting shed pictures for you to peruse in today's post. I love nothing better than poking through other people's gardens, or greenhouses... whether in person or on line, it is always inspiring. Gardening Bits This beginner's guide to starting seeds indoors is very good. If you are new to starting seeds, you will enjoy this one. Followed by this article with 3 Seed Starting Methods , with pros and cons for each method. How to attract butterflies to your garden and container gardens for hummingbirds and butterflies. Are you tempted to quiet quit your garden? N o Mow May ... good idea? Or not? Big Ass Tomatoes / Big Ass Carrots / Big Ass Berries Kelp Fertiliser / Acti-Sol Hen Pellets / Gaia Green for Flowers How and when to fertilise your gardens. Most of you know that I am a no-digger, so I top dress my beds with manure/compost in the fall and walk away knowing that the beds will be ready to go in spring, with (usually) no further effort required on my part (a la Charles Dowding style). However, it takes time to build up great soil, here are some organic amendments that you can use for better crops, better yields in the meantime, for an organic boost. Organic gardening feeds the soil to feed the plants, so all of these items will make your soil better, not just the plant. Ps, if you have really hard soil, poor soil, sandy soil, clay soil... mix in manure or compost rather than peat moss. Peat has no nutrients and is a non-renewable resource, but manure helps amend and condition the soil, plus contains nutrients so your plants will thrive. It takes several years to 'make' good soil, all good things come with time, as they say. Also, soil never goes 'bad' unless some kind of contaminant is there, so no need to dig out the topsoil, or soil in your garden beds, but instead, buy a yard of manure/compost and dig that in. You may need to do it a couple of years running to build great soil, but you will see improvements already in the first year. *As an Amazon affiliate, if you purchase an item from one of these links, I make a teeny bit of money to support my blog. It does not cost you a penny more than it would if you went to the item on your own, without my link. Huge thanks : ) Home & Garden Idea Bits These stepping stone ideas for your garden . There is one other one, one that is not mentioned here, that is my personal favourite .... recycled rubber steppers . They come in squares and circles (see above). I like them because they last forever but mostly becuase they are super light so that I can easily move them about the yard myself. These garden oasis ideas for your back yard. Number 3 is my favourite : ) These clever ways to set up your greenhouse . Followed by this article with many great greenhouse ideas and inspiration. Number 16 makes my heart beat a little faster. 48 feet/15 lights / 32 feet/25 bulbs / 36 feet/60 bulbs I am in the process of looking for more lights to put in the yard. Not yet decided if I want to put in more solar lights, or the plug in kind, but thinking solar as the set I have now has been going strong for a year or longer - through the summer heat, rains, snow... and still are great. They are so worth it. The ones I have are the center ones but I like the other two a lot, as well. Now to decide how long a string I want and whether I want them super close together, or well spaced out. This cool house, patio, and yard.   How to care for cut tulips . Letting flowers soak up water for a few days is very important for longevity. A friend suggested poking a small pinhole through the stem, underneath the bud to help them stay standing up straight like soldiers. I have not tried it as I love how they grow, droop, and do their own thing in a vase, lol, but if you prefer they stay more upright, give it a go. Tulips will grow an inch or two in the vase! Then check out this super cute and practical shed makeover. What colour should I paint my shed ... so many ideas here! This free spring printable . I love free prints : ) Have this one hanging in my foyer right now. This kitchen  in mushroom (the colour, not chachkas) is so nice! This lovely home in Gothenburg , a mix of old and new, with the sweetest patio space. Recipes Heavenly Chocolate Cake Roll - this is on my must make list this month. Maybe for dessert after I have this spaghetti pangratttato with crispy egg . Yum! Yummy blueberry muffins with a lemon glaze . I cannot seem to stop my love of blueberry and lemon combinations. Something different.. this almond cake . Is gluten and dairy free, though has eggs. These vegan Twix bars ! On my list to make! This low-cal yummy looking eggplant recipe . Now to remember this for August! Maybe I need to buy eggplant and try it first. I don't have an instapot but I love this idea for making homemade yoghurt! What do you think? Do I need to invest in one? If so, which one do you recommend? I have started my whole wheat sourdough journey. The starter is now on day 6 so just a day away from being 'done'... I think. I have made one loaf of bread with the discard, which everyone liked, so am making another one today. I am not a fan of the sour flavour of sourdough, so never did jump on that bandwagon while everyone else was doing it. Darn it! I have since found out that some doughs are less sour, milder, but still good for you gut health, so here I am, giving it a try. Late to the game... yet again, hah! Do you make your own sourdough bread? Any tips for me? Ideas for what to make with it besides bread? Open to all the things! Have a great week ahead, eh? Happy Sunday ~ Tanja