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Do you have a small greenhouse and wanting to start all sorts of seeds for your summer garden? Want to stuff that greenhouse full of veggies and flower starts.. without spending a fortune on heating? Here is a tip I learned years ago (at a greenhouse I worked at) that I have been using ever since for my own wee organic greenhouse biz. This trick is effective and inexpensive, allows me to start thousands of seeds quickly.. if I want that many. You can also use it to give your dahlias, cannas, and potted plants a head start to have flourishing plants when you pop them out at the end of May. Heated gutter cables. Yep, that is my trick. They come in several lengths, are safe to use for months on end, cost just pennies a day, are easy to use. Gutter cables, aka de-icing cables, are designed to be used in metal or plastic gutters, are water proof, super safe, and inexpensive, as opposed to heating all the air in the greenhouse with a portable heater. Seeds benefit from bottom heat to germinate well and quickly, plus this will keeps your seedlings happy in a cool greenhouse, too, as they are sitting on warmth even if the air temp is in the single digits (Celsius). I leave the cables on night and day, for months at a time, till I feel it is warm enough in the greenhouse that they no longer need it. If you want less heat, just have less cable underneath that particular tray or plant. The first year I used the cables in my own greenhouse, I just placed them on the table, squished the gutter clips in between the boards to sorta pin the cable down, popped some wooden stakes onto the tables to keep the trays off the cables ...and it worked a charm. However, the cable and boards kept moving around, it was all a bit of a fuss to deal with, and see how the cable goes over the lip of the table? That is a wasted heat opportunity. The following year, hubs screwed in some boards onto 2 of our tables, to hold the trays just above the cables for evenly spread bottom heat. We pushed the 2 four foot tables together for absolutely loads of room to start a dozen, or more, seed trays at the same time. We then ran the cables lengthwise rather than widthwise and it worked so much better. No more movement all over the place, the cables stayed in place nicely. Put your trays on the cables whichever way they fit best....I grew thousands of seedlings on these cables each year. Place seeds, seedlings, and cuttings on top of the boards, above the cables. The heat is spread nicely and evenly underneath the trays. I also use this for starting my dahlias - pot them into 2 gallon pots, place on the cables, they grow so much quicker. You can even take cuttings from the new growth and 'make' more dahlias. This works for cannas and perennials, anything you want to get a head start with. In Year 4, we removed those spacer boards as they made the tables hard to use effectively the rest of the season. You can see how I spaced out the cables in the picture above. Gutter cables are 100% safe. They never get so warm that they would melt or burn anything. You can take the cable and hold it in your hand, it is just pleasantly warm to the touch. Cover with plastic to easily, and inexpensively, retain humidity and heat. I would often place the tray of seeds or cuttings right inside the plastic bag and fold it closed. Another great trick I learned while working at that greenhouse ; ) Check on them daily and shake off the condensation to prevent damping off and rot. Take them out of the bag as soon as they germinate, just like you would with a humidity dome. This here is the super high tech garden product that I use as a humidity dome ;) I used the gutter cables for 14 years to start my seeds and plants at my wee ngp greenhouse business. Now, I need to find those cables in the moving boxes so that I can set things up again at this new house, in my new greenhouse. They last forever, are pretty indestructible! I will have to find new tables/benches and figure out how to pin the cables in place on those, but one thing is certain... cables are way cheaper than heating mats. Hope this trick helps you as much as it did me! You do not need fancy or expensive to grow great plants : ) Happy Sowing & Growing ~ Tanja

I'm starting a new weekly gardening series. A post where I share what I am doing right now, this particular week in the garden, or with regards to gardening. Gardening tips and ideas for what you can be doing right now, regardless of gardening zone. I hope you will follow along with me on our journey to the summer garden. At the end of each post, I will answer any questions that you have, that are asked of me on fb, on insta, on this blog, or through emails. Contact me any which way you like and find the answer in the following post. I recieved quite a few questions after the how to start from seed guide post last week, see the answers below. This week, we are having a cold snap. We went from plus degrees and very little snow on the ground to very cold temps, 15 cm of snow and still falling. Yuck, lol. Not unexpected but still yucky. So, without further ado, here is where my gardening is at this week.. Seeds - I am waiting on one last seed order to come in, my flower seeds from Floret. I have two packets coming, a mixed pastel package of zinnias and mixed seed dahlias. I will start the dahlias just as soon as the seeds arrive. More on that when the time comes. All other orders have arrived, I am ready to roll. The Stems flower and tomato order just came (right to the door) the other day, with the prettiest flowery card and seed packages. What I have growing right now... (Started January 29 - Off the heat & transplanted into larger cells on Feb 23)) Red and Yellow Globe (storage) onions Morden Midget eggplant Peppers - Hungarian Yellow Hot Wax, Jalapeno, Purple Marconi, King Crimson These guys are in a bright south facing window, no lights. I turn the tray a couple times a day. I will feed them with some liquid seaweed this week. The onions have had their first haircut already, will soon be ready for a second cut. When they are 4"to 6" tall, I trim them to 1" high. The 'Tall Utah' celery is still in the original cell, also started on January 29th. I will transplant them next week as it looks like most all have true leaves. If you read my seed starting guide, you know that I multi sow to save space on both the heating mat and in the window sill. I will keep some and share the rest with family members. We all like to grow and eat celery. On the heating pad waiting for germination (sown Feb 23rd) Rosa Bianca & Listada di Gandia eggplants - (2nd batch, 1st ones did not germinate) Potato onions -had to get these when I heard about them! A perennial multiplying onion. 50% of these are up today, one week later. Lorient Multiplier onions - may be a shallot, might be a potato onion, the possibilities are exciting. 50% are up today. What I will be starting from seed this weekend ... Snapdragons Echinacea We are still 12 weeks out from last frost in central Alberta, and 9 weeks out in Nanaimo. Even if we count on an earlier planting time, there is no need to rush to rush things along. If you stagger your sowings according to the weeds before frost, you won't be as apt to run out of room in the window sill, on the heating pad, or in the house. These can all still be started now, if you have not yet done so. Other things on my to do list... I have been dreaming about pulling out the patio furniture and starting to clean and organise the greenhouse. Get it ready for the seedlings to go in, and to pot up dahlia tubers in 2 gallon pots for a headstart. This needs to wait till the next snow melt, of course, but is on my agenda just as soon as I can get in there. I've had these solar lights out winter and summer since last spring and they are still going strong. They light up just as nicely now as they did when they were first put outside. Gihly recommend the solar lights if you do not have a plug in handy. I also really like these elongated solar lights, 40 bulbs in 32 feet! I think I need these. We will also prune the apple tree on any nice day in the next week or two. March is the perfect time to prune, while they are still dormant. *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 : ) For my West Coast & Island peeps... If I were still on the island (zone 7), I would be direct sowing both peas and sweet peas out in the raised beds on any nice, sunny, warm day this month. I would also toss out a little bit of dill seed into a bed. I sow dill here and there, a bit at a time throughout late winter and early spring, for a succession crop. I would also be sowing lettuce, mustards, green onions/scallions, spinach, and radishes in my hoophouse. Some of these new potato onions would also go in there ; ) Pruning of fruit trees, shrubs, and roses, too. Here is my last early March Ramblings post from the island, a list of all the tasks. Happy gardening, friends. FAQ'S Here are some answers to the questions I received after the seed starting guide went out. Question - Do you recommend bottom watering? Tanja - I only use bottom watering when doing the initial soaking of the soil, before I sow my seeds as it really makes the soil very wet and can lead to fungal disease. After sowing, I use a spray bottle to mist the soil so the seeds do not get dislodged, start floating around on top of the soil. Then, I use a watering can with a small spout to water the seedlings so I can direct the water where I need it. Bottom watering will soak the soil too much, fill the cell with water, which may cause damping off. Question - Why do you recommend Promix HP or Sunshine #4 rather than a seeding starting soil mix? Tanja - Seed Starting Mixes use very fine peat which I find holds the water better, but therefore is also more prone to damping off disease. I was taught years ago to use a very porous mix (HP=high porosity) so the seeds can easily grow and spread roots, the roots have more air space and so are less apt to have any kind of fungal issues. Question - What do you think about the soils with moisture beads? Tanja - Other than the fact that they are not organic in any way, shape, or form, plants also do not like them. I trialed a hanging basket with the beads and one without, both on the same shepherd's hook... the one without was double the size of the one with the beads. Definitely not for tender little seedlings. The same goes for putting a diaper underneath the potting soil in a pot or basket. Never. Question - When do you start your cucumbers and squash? I have seen that many have started theirs already. Tanja - I have also noticed that on some of the fb gardening pages. Yikes! I would suspect that they will have to throw those plants away as both cukes and squash germinate very quickly, grow very fast, and do not like transplanting. The best time to prestart them would be 3 weeks before you want to plant them outside. That way they will not stall out. Do not disturb the roots, push out of pot, drop in a hole, tuck it in. I do not prestart either one as they do not transplant well. Instead, I wait till the soil is warm so that they take off quickly. If it is warm enough to plant out your tomatoes, it is warm enough to direct sow your cucumbers and squash seeds. Check out these lovely zinnias that I ordered from Stems. My colours are pastel pinks and peaches this year, with a bit of white. My neighbour and I used to always get toghether and decide our colours for the year so that I could order in the correct coloured basket stuffers. I really miss that! If you want to talk about all things gardening, give me a shout ; ) Thank you all for your questions, I look forward to getting more of them! Let me know how you are making out and what your concerns are. I hope you enjoy this new series of what to do now . Happy Gardening ~ Tanja

Welcome to Week #2 of my new weekly gardening post with ideas for what to do from week to week as we get ready for our summer gardens. Seed Orders - All my seed orders have finally arrived. I am finished! No more ordering. The last to arrive were the Floret flower seeds. They were very pricey, but can I just say... I am so excited for these! I'd like to say no more seed purchases, but I would probably be lying ; ) I will check the racks wherever I go, as one is wont to do, even though I do not need even one more thing! This garden above is one of my favourites, it is my 'muse' garden. Elin blogs in both English and Swedish, but if nothing else, her garden photos are to die for. I just love those Apricotta cosmos. If you are new here, you are probably thinking that I am a flower gardener after all this talk about flower seeds. Quite the opposite actually. I am such a rabid (hah) food grower that my veggie seeds were ordered a long, long time ago, so also arrived long ago. The flowers come after the veggies have been seen to first. I am crazy about growing heirloom tomatoes, but grow a bit of everything. Anything the family eats, including the dogs, I will grow. The flowers give me a cutting garden, but best of all, they attract bees and beneficial insects. Feeding the bees ensures that I have fantastic germination (never have to help the squash along) and attracting beneficial insects means I have natural pest control. Tips for how to start seeds indoors. I grow all my seeds in a bright south facing window. I use a heating mat, humidity dome, and ProMix potting soil. I do not use extra lights, just the bright, cool window. If starting seeds in the house with no additional lights, you need... bright south facing window, or better yet, south and east corner window. do not start too early so that they overgrow your space. Cool room, ideally 12° to 15°C (50 to 60°F) to keep them from stretching out. This is my bougie (hah!) seed starting station the way it looks right now, today. The tray on the right has the heat mat in it, the one on the left has the transplants. *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 : ) Seed That I Will Be Starting This Week Snapdragons - I have these guys in the freezer so they'll be ready to sow this weekend. They will then be sown right on top of the soil, not covered with soil as they need light to germinate, placed on bottom heat with the humidity dome on top. Dahlias - Can be sown anytime this month. Seeds are sown as usual, no special requirements. As I can pop them into either the mini greenhouse, or the greenhouse to grow on, I will start them this weekend. Dahlias are very sensitive to cold weather, so do not harden them off too early! These seed dahlias will make small tubers that can be lifted at the end of the season to store for next year. Thunbergia - I want to get these vining beauties off to a good start, be of a decent size for when I pop them into my hanging baskets. Thunbergia is great in full sun or mostly shade. Asters - I think I will sow a few asters and then direct seed the rest in May. Tomatoes - If you are following from the PNW, I always started my tomatoes in mid to late March on the island. That was perfect timing there. I am going to do the same timing here on the prairies this year, even though our last frost date is 2 to 3 weeks later. As the season is a few weeks shorter, am hoping that having the plants just a bit more mature when they go out gives them enough time to do their thing. Fingers crossed! Am also planting them in the sunniest and most sheltered areas of this new yard. I need to make a lot of sauce and a case of salsa, too. That is it for me this week, will start the brassicas in a few weeks. You can start perennials, onions, peppers, leeks, celery, herbs, eggplants, onions, chives... On the heat mat today... Eggplant Saga - I started 3 varieties on January 29th (all from Revival Seeds). The Morden Midgets all germinated just fine (see picture above), have been transplanted, are growing nicely. The other 2 varieties did nothing. Nada. I started some again on Feb 23rd, still zero germination. Not one seed has germinated. I then decided to try germinating them in wet paper towel for the 3rd try, just like you would do to check to see if your seeds are still viable. Nothing has happened yet but if any germinate, I will plant them up. If not, good thing I grew 4 of the Morden Midgets so that I get eggplants this summer! The potato onions (Cicada Seeds) are all up and have had their first haircut, they are off the heating mat to make room for the seeds I will sow this weekend. They got their first haircut. The celery is ready to be transplanted now (6 weeks from sowing). They are about 2 inches high and look great. Red and Yellow Globe Onions have had their 2nd haircut. When starting onions (and leeks) from seed, the tops will grow tall like grass. Each time they get to about 6 inches high, trim them back to one inch tall. This puts energy back into the bulb. If you have not yet started yours, today is a great day to sow. The patio tomatoes/indoor tomatoes will soon be ready for their larger pots so I am on the lookout for some 6" clay or ceramic pots to grow them in. Peppers, sweet and hot, all look great. See week #1 for varieties and more information. Fertilising I feed them every week or two, depending on how they look, with liquid seaweed or liquid kelp, or an organic tomato food. Yep, tomato food for all the seedlings. I always feed my plants on Fridays as Fertiliser Friday is easy to remember and keep track of when they were last fed. In the greenhouse I used to also do pest control Sunday. That was the day I went through everything to check for bugs like fungus gnats, or worse. If I found aphids, I would spray the tray of seedlings with Safer's Trounce or End-All. I only used this in the greenhouse (or in the house) but never outside. For fungus gnats I used bio controls. Outdoors I always allow nature to take it's course, never spray anything as any product that kill bad guys will also kill the good guys. So, I count on the birds and the beneficial insects to do their thing. If that fails, I toss the plant. Other Things On My Mind... Our wicked cold snap has ended, we are now in plus degrees during the day so the snow is slowly melting away. Will be at least a week yet till I can start emptying the greenhouse to get it ready for seedlings. The heated shop/studio is getting interior paint this weekend, then needs flooring, lights, plug ins, set up, so we are probably 3 weeks out for using that. I will be holding how-to-grow workshops in the studio, plus move my seedlings out there. More on that once I can get in and show you around. FAQ's Question - When you say keep the seedlings cool and bright, how cool is cool? Tanja - Ideally 10 to 15°C degrees, with 10 as the night time low and mid to high teens maximum for a high during the day. Question - Is it too late to start peppers and eggplants from seed? Tanja - It is not too late to start anything as of yet, but I would sow as soon as possible, especially the hots peppers as they (often) take longer to germinate. Put them on bottom heat for faster germination. Question - Have you seed green dianthus seeds anywhere. Tanja - I have not but they sound like a fun must-have! I would buy a plant or two at the nursery and allow them to self seed all around. Question - how deep do I plant tomatoes when I transplant them? Can I do the same with peppers? Do I plant deeper every time I transplant? Tanja - Transplant to about 1 cm below their bottom leaves as in the picture above. Yes, you do this with peppers, eggplants, and other seedlings the first time you transplant. Tomatoes can be planted deeper each time they are transplanted. Remove a bottom leaf or two, plant deeper each time. Question - How often do I fertilise seedlings? What do I use to feed them? Tanja - Once every week or two with a half strength, very mild fertiliser. I like liquid seaweed or kelp. To keep track of when I feed, I always do it on Fridays. Fertiliser Friday keeps me in line. Once your seedlings are bigger, well established, you can give them full strength vegetable fertiliser or liquid seaweed. Question - Hi Tanja, I'm wondering what you put under the stone mulch in between your beds at Nitty Gritty? I'm wanting to put stones between by beds but not sure what to lay down first. Sure miss you out here :) Tanja - Nothing. We did not put anything under the pebbles in the walkway so that we could easily weed. Running a hoe through it was easy peasy. Had we put fabric underneath, it would have torn, ripped, caught up on the hoe, would have been a nightmare to weed. Plus fabric never ever looks good, it always shows. I highly recommend that you do not put anything down, especially not plastic or landscape fabric. You will hate it. Weed seeds will blow into the rocks, germinate in the rocks, often embedding the roots into the fabric, making it a big mess. Thank you all so much for your questions, please send more :) Happy Growing~ Tanja

Happy Sunday! I hope you are having a beautiful weekend. We've been busy painting the studio/shop this week. Let me just say... there are a heck of a lot of grooves in tongue and groove walls and ceilings! Who's cray cray idea was this anyway? (wink wink) We're just now finishing up the 2nd coat of paint on all the grooves, hoping to not have to do a 3rd one (the raw wood soaks up the paint so fast!) before we start rolling on the paint. I went with Behr 'Polar Bear White' in a semi-gloss for (hopefully) easy cleaning. She's going to be nice and white and bright ; ) I shared a post last week that said one can direct sow parsley into the garden, in early spring. I'm going to give that a go today, plus a bit of dill, too. The article said to sow the seeds 3 to 4 weeks before last frost, which is a good month away yet, but I'm going to give it a go now. There is a raised bed on the south side of our house, right beside the foundation, that is always really hot and dry. The snow has already melted off this bed so it seems like the perfect spot for this herbal trial. My motto - you never know unless you try. I have to transplant my patio tomatoes very soon, too. The indoor tomato trial that I am doing. Sara Bäckmo started hers back in November, no lights needed, but I missed that blog post somehow so decided to do this trial now. The seedlings look really good, are 3 to 5 inches tall, depending on variety, and will soon need a bigger pot. 5 pack of 7.8" plastic pots / 5 pack of colourful 5" pots / 6 pack of white 6.5" pots / 9 pack of 6" clay look pots / pack of 6" terracotta pots Above are some of the pots I am thinking about, leaning towards the colourful ones. I would love to do 8" pots but just do not have the space. *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 : ) Here are this week's Bits of inspiration. So many great gardening reads! These inexpensive 'Lego blocks' from the hardware store make building a raised bed easy peasy. These are so smart! Worried about the possible drought this summer? Here are 7 ways to reduce your water usage this summer. Also this read with 12 sustainable gardening ideas. Check out number 7 and 8! And along the same lines, here is a read about how to keep your yard healthy and attractive while using less water. Great ideas. This is one of my most favourite reads ever. I am really big on edible landscaping. I mean, like hugely in favour of this trend. Yes, I have read the naysayers comments about growing fruits in the front yard, claiming everything from bees stinging innocent folks walking by to messes from falling fruit, and vagrants hanging about the yards. I am not sure where these people live as I do not think these are common problems?? The way I see it, growing more food is just a good thing. Why plant a spirea when you can plant a blueberry or a haskap, something that makes fruit as well as being a lovely shrub? Why plant a leafy tree that only flowers for a short while, if at all, when you can plant a dwarf or semi dwarf apple tree that gives you food? I mean, if my apple drops fruit in the backyard, I pick it up, so the same goes for the front yard. If the deer eat some, or the folks walking by eat some, who cares? Anyway, long way of saying that I am all for making your entire yard a potager (food garden), and have even held workshops about doing this. What are your thoughts on this? This podcast/read by Joe Gardener about Erin and Floret Farms. So inspirational, so organic, so lovely. If you like that one, you might like this podcast with Charles Dowding about no dig gardening, healthier soil with less work. Cinnamon in the garden? How to grow and care for olive trees inside the house. I just love shallots! Here is the how to for growing them! Love these smart, easy to do, ways to make your garden more productive. Wow, wow, wow, check out these amazing gardens and spring bulbs at West Dean College in the UK. Do you love a good gardening podcast? Here are two to check out... Field & Garden and The Grow Guide. This little video look at Monty's Gardens. Always a lovely peek! I think you have to subscribe to see these videos but it does not cost anything. How to grow your own lovely cut flowers. How to discourage bully birds from your feeder. This is something that I always like to read about... ground cover plants as grass alternatives. I will be getting rid of more grass again this year, love to find ideas of what to plant instead. Baking Flour Sack Tea Towels / Swedish Dish Cloths / Cute Shelf Organisers Here are some Homey Inspiration Bits... Not gonna lie, this time of year has me interested in cleaning, organising, and linens tea towels and baking towels! Check out these 5 Easy (house) Cleaning Ideas. I tried the first one, kinda liked it but is so hard to find but I gotta admit that number 3 drives me crazy. Something we never had to do in the 'olden days'. More Scandi homes because you know how I love them, these ones are from Denmark. This lovely sunroom table and setting. Love everything about it. The rest of the house is nice, too. These decor trends that are on their way out. Things that make you say 'hmm'. Check it out and see what you think. Recipes Bits Just three recipes this week, but they sure are good ones! This Starbucks inspired lemon loaf cake because spring, Easter, and lemon anything just go together. Right? Crispy smashed brussels sprouts!! This is going on our Easter dinner menu. Easy to make, homemade pretzel bagels! Have yourself a beautiful day, my friend ~ Tanja

Happy Sunday! I have been a bit out of sorts this past week. You know when you are just feeling a bit off, kind of sad, kind of grumpy, and you just want to hide away from people till you feel better? Yeah, that has been me this past week. I think it is both cabin fever and the weather... winter came back with a vengeance, while I am so very ready for spring. Too bad there isn't a greenhouse or garden shop around here that needed someone who cannot walk or carry things but can give gardening advice, run workshops, talk up a gardening storm, transplant seedlings like no one's business, take cuttings, make baskets, plant bare root roses... hahaha! If you are new to the blog, this is a bit funny as that is what I used to do till we moved here. I had a small greenhouse business where I did all of those things and more, plus met the loveliest people. Nothing like puttering in a greenhouse and talking gardening to get out of a funk ; ) Oh, hey... I just saw the trailer for Tiny Beautiful Things so that is on my list of things to watch. It looks amazing! I am still reading the Penny Reid knitting series (which is not really about knitting at all, but rather a rom-com). All of her books are witty and smart, very well written. I laugh a lot. Nothing like a good laugh to get over a funk, eh? So, without further ado, as they say... here is today's Bits post that I have put together for you with lots of gardening ideas and reads, plus a few recipes, diy's and homey things, too. Gardening Bits Making a moon garden. Here are 20 more white flowers you might want to add to your moon garden. I, personally, love white. White everything, including flowers. Some prefer to stay away from white and just have colour in our short summers, but I think of white as the perfect backdrop, the perfect companion flower to make the other colours pop. How to direct sow poppies in winter! How to grow Sea Thrift. Great rock garden plant, a flower that loves poor soil, rocky soil, thrives in roadside or seaside beds as it is salt tolerant. And... it is so pretty, too. Like a lollipop! Here are 21 lovely dogwood trees and shrubs. Tough, hardy, pretty. Transform your perennial border gardens with these ideas from this lake house. The flowers really brought the borders to life! Plus, this lavender hued garden, all shades of purple. Fun fact: The borders from that lavender garden inspired my pathway beds at the acreage a few years back. I still love this planting and would do it all over again. The benefits of growing in raised beds! I love raised beds. They became a necessity when I lived on Vancouver Island as we lived on pure shale. The island is one big rock, you cannot go down so you have to go up. After I had started growing in raised beds, I fell in love. They are so much easier to maintain, are virtually weed free, make gardening so much easier. Check out this vegetable garden with fairy garden. It is so pretty! I must admit though, I would be totally overwhelmed if I had to start with that large blank slate each spring! The cheapest veggies to grow to get the biggest bank for your buck. How to grow the best peppers by Charles Dowding. How to grow brussels sprouts. Fast growing, cool weather loving, early spring vegetables. I love the parsley tip! I bought some seeds to do this very thing! Guide to growing hops. I have fallen in love with hops! When we moved to this property, I found them growing on one side of this arbour. I love the green little pinecone like flowers that dry so well and look so pretty. The vine always looks spectacular, is pretty from spring through fall. Check out how the leaves go white in late summer. Is it not splendid? I must add though, they are very prone to leafhoppers so do not plant one right beside your patio dining table, or seating area. I just spray it with a jet of water occasionally and feed with compost to keep it thriving and healthy. All pesticides kill all the bugs, even the 'organic' ones (soap sprays) so keeping buggy plants healthy is the best way to deal with the bugs. Plus, hey, think of all the sweet baby birds you are feeding : ) Which is a good segue to this article/podcast. If you, like me, are very worried about the use of pesticides in home gardens, you'll want to read this article. It breaks my heart every time I hear that someone is out there using Dawn dish soap in the garden, thinking they are just killing the one bug and being 'organic'. Floret still has some of their floret originals left, in case you want to spend big bucks on seeds (like I did, hah!). They have the most amazing dahlias from seed, very pretty colours. I purchased the Petite Florets but now wish I had bought the Bee's Choice. I also bought a packet of the Precious Metals zinnias. They had so many combos that I wanted, was very hard to choose. If you love celosias, the choices are amazing there, as well. Check out the Rose Gold (above) and Summer Sunset. Wow! Following that up with this article about how to grow dahlias. That little snip early on is important! Btw, did you know that dahlias grown from seed make tubers in summer so can be lifted in the fall? Compost tumblers to thwart pests (rats, mice, raccoons) and make compost a whole lot faster. I have one of these tumbling ones and love it. Will show you how lovely the compost is in a few weeks time, after this cold snap is over and the yard set up begins. I want/need one more bin (especially handy for fall garden clean up) and so am considering the one in the article. A reader mentioned that she has shoulder issues and so cannot easily spin the tumblers. She bought one of these and says it is worth every pricey penny. I love how easy it is to spin, but best of all I love that it collects the (ahem) compost juices. Mix that liquid with water to make the best compost tea imaginable. Organic fertiliser for your potted plants, garden beds, dahlias, roses, seedlings.... that you make yourself! How great is that, eh? The tumbler I have/love / This tumbler is on sale! / Expensive tumbler but collects tea! *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 : ) Homey Bits These cute pantry labels are free printables! This cute Easter basket for the front door. Easy to make and super cute. Did you all watch Leanne Ford on HGTV a couple years back? Check out Leanne's guest cabin here and see what you think. I love that table and chairs. Give me chippy any time ; ) Hmm, this homemade laundry soap recipe sounds super easy to make. Maybe with lavender scented castile soap? Or the citrus? I use this lemony one for washing the dogs as it is supposed to organically repel fleas and ticks. If you have the castile soap, here is a recipe for homemade handsoap, too! I am so making this! This is what I use for most everything though. I just got in my refill order from Mint Cleaning (a small organic, environmentally friendly Canadian product ), just love the scent of their floor wash and laundry soap. If you have not yet tried this stuff, you really should! The floor wash is the best stuff ever, smells great, cleans (of course, and best of all... also gets rid of hard water stains and build up. It is also a great toilet cleaner ; ) Recipes Brown butter Iced Espresso Cardamom Buns. Like bougie upscale cinnamon buns but super easy to make from store bought pizza dough! Not sure what to think of this... does this beer bread sound good? or weird? How about cooking with tahini? Yes or no? I really want to like tahini, but am not a fan of any kind of nut butter. Thinking this stuff pretty similar in taste and texture. It would be so good for me... if I could just get over hating it, lol. However, maybe if I hide it in a dessert? Or in pasta salad? I think I can do that, maybe. Check out these These recipes to hide tahini in all sorts of good.... bonus, these recipes are also gf. I've been enjoying watching the wee birds swooping in for seeds from these sunflowers that I harvested and dried for them last summer. Wishing us all a warmer week ahead with lots of Vitamin D filled sunshine. If you cannot get away for a holiday, read a good book, watch a funny show, laugh a lot, have coffee with friends, and exercise a little (or a lot). Happy Sunday ~ Tanja

This is a seed starting guide for two sorts of people....For new gardeners who don't want to invest in a whole lot of equipment till they figure out how much seed starting they want to do in the future, and also the reluctant indoor seed starters. Those of us who don't really love starting seeds indoors, would rather be making this mess outdoors, in a greenhouse, anywhere besides inside the house... Not to worry if you actually enjoying starting seed indoors, this how-to works for you, too! It's a how-to grow guide for those of us who start from seed because we like something a little 'odd, unusual, or different', something other than what is generally sold at the greenhouses in spring. Or, we want large amounts of something that would cost an arm and a leg to buy at the shops, but just pennies per item if we grow it ourselves. We start from seed because we want what we want. If, like me, you are a bit reluctant to have a house full of seedlings, I recommend starting only the plants that you really want and cannot get from the shops. If you want a couple of basic pepper types, for example, buy a red bell and jalapeno start from the nursery in spring. If, however, you want to pickle a peck of peppers, it is well worth your while to spend $4 on a seed packet and start them indoors yourself. Why I do what I do - I've been starting flowers and vegetables from seed 'professionally' (as in, at a greenhouse to make a profit) for a great many years. Although I have always started a bit of plants from seed, I starting growing en masse when I worked at a greenhouse in Bon Accord. We used no lights to start/grow the seeds (ever), but always bottom heat. We did not heat more space than we had to, we used sunshine instead of lights, had regular tables and such, no fancy shelves or set ups. Just normal, everyday things (see this post about how we started thousands of seeds, on the cheap). We started nearly everything you buy at the greenhouse from seeds and cuttings. Perennial flowers, yep, annual flowers, yep, herbs and vegetables, yep. There were 3 of us sowing seeds daily for 2 months straight (mid-Feb to mid-April). Although my passion is (always has been) growing food crops, at this greenhouse I was the perennial flowers manager, so I started perennial flowers from seed. The takeaway - you do not need fancy, or pricey to start from seed.. but a heated greenhouse helps. Seeds do not need a light to germinate but benefit from bottom heat. To successfully start your seeds indoors, inside the house, here is what you need to know. Fist and most importantly, do not start too early. Check the back of the package or go to the Stokes seed catalogue (see the growing information section under every seed) for the best time to sow. Most all plants are started in March to go out in May. Is always better to start a bit later than too early. Second - There is no need to prestart everything. I start many of my veggies but will direct sow as much as I can and only prestart flowers that I cannot purchase from local shops. Some veggies prefer to be sown directly into the garden, like root crops, peas, beans, squash, and cucumbers. Zinnias are very prone to mildew so I always direct sow them, too. What You Need Small celled pots or something shallow to start your seeds in. Can be roast chicken trays, clear cookie clamshells, dollar store cake pans. Any kind of container that is shallow, holds soil, and can have holes punched into the bottom. Potting soil. Pro-Mix or Sunshine #4 are my favourites. Ideally a high porosity soil. Nothing with moisture beads, no special seed starting mix. Good potting soil is a must. Labels/tags ( I often use yoghurt containers, just cut the sides into strips) Marker or paint pen for labelling Heating mat Humidity dome or cling wrap Plant tray with no holes (optional) to hold your pots. Can also use aluminum trays or baking sheets. Seeds, of course : ) Seed Trays - I picked up this pack of 10 seed trays this year, these cute little green ones in the picture above. They come with the bottom tray, 12-cell inserts to plant into, a humidity dome, and a few labels. I placed them into a black tray with the heating pad at the bottom. I like these a lot. They are easy to move around, tidy, easy, you can grow anything in them. You can also get the same mini seed trays with 6 cells, like a traditional 6 pack. I use both. Again, you absolutely do not need to buy anything special. You can use anything that holds soil and has drainage. Dollar store cake pans. Bakery clamshells or cake trays. Roast chicken trays. You want to start the seeds in a fairly shallow container. The only thing that you might want to start in a small pot or solo cup at this stage is something with a big seed that does not need transplanting, like artichokes, peas, or beans. *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 : ) Potting Soil - You want to use a good quality potting soil, not garden soil or bagged 'black earth'. Ideally, you get the kind that says HP (high porosity) so it has lots of perlite in it. This makes the soil nice and loose, easy for those new roots to spread throughout. While you can use anything you have on hand for the rest of the seed starting equipment, great potting soil is a must. I highly recommend Sunshine #4 or Pro-Mix. You can usually get these readily at any garden centre or garden shop. Like someone I know once said, you never want to use anything that starts with the word 'Miracle'. I heartily agree. That is all I am going to say about that, haha. My cube of Pro-Mix has been downstairs in the furnace room since fall, waiting for seeding time to roll around. You all, by January, it was so crazy dry! To moisten the potting soil, you can do one of two ways.... Place some soil into a big bowl or basin, add warm water, let sit till the soil has absorbed the water. Mix. Fill your containers loosely to the top with the damp soil. Fill your seed container with the dry potting soil, fill the bottom tray half full with warm water. Place your cell pack into the tray, let it and slowly soak up the water from the bottom. Drain out the extra water. Sowing The Seeds I do most of my winter sowing using a method called multi-sowing (sometimes called mass sowing). This is something we did at the greenhouse all the time, as we were growing dozens, sometimes hundreds, of the exact same plant to sell to customers come spring. Saves a whole lot of space when starting seeds, they get either transplanted or planted out in the garden afterwards. Multi-sowing means if I want 5 tomato plants of the same variety, I will sow 8 seeds into one single cell. Always sow a few extra than you want, just in case not all seeds germinate. If I were to only want 1or 2 of the same plant, I will sow 3 seeds into a single cell. I used to start 60 varieties and sow the whole packet of 25 to 30 seeds in one cell! What I Multi-Sow Even though I grow a whole lot less plants now that I no longer sell them, I still use this method as it's a great way to start a lot of plants in a small space. And my space indoors really is small. Peppers, celery, tomatoes, eggplants, onions, leeks, and perennial flowers are all things that I sow in this manner. They are plants that grow slowly, are started many weeks earlier than they can go outside, and I want to grow a fair amount of them. I do not multi-sow cool weather crops that grow quite quickly. Veggies that only stay in pots for a short time, like broccoli, cauliflower, brussels, even lettuces and spinach. These I sow just 1 or 2 seeds per cell. They stay in the pack for just 4 to 6 weeks max and grow fast, then they are planted out in the garden. Also I do not multi-sow most annual flowers - To start flowers like marigolds, thunbergia, geraniums, seed dahlias, etc... I usually sow just 2 seeds into one cell. They stay in the same pot/cell-pack till I plant them outside. If you want large amounts of any of the flowers though, say 50 marigolds, multi sowing is space saving. Start them all in a tray, then transplant into pots, 6 packs, or cells when they're a couple inches tall. With any luck, by then you can pop them outside in your coldframe, greenhouse or mini greenhouse or tote. How-To Fill your trays with damp potting soil. Do not pack it down, just fill it lightly to the top of the tray, pick up the tray and drop it down on the counter top once or twice. This will settle the soil but not pack it down, so the roots easily grow into the medium. Sow seeds on top of the damp soil. Lightly cover the seeds with soil. Some will use vermiculite, very fine gravel, or sand to cover the seeds. Use a spray bottle to dampen the soil. Or if you have a misting nozzle on your hose. A strong stream of water may dislodge the seeds. Place onto a heating mat. Heating mats are the key to getting seeds to germinate quickly. They are safe to use, just lightly warm so will not harm any surface that you put them on, are safe for little fingers. Cover seed tray with a humidity dome, or with some cling wrap. Or place in a clear plastic bag. The goal here is to keep the moisture and heat around the seeds so that they germinate quickly. Kind of like a sauna for the seeds. Do not water again till surface is dry. You will likely not have to water the soil, plants, for at least a week. I find that the humidity dome has been off for a few days and seedlings are coming up nicely before I need to water for the first time. Seeds need damp soil, seedlings want to be kept on the dry side. 8. Don't forget to label your seeds. Add the date to the corner of the tag so that you know when you started them, when to expect to see germination, keep track of how long it takes. I use these labels as they cost much less, but I actually prefer these white ones, if I can get them at a good price. They are thicker and a bit longer. Both are reusable, just wipe clean with nail polish remover. Oh, and this oil based paint pen will last, does not fade like Sharpie ink does. Mind you, I also use yoghurt containers cut into strips, haha, so I'm not that particular. 9. Once or twice a day, tap the humidity domes to get the excess moisture off of them. You can also open the vents for a few hours on sunny days. If you are using cling wrap, just flip the entire sheet over once a day. 10. Once you see germination beginning, remove the humidity dome but leave tray on heat until all seedlings are up. Once all seedlings are up, remove from bottom heat. If you leave the humidity dome on, you are apt to get fungal diseases like damping off. We now want air on the seedlings and drier soil. At this stage, you have probably not had to water the tray even once. As long as you do not water till the soil is dry and take the dome off, you should not get damping off disease. You can also set up a fan to blow on the seedlings to make seedlings stronger, prevent disease, and keep the surface of the soil from being too wet. Transplanting Your seedlings will to be transplanted in the garden, or a larger pot so you need to decide what you have room to grow inside the house. Do not start your seeds too early, check the timing on the package. 11. Transplanting - When your tomatoes and peppers have made true leaves (or it they're a bit lanky) it is time to transplant them into larger pots. Solo cups are popular with home gardeners for this step. 12. To transplant - Fill your pots as you did for seeding - not packed tight, using damp good quality potting soil. I like to add a bit of compost or manure in with my potting soil for this growing phase. (5 parts soil/2 parts compost). Drop the tray on the countertop twice to settle the soil. Make a deep hole in your potting soil with your dibber, or a pencil. All the way to the bottom of the pot. Dump the seedlings out of the pot. Tease apart the seedlings. Grab the seedling by a leaf, not by the stem, and drop it into the deep hole you made in the damp soil. Hubby makes the hole wider if he is having a hard time getting the seedling all the way down. I use the dibber to push it down by the roots. Not to worry, they are less fragile than you think. Make sure to plant deep! When you are transplanting most anything at all, you want to plant it down so that the soil level is just one cm (half inch) below the leaves. Do this with everything - flowers, tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, flowers... Note #1 - If you are transplanting small things like herbs or lobelia, take a small clump of the seedlings and plant them all together. Do not plant really delicate plants deeper. Note #2 - I like to leave peppers, eggplants, and sometimes tomatoes on the heating mat for just a little while after they have been transplanted to get them off to a good start. Tomatoes only for a couple of days as they can stretch out pretty quick, but the others maybe a week or so? Till I feel that they are standing tall and feeling happy. Here Are Some Pot Ideas Square Black plastic pots / orange round pots / cow pots green seed starter trays with larger cells/(reusable) small 3"pots / 4" round ones. Large, deep 6-packs /silicone pots / 20 pack of square silicone pots. I have not tried the new silicone pot, they are pricey, but well worth it it they last a while. (OR) These trays with 18 reusable 3.5" pots from Vesey's. Not recommended Coconut fibre/coir pots - plants do not thrive in them. Clay pots - love them, but not for seedlings. They dry out too quickly. Jiffy pots/peat pots are just a terrible product, the pots turn green and slimy, plants do not thrive in them. 12. The hardest part when growing seedlings indoors is to keep them from stretching out after they have germinated. This is when they require a bright but cool location. After they have been transplanted, place them in a bright cool window. In the sunroom? Maybe in the basement? Maybe a spare bedroom? Maybe the formal living room window? Too much heat and/or lack of light will cause stretched out, lanky, unhealthy plants. This is why you never want to start your seedlings too early, they are harder to keep happy indoors. I have two windows where I can keep my seedlings bright and cool, the kitchen nook and the spare room. Both have nice, bright, south facing windows so work very well till I can put the seedlings out into the greenhouse. The key to growing without lights is to have your seedlings in direct sunshine for as much of the day as you possibly can, and to turn the trays a couple of times a day so they don't stretch for the window. If you need a bit of extra light, longer days or brighter days, an LED Grow Lightbulb in an ordinary table lamp works great. 13. Seedling Care after Transplanting Watering - The soil will be damp when you first transplant them. Let it dry out before you next give them water. You want the surface of the soil to be dry and keep your seedlings on the dry side always. Damping off can still happen at this stage, too. If you prefer to water from the bottom, add water to the tray, let sit for a few minutes, dump out the excess to prevent fungal issues and fungus gnats. Dryer is always better. Feeding - Do not start feeding until you know your seedlings have transplanted well and are starting to put on new growth. The compost in the potting soil will help to feed them for quite a while. If you feel they are getting pale, stunted, or the leaves are starting to curl upwards, you will want to feed them with some kind of fertiliser. An organic gardener friend swears by Cal-Mag but you can use any water soluble vegetable or all purpose fertiliser you like. Use it at half strength on your wee seedlings. I like to use liquid seaweed as a foliar feed ( I spray it on the leaves) but you can also to water with it. I swear by Reindeer Liquid Seaweed (a small mom and pop company on the island). A dahlia grower I know in Nanoose uses this on her plants and swears by it, as well. It is liquid gold! Keep them light and bright but on the cool side so they do not stretch out. As soon as you can start bringing them outside, do so, even if they look kind of wimpy. They will soon be nice, stocky seedlings. 14. Acclimating the seedlings to the outdoors. As soon as the daytime temps are in the plus 10°C range (+50°F) you can start bringing your seedlings outside for the day. This will make them stronger, sturdier, healthier. A wooden mini greenhouses, or a plastic one,  are great for getting seedling out of the house, keeping them from getting lanky, and starting to harden them off. If you are putting your warm weather crops out there, they will need to come indoors for the night till it is at least +5°C at night. Cool weather crops like brussels, cauliflower, broccoli, spinach, etc can all handle cooler temps and light frosts. Clear tote bins that you lift out for the day, in for the night, are also great for this purpose. They are reusable, stackable, work great as mini greenhouses. You can also just lay the trays out on the deck or a table, etc... you do not need anything fancy. I just like the totes or mini greenhouses as it also keeps the cool wind off of them. Totes being used as mini greenhouses. Photo from Higgledy Garden. 15. Hardening Off the Seedlings - Once temps are getting to be reliably around 10°C (50°F) at night, you can start readying your plants for planting out in the garden. By leaving the lid off the totes, keeping the greenhouse door open, you are hardening off your seedlings, getting them ready for the sunshine and elements. Make sure to not cook your seedlings! It is very common to forget about your seedlings so they fry to a crisp, I'm afraid. All that work for naught. You want them to be in the direct sunshine for just a few hours in the weaker morning sunshine, then in the shade for the rest of the day. Do this for a day or two. Then put them into the sunshine for a few more hours a day, rest of the time in the shade. This sounds more complicated than it really is. I really don't want you to stress over it too much. Just do not go from straight from the house to full on direct sunshine or you will broil your little seedlings. Offering them part time sun can be as simple as having them on a table under a tree so they get some shade when the sun moves. Or, I like to put them under the patio table or chairs, getting full on sun for a while, then dappled shade for the rest of the day. Or on the northside of the greenhouse so it gets some morning sun and then shade from the greenhouse for the rest of the day. After a few days of slowly increasing their time in the sun, they can be in full sun all day long till you are ready to plant them out. Late April on the west coast but varies here on the prairies. If you have a greenhouse..... If you have an unheated greenhouse, your seedlings can go out once you can keep the greenhouse at 5 to 10 °C at night (40 to 50 °F). I have an 8'x12' unheated greenhouse that I will start to clean up in March (after this cold snap is over) and then begin move in the seedlings by end March (though not yet the tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, any of the heat lovers). I start by bringing out the flowers, cool weather veggies, celery, onions, leeks, lettuces and use a small portable heater at nights to keep it just above freezing. The end of March, early April is also a great time to start cool weather crops inside the greenhouse. Whether a larger greenhouse like this, or your mini. I use this greenhouse to harden off seedlings, hold all my purchases from the greenhouse, and to get a head start on my bulbs, dahlia tubers, and hanging baskets in spring. In summer, I grow heat lovers like melons, peppers, and tomatoes inside. Final Note Only do as much as you enjoy doing, start as much as you feel like starting. No one will be asking you if you purchased seedlings or grew them yourself, they will just ooh and ahh over your green thumb and amazing garden. I enjoy starting my own plants in a heated greenhouse, but do not enjoy doing it inside the house. Some folks get a thrill from checking their seedlings every day while I wonder how soon I can get them out of the house, hah! I am an avid gardener but a reluctant indoor seed starter. I do it because I like what I like. I like heirloom tomatoes, peppers, and eggplants but they are hard to find at shops or greenhouses, so I grow my own. I like some flowers that are hard to find in my small town, things like thunbergia, pink calendula, purple amaranth, snapdragons in pastel hues, so I grow my own. I wait to start as much of the cool weather crops out in the greenhouse and then enjoy myself immensely! Let the soil fly! I purchase the rest of my seedlings at independent greenhouses and my local Co-op and Home Hardware store. Many, many seeds I direct sow in April and May. Happy Growing ~ Tanja

Well, happy Sunday! Did you know that spring is only 23 days away? It is a bit earlier (date wise) this year because it's a leap year. Just knowing it is around the corner makes this upcoming cold snap more bearable, eh? I've been repotting my handful of indoor plants and also started feeding them again in February. With the longer days and all that goodness, they have already started putting on new leaves and more growth. I can hardly wait for blooms on my mom's 50 year old hibiscus. I lost a stem off of my lovely tradescantia several weeks ago. I stuck it in water, assuming that it would make new roots, as one tends to do. It took forever, many weeks to make two tiny root hairs. I then googled it up and saw that all you have to do is stick it in soil. No rooting hormone required, nothing, just pop it into the soil. So I did. It works great. I then clipped off a few more pieces and stuck them in the pots, too, to use as a colourful accent plant in my hanging baskets this summer. Is this not one of the loveliest plants you have ever seen? It's an oldie but a goodie, does not get enough love, imho. After this cold snap is over, I will start emptying out the greenhouse (we use it for storage in winter), clean it all up, give it a wash down, get it ready for spring plants. March is the perfect time to start! Gardening Bits I have a bunch of great garden related reads for you this week! These first two from BBC Gardener's world might ask you to become a member before you can read them. You totally should do so. It is free and opens up all the timely tips for you to read. Especially handy if you live on the west coast, with similar weather. The first one is the best plants for a bathroom. I am interested in these, thinking that a Monstera would be lovely in mine, maybe a peace lily, too. The second one is 30 small garden ideas, love these ideas! How to grow celery. I have grown my own celery for many years and find it just about the easiest veggie to grow of them all. Start the seeds on bottom heat in January. Transplant into larger cells in March, when it has some true leaves. Plant in the garden in May, water deeply twice a week, harvest stalks as needed. If you want grocery store like thick stalks, I have always had really great luck with Tall Utah and Tango. Both are fabulous. It is not too late to start from seed now, but hurry! Or pick up a 6 pack at the nursery ; ) The best flowers for the bees. This was a great read. What to do in that side yard. I love the gates, putting a lovely gate in this summer. Why no-till gardening? I've now been no-till gardening for a good dozen years or more, will never go back. Sceptic? Do your own trials... I did! I am all about companion planting with flowers for pest control in your food garden. Here are 6 flowers for grow in your veggie garden from another blogger. These 21 drought tolerant perennials. They will need regular water the first year but when established are very drought tolerant. I only water when they wilt. This cute allotment garden and cottage is my muse, the inspiration for my backyard potager at this new house. Is in the middle of Gothenburg city (Göteborg) which makes my head whirl as I went to school in that very same city a long, long time ago. Check out the cute cottage and lovely garden here. Follow Elin on Instagram for gorgeous summertime settings. This is another one of my most favourite Instagram gardens. Love the pollinator strip. What else can I tell you? We went to the Home& Garden Show in Calgary the other day, and to Cactus Club and Ikea at the same time, of course. You cannot go to Calgary and not hit Ikea, right? The show was a bit of a bust. Very little garden related except hot tubs and pergolas, but was still a good time. Nice to wander about and listen to the speakers, as well. The crispy tofu bowl at the Cactus Club is just so darned good, I can hardly wait to go back again. Summer was not out at Ikea yet, sadly, I was so hoping! Ah well, reason to go back again at a later date. I did pick up 2 raw pine tables to distress and paint up for the shop though. I just love that Ikea is bringing back the solid wood again, so that we can do whatever we want to it. Like those beds I told you about, the ones we bought for the grandies. Is funny, when I was in my second apartment, my whole living room was plain Ikea pine furniture. I did nothing to it! No paint, no stain, just left it as is. Now I cannot wait to slap paint on these two tables. This corduroy shacket! / or this one! / This hooded shacket! This frayed cord shacket / This vest! / Or this puffer vest! These are the colours that caught my eye. If you like one of the styles but not the colour, just click on it and it will offer up others for you to choose from : ) 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 : ) With regards to the shop out back... it is coming along very nicely. We should be ready for painting the interior this coming week, then setting up shelving and stuff, to make it usable for starting seeds and hopefully start up the how-to-grow workshops in April. I don't want to get too excited yet as this she-shed has been a long time coming, don't want to get my hopes up, but it is looking promising! So, if you are in the area and looking for some small gardening workshops, they are coming soon (I hope!). That is it for this week. Not one recipe, no homes to show, no diys, nada. Nothing caught my eye this past week. I'm sure there will be something coming down the pike soon as Easter is just around the corner. The seeding how-to post is done, will ship it out tomorrow, and a gardening in drought blog post is in the works. Happy Sunday, Happy Week Ahead and hey, stay warm, eh? ~ Tanja

I always put my tomatoes in a list all their own, treat them special in comparison to other vegetables. I have such a love affair with growing them, and still want to grow all sorts of them, even now that we have a much smaller property. The good thing is that I have trialed literally hundreds of them over the years, if not thousands, so I already have my favourite varieties. Being in a new zone, I add several new ones to my grow list to trial each year, as I have always done, to see if I might find a new favourite. I always recommend that folks grow 80% tried and true, 20% something new. I grow only open-pollinated varieties, no hybrids at all (not even the ever popular Sungold cherry). My first love was the heirloom types, but I've since also fallen in love with some of the newer open-pollinated ones. As I like to say... some of these will become the heirlooms of tomorrow, they really are that good! In case you are unsure what the difference is... Hybrids are two/some tomatoes that were crossed to make tomatoes to enhance certain traits; firmness for better shipping, uniform size and colour for ease of mechanical picking, disease resistance for higher yields.... Seeds are often sterile, if you grow the seeds from a hybrid tomato, you will not get the same tomato that you started with. It will revert back to one of the parents. Heirlooms are varieties that have been carried along/saved for several generations. They are open-pollinated types from from pre-WWII, or for at least 40 to 50 years. Open-pollinated tomatoes are pollinated by insects, birds, wind, humans, or are self pollinating. They produce seeds that are true to type so if you save them, you will get the same tomato from those seeds. This Year's Tomato List I love beefsteaks, they are my favourites to both grow and eat, so they are an absolute must in my garden, even though summers are a few weeks shorter here on the prairies. The paste (Roma) types are for canning into sauces or diced tomatoes. Slicers are for fresh eating, salads, sandwiches. All the good things. Some are listed as canning types, as well as fresh eating, as they have less seeds, are meaty, and have thicker skins making them easier to peel after a hot water bath. As we are not really big on cherry tomatoes, I am growing just 2, along with a saladette type. Saladettes are small slicers, like large cherries. You'll notice that I have a few which say they can be grown indoors. These are tomatoes that I am going to try growing in pots, inside the house. I got this idea from reading a post by Sara Bäckmo, who starts her mini tomatoes in November (Sweden) and begins harvesting in February. I figure starting them now, in January, as the days are getting longer, will be even more productive. Let's see how it goes! Nothing like a good trial, eh? Here is Sara's Swedish blog, too, just in case anyone is interested : ) Types of Tomatoes Determinates are also often called bush tomatoes. They stay more compact at 2 to 3 feet, will grow tidily in a small tomato cage. The fruits ripen all about the same time, within a couple of weeks of each other. Most paste tomatoes are determinate and because they can be harvested at the same time, they are perfect for canning. You cannot get a determinate tomato to make more flowers or fruits when it is finished. I grow determinates mainly for canning. Indeterminates are also called vining tomatoes, need a stake or a trellis, or a very large cage to grow in. They produce a steady supply of tomatoes throughout the season, until frost takes them out. They tend not to ripen enough tomatoes at one time for saucing or canning, but are great for fresh eating as they ripen a few at a time. Some of the new open pollinated cherry types produce lots of tomatoes that ripen at a time, like Barry's Crazy Cherry and Pink Bumble Bee. I choose indeterminates for fresh eating in salads and sandwiches. Semi-determinates are the best of both worlds. The vines are shorter and mor compact than the indeterminates, still need staking, but also produce throughout the season. There is now a new 'type' called a tree tomato. These are the tomatoes from the Dwarf Tomato Project. These tomatoes dwarf tomatoes crossed with heirlooms to produce short, stocky, sturdy, tree trunk like stalks. I have trialed quite a few of the project tomatoes, and love them, especially Dwarf Purple Heart, and Dwarf Hannah's Prize. Highly recommend these tomatoes. This year, I am only growing Uluru Ochre though, as I wanted to trial some of the minis indoors and out. One can only grow so many tomatoes on a town lot ; ) When To Start Mid to late March in Nanaimo, a Zone 7, to plant out in mid to late May. Last year, my first growing season back here on the prairies, a Zone 3, I started in late March, thinking that giving them that extra 2 weeks would make them just right for planting out at the end of May here. Some did not have time to ripen. This year, I am starting a bit earlier, in early to mid March, giving them an extra 2 to 3 weeks head start. Keep in mind that there is no benefit to starting any earlier than that as they still cannot go outside till after last frost. The only ones I am starting early (right now, end of January) are the very dwarf varieties for growing indoors, as an experiment. How to start seeds post coming soon. Not just for tomatoes, but for all the things. Happy Tomato Seed Shopping ~ Tanja

We recently replaced the carpeting in the two upstairs bedrooms with hardwood flooring, so decided that this was a great time to decorate the grandkids' bedroom. I'd been wanting to get in there for some time now. As we already have hardwood in the hallway and living room, we tried to get the same, or as close to same look as possible. Turns out they no longer carry this scraped flooring (remember how big that trend was?) so we looked for something that was compatible. The planks are wider, a bit different in hue, but they look really nice in the two rooms and fit well with what we have. If it had been in the budget, we would have replaced all the wood so that it matched, but that was not to be. The BEFORE picture. Drab dirty carpet. The baseboards had already been removed here, in preparation for the new hardwood flooring. It is a small room, took some figuring to decide what to do for the littles to have sleep place, toy storage, and play space. I was glad to get rid of that carpeting, I must say. It was really dirty and impossible to keep clean with the dogs (and the grandies). Not to mention how much better hardwood is for my allergies. Changing out the floors started a chain effect... of course I wanted to upgrade both bedrooms at the same time. We are still working on our bedroom, but the grandies' room is (pretty near) finished and turned out super cute. The Beds Our granddaughter is now 2.5 and no longer sleeps in a crib, so we decided to get new beds for both kids so they match. I have two grandies, a boy and a girl (siblings). We sold the crib, we sold our grandson's bed, and we bought a new stackable bed from Ikea. We chose this bed because they can be stacked to make one bed, and because they are low to the ground (in case one of the littles rolls out of bed). These twin beds are called Utåker. It is sold as you see in the picture, one stacked bed that turns into 2 beds. It only comes in this unfinished pine, just like Ikea used to do back in the 'good ole days'. I really liked the idea of raw pine as I had already planned to stain them. The original plan was to just put it up as one bed for more room to play, as our granddaughter is not yet quite ready for a sleepover. However, she really, really wanted her own bed set up, so who are we to deny our princess? The legs, as you can see in the Ikea photo, were very short and low to the ground. We wanted short, but not quite that short (hah!). Hubby remade all the legs. If you know Ikea furniture, you know that there are always a whole lot of strange bolt and nut and socket type fittings. It was a fiddly business but hubby got every single hole in the right place, and the right size. I then stained the beds in Worn Navy Varathane, two coats to get this lovely deep hue. I love them! The perfect colour, fast and easy to do. The mattresses they recommended with these beds were not for the feint of heart. Holy doodle, they were thin and firm (rock hard). We decided to upgrade. I think the upgraded ones are still a bit too firm, wish I would have purchased the mattresses from somewhere else entirely. Will need to buy one of these eggcrate foam toppers (this one has cooling gel - sounds kind of like the answer for those hot summer nights) for when an adult guest (or me, perhaps) will be sleeping on it. The Toy Shelving We already had 6 wooden crates that we were using as toy shelving but felt we could use a bit more. I had hubs pick up two additional crates, but they ended up being a couple inches bigger. So it goes. I put them on the bottom and they just hold a bit more stuff. I stained them to match the beds. Crates are an inexpensive option, make a great shelving unit, are real wood (love that), and can be switched out into other configurations. The Bedding You all, I am so in love with this bedding! The twin comforters are cloud light and soft, warm as can be, and I adore the terracotta colour. They come in other sizes and colours, too. Some pretty blues and greens, but I like a little pop of colour for this room. These comforters are so big that I have them folded in half on the beds. They will keep my littles so very cosy and warm. I love these comforters to much, the softness of them, that I want one for our king bed, but in blue. These sheets! Are they not the sweetest? I cannot tell you how hard it was to choose as the selections were all so good. Love this green forest animals bedding, was seriously considering going just green and blue in the room. You can also get unicorns, dinosaurs, foxes, astronauts, so many cute sets for a kid's room, but I loved these dark blue owl sheets the best. They come with a top sheet, as well, but I have put those aside for now. The Wallpaper The wallpaper was my starting off point, where all the other ideas stemmed from. It is called Persian Ikat, is a peel and stick type wallpaper so we can change our minds at any time. I will admit that it was a bit of a learning curve to put it up. If your hubby says, no we don't have to cut it first, tell him he is he's wrong, hah! It is so much easier to put up if you cut the pieces first, leaving a bit of extra to trim off top and bottom when you are done. Overlap the edges just a titch. Oh, and check to make sure you get it right side up! All The Other Bits & Bobs These arrow hooks ended up over the bed but I did not want to have to start patching and painting the walls, too, so we decided to leave them be. I hung up a little heart bunting that I had made for Christmas/Valentine's Day decor. I'll eventually hang little purses, or other fun girlie things on it. The artwork we already had, it works well in this room. As we could no longer hang the toy baskets on the arrow hooks, we needed new hooks somewhere else. I grabbed an extra board from the workshop, slapped on some white paint, and screwed on the hooks. I love these black metal hooks, this is the second package (12 pack) I have purchased. You might recognize them from my foyer, holding the dried roses? The rougher the board, the better it looks to my shabby chic soul. *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 : ) I made a flag banner to add a bit something. I wanted to make two but so far have only managed to make the one. Hopefully..... I have not yet found anything to go above Gage's bed. He really wants something there and has requested 'minecraft'. Hmm, I think maybe not... I'll pop into the antique shop in town to see if they have some artwork or toys to hang there. Maybe a small bookshelf? You might recognise the rug as one of the machine washable area rugs that I alternate in the sitting room, the one I like to use in summertime. The colours work so well here in the bedroom... and gives me an excuse to buy a new one for the sitting room. The link takes you to a rug that is not exactly the same, but very similar. I was ever so happy for the hardwood and rug this weekend. Our wee Gracie is potty training (you know where this is going). She was so excited about the new room that she did not want to leave play time to visit the potty. We've all been there. Whether it's dogs or kids potty training, some times life is too exciting to make it in time. I threw the rug in the wash, mopped the floor, room is good as new and now smells fantastic once again. There is nothing precious in this room that we need worry about. This room has been on the roster since we moved in, but was way down low. When the flooring happened, the time was right to get it done. We used a lot of what we had, a whole lot of handmade and recycled items, and otherwise invested in things that will last for many years. These beds, while (still) low, are sturdy, made out of wood, will last the grandies for many years. The other beds went to new homes, nothing went to the dump except that dirty old carpet. May your February days be busy and happy ~ Tanja

I had my ladies coffee get-together on Thursday, made all my favourite things (strawberry cupcakes, blueberry lemon sour cream cake, oatmeal chocolate chip cookies, and cinnamon buns). This day is always one of my most favourite days, a good natter with the neighbours, lots of coffee and goodies, calories don't count, and we laugh so much. As Martha would say... it's a good thing. Only 30 days till spring! I am getting a bit antsy! I know, I know, is way too early yet... but the sun is shining, the snow is melting (again), absolutely feels like spring. However, we all know that February is the month when anything can, and does, happen (weather-wise). I was out there giving my composter a good spin but all I heard was thump thump thump as the frozen solid compost lump tumbled about. Needs some more time but will be ready in time for my spring pots and baskets. The seedlings are doing great, except the eggplants. I am trying to decide whether to just grow more of the ones that did germinate, or to try again. The Rosa Bianca is so pretty though, I really want at least one plant, so will likely sow a few more seeds this week. The onions got their first haircut, peppers and indoor tomatoes are ready for transplanting. In two weeks, we will be in March, the month that most all indoor sowing happens, both here and on the west coast. Then it is full speed ahead! March is when I clean up the greenhouse and get it ready for use. Sunday Gardening Ideas This is the cutest ever diy potting shed! Check out those perennials in pots, too. That has always been one of my favourite things to do. On the island they survive the winters if tucked under the eaves (or into the hoophouse) to keep them from rotting in the rain. On the prairies, nothing survives winters in a pot so i lift the plants and pop them in the garden. If they make it, yay! If not, at least I got the summer out of them. I love different. Debunking popular myths. I LOVE this post. I'm not even going to say all the things I want to say about this one, just really hope you all read it : ) Oddly, I am not a huge indoor plant fan. I love growing and gardening, but that does not translate over to having lots of plants indoors for some reason. I like this article with 25 low maintenance houseplants. because they are all easy care, nothing fussy. House & Diy Bits of Ideas I've taken down the Christmas wreath and changed it up for one that looks more appropriate for the season. Not yet spring but we're all starting to feel hopeful that it is just around the corner. I love this olive branch wreath, is simple but airy and floofy. The heart was up for Valentine's Day, is a hand carved wooden heart that I found at the local antique/thrift shop in town. I will replace it with a bow, or maybe something like a little bird's nest would be cool.... Colourful Daisy Wreath / Lavender Wreath / Olive Wreath Eucalyptus Twig Wreath / Tulip Wreath / Lavender Wreath *As an Amazon affiliate, if you purchase an item from one of the 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 : ) Or, maybe you want to diy your own wreath with clippings from your own yard? This is a fun diy if you like the twiggy kind of wreaths. It's just about time to prune trees and shrubs in the yard. While you are gathering the trimmings for the wreath, maybe you want to bring some indoors for forcing, too. Check out this read for how to do it and some ideas on which branches are the best ones to use. This tongue and groove plank ceiling looks terrific. Such a good idea to cover those old acoustic tiles. Anyone else dream about buying an older house to fix up cottage style and then rent out as a bnb? I dream about this, hahaha. The Best Blue paint colours... gotta admit, I love them all, but right now, today, the Newportbury Blue is my favourite - it changes from day to day, month to month. Also, the Best Sage Greens for a relaxing room - a few of my readers and I are always talking about how to find just the right sage. And the best for last, the best soothing Blue Grey's. Love these colours, work well in any room at all. I will add that, although it did not make this list, I find that Tranquility by Benjamin Moore is the very best blue grey. It sometimes looks blue, sometimes green, and other times grey. Closet makeover for tableware - I really like this idea. We have done something similar in the spare room. No plates but instead all the extra bedding, comforters, linens of all kinds. I also hang up tablecloths and out of season throws in that closet. Mine does not look as neat as this one does, so enjoy this article instead of my closet ; ) This is my handmade seeded paper not yet cut into tags. I like the bits of roses in there, and can you see the long skinny cosmo seeds? Love the way it turned out, next batch will have more colourful paper... a tint of blue or pink, I think, maybe green. Super fun and easy craft to do... kids might even love it! Here is the link to the screens that I have. Recipes! This pickled pepper recipe... we have made hot pickled peppers from mildly hot peppers but never pickled the sweets. Sheet pan veggie fajitas! Look so good! Maybe for your meatless Mondays? Love this diy dry ranch dressing mix! Was hoping to make it already but have been so busy with the pantry organisation (what a big difference that makes in the ease of use) and getting ready for my baby brother's 50th birthday dinner. The ingredients are all something we have already, super easy to put together. I'm off to vacuum up all the doghair before everyone shows up for the dinner. Hope you have a spring in your step this week! Happy Family Day (tomorrow)~ Tanja

When most people think about what I am growing, they immediately think food crops, which is very true. However, although I am indeed an avid vegetable gardener, I plant and grow more flowers that you might imagine. I love hanging baskets, potted flowers, colour throughout the yard. I love nothing more that adding flowers to my yard and potager. The perennials have their moments, of course, but annual flowers (the kind you plant each year) are my real favourites. These flowers feed the bees that pollinate my garden, and the butterflies, too. They attract beneficial insects and birds to eat the bad bugs so no pest control is needed, while adding colour and beauty. Besides adding companion flowers to my vegetable beds, I also grow a cutting flower garden, and plant others in pots, baskets, and throughout the yard. I love having flowers to fill vases. Did you know that the more flowers you pick, the more that will come? Sweet peas, especially. Pick as often as you can so more can come! If you stop picking, the vines/plants begin to ripen their seeds, assuming their job is done for the year, and stop blooming. These companies have a fantastic selection of easy to grow flowers from seed. I buy loads of flower seeds each year, mostly ones that I can sow directly in the garden. I only prestart flowers indoors if I cannot buy what I am looking for from the nursery in spring, if I want something special, unique, hard to find. Who doesn't love unique, eh? These are some of my most favourite seed houses for flower seeds, and I also found a few new, small seed shops this year with sweet offerings. There are many of these small growers throughout Canada and the States, and they really appreciate your business. These are my current faves and where I have ordered from this year. 1.Floret Flower Farms. While all their flowers are amazing, their latest special breeding program has been to grow their very own original dahlias, zinnias, and celosia from seed... and wow, they are stunning. Even if you do not order them, check out how lovely they all are. Floret only releases seeds a few times a year and they sell out super fast, so you have to be dedicated to buy from them. Here are the seeds for this season that I have from Floret. Some were purchased last fall, some this month. Oh, and yes, I paid an obscene amount of money for one packet each of the new dahlias and zinnias. Here's to hoping they are all that, and a bag of chips, too - hah! Amaranth (Mira) Dahlias (Petite Florets) Phlox (Creme Brulee, Dulce de Leche, Phlox of Sheep) Statice (Rat Tail) Stocks (Apricot, Malmaison Pink) Sweet Rocket (Pale Lavender) Yarrow (Summer Berries) Zinnias (Precious Metals) 2. My next most favourite place to buy flower seeds from is Renee's Garden Seeds. They are affordable and their seeds are of amazing quality. Always great germination. You cannot go wrong with anything you buy from this seed company. They have such a great array of flowers and veggies, too. Best company out there. I buy most of my zinnias from here, also my nasturtiums (nasties). Alyssum (Gulf Winds) Calendula (Flashback) Cerinthe - also known as honeywort. Fantastic cut and come again flower for bouquets. Cosmos (Rose Bon Bon, Velouette) Dahlias (Blazing Saddles) Larkspur - I ordered mine last year so that I could sow in the fall. Marigolds (Signet Starfire) Nasties (Cherries Jubilee, Creamsicle, Cup of Sun, Spitfire) Pelargonium (Fancy Pants) Scabiosa - They have a lovely new dark one! Thunbergia Verbena (Vanity) Zinnias (Apricot Blush, Green Envy, Moulin Rouge, Raspberry Sorbet) I'm doing solid coloured blocks of zinnias this year, but love their combos a whole lot, have been growing them for years. My favourites are Berry Basket, Cool Crayons, Raggedy Anne). 3. Baker Creek Seeds. Huge selection, great quality seeds. They have such a great selection, but here are some of my favourites, some recommendations. Asters (Salmon Janina) Calendula (Strawberry Blonde) Cosmos (Apricot Lemonade, Apricotta, Black Magic, Rubenza, Xanthos) Marigolds (Disco Mix, Kilimanjaro White, Linnaeus Burning Embers) Sunflowers (Astra Rose Cream, Chocolate Cherry) Zinnias (Pink Senorita - this was my most prolific bloomer last summer. A Raggedy Anne type blossom, peach pink in colour, very pretty) Stems - A Canadian flower farm with seeds very similar to Floret. Shipping is pricey so fill up your cart to make it worth your while! They also have great veggies, especially the mixed packs. Cosmos - such a lovely selection. They have pink and white cupcake cosmos, the apricot coloured ones, and all sorts and colours. Great cosmo selection! Zinnias - Cresto Peaches & Cream! I had to get that one. They also have all the 'Queen's' and many lovely Benary's, a fantastic giant bloom that is great for cutting. Others- Lovely selection of sweet peas, snapdragons, and sunflowers. Really, just way too many greats to mention here. Johnny's - this US company has so many great flower seeds to choose from but please note that both the seeds and the shipping are pricey. Cosmos - They have the most amazing selection of varieties out of all the companies. They have cupcakes, bon bons, apricottas, frizzies, pinks, whites, red mixes, pink blends... I want them all. Zinnia selection is also really good, they have the Zahara, Benary, Oklahoma, and Queenie zinnias. Others - Gorgeous sweet peas! They have White Swan marigolds and a new lime green one called Nosento Limegreen. If you like the pale pastels (as I do), check out the Iron Pastel Mix of Stocks. I mean, there are pages upon pages of lovely flowers for direct sowing to create cut flower bouquets and feed the bees. Check out that lovely blue Salvia. Here are some Canadian Seed Companies and why I think they are worth checking out. Revival Seeds - while their pictures are not of the caliber that you find with the flower sellers, they have a lovely lupin mix, echinacea mix, Joe Pye, scabiosa, Touch of Red Buff Calendula. Cicada Seeds - I picked up some Fizzy Rose Picotee cosmos from this very small island company as I had to order some of their potato onions ; ) My shipping for 3 seeds packages only came to $3. Fraiche Flower Farm - This small Alberta company has the prettiest flower selection! If you like pinks, you will love this one. If you love sunflowers or sweet peas, you will love this one. Best thing is that shipping is only $5 for 10 packets of seeds. Antonio Valente Flowers - A small Ontario company with the most amazingly lovely selection of flower seeds. The pictures are to die for pretty, shipping is only $4.95. T&T Seeds - This company has been around for ages, has all sorts of flower and veggie seeds to offer. Shipping is only $5.75 for 10 packages in Canada. They have the new dwarf Baby Rose nasties, Strawberry Blonde marigolds, White Swan marigolds, plus Lemon and Tangerine Gems. All terrific companion flowers. The ornamental gourds are the cutest! So many great buys at this seller, very affordable prices! Growing Tips Stokes Seeds - this company has been around for a long, long time, but really only sells to high volume buyers, like growers. They carry all the seeds you can imagine. the flowers that you find at the nurseries in spring. Things like geraniums, petunias, lobelia, osteospermums, verbena, alyssum, bacopa.... pretty much everything! They recently upped their minimum purchase to $250. No way I am buying that much but here is a tip you need to know... The very best thing about this company is that they tell you exactly how and when to start your flower seeds. So even if you do not order from them, they are a great resource. I Direct Sow.... China Asters - these guys are beautiful! Can be pre-started indoors 6 to 8 weeks before last frost, or direct sown after the last frost (mid April on the west coast, early May on the prairies). Cosmos - I always direct sow. They tend to come up just a little later than the zinnias. (sow mid April on the west coast, early May on the prairies). Zinnias - very prone to mildew if started indoors. I always direct sow and have the best flowers! Same timing as above. Secret tip - when the package says sow after last frost, I sow a week or two before. The seeds are safely underground, not yet popping up, so even if you get a late frost the seedlings are not affected. You can always lay down a frost blanket 'just in case'. I always use the later last frost dates for seed starting and sowing purposes. *As an Amazon affiliate, if you purchase an item from one of the 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 : ) How & What I Prestart... I usually buy any that need pre-starting as ready plants at the nursery , but if I want something unique or different... Alyssum - easy to start, sow in March, a few seeds per cell. Dahlias from seed - Start March on heat or direct sow in mid May. Marigolds - All types (tagetes, French, and African). Start in mid March to mid April. Snapdragons  - start in February and March. Place them in the freezer first for a minimum of 2 days. They need light to germinate so just press them lightly into the moist soil. Cover with humidity dome till you see germination. Stocks also need light to germinate so are to be sown on top of the soil. March. Verbena bonariensis - place in baggie with moist soil, stick in fridge for a few weeks. Fill cell packs 3/4 full of moist potting soil, top up with the refrigerated seeded soil so that the seeds are not buried too deep. I think that covers most of the plants I would prestart indoors. I direct sow most everything. If in doubt on how or when to start something, check the Stokes website under growing conditions (located on each listing). You may have noticed my fascination with cosmos this year, getting some from almost every vendor. When they came out with the lovely new colour blends, new pinks, frizzy blossoms, and the cupcakes... well, I fell even more in love with them! Zinnias have always been a favourite of mine, of course. I grow long beds of them, in all sorts of colours. The bees, butterflies, beneficial bugs, and hummingbirds do so love them. The cut flower garden is going out back this year as that is where we do our summertime living. I am also adding annual flowers to the front yard when we revamp the beds, for the bees and neighbours to enjoy. Now that the seeds have been purchased, I can hardly wait! Happy Planning! The wait is almost over ~ Tanja

Twelve grass alternatives. I was chatting with the ladies at our last coffee klatch when one of them mentioned that the previous owner of our home (a very avid gardener) absolutely hated grass/lawns. Hated. I said two things... ah, that is why we only a small wedge of grass out front, and that is exactly why I was meant to buy this house, hah. I also dislike grass. Would get rid of all of it out back if it were not for the dogs. They need a place to sprawl, zoomie, and chew on their bones. Flower Garden Inspo I am always looking at grass alternatives that will work with the dogs. It is a bit harder to do here on the prairies (less options hardy to zone 3) than it was on the island, but I am determined to find a way. West Coast Seeds has a few seed options that would work even here, trials will happen this summer ; ) Can you tell from all the pics that I am a huge fan? On the gardening pages, there are many who recommend micro clover, so that may be the way to go. Some of the flowers in alternate tapestry lawns are also early flowers for the pollinators. This read about growing flowers for cutting, whether on a small acreage or a city garden. You all know that I am a huge fan of growing flowers for the pollinators so I thoroughly enjoyed this article. Best part? Her thoughts on pest control. Garden Inspo Growing sweet potato slips in water. It is that time. If you want to grow sweet potatoes this summer, get started on your slips now. Here's an article about square foot gardening. It gives you the pros and cons. Read the article and decide if it works for you. I direct sow everything I possibly can. In the ground, out of mind, comes up on it's own when the time is right. Check out this article with 20 seeds you can direct sow in winter. I did some late fall sowing, just before the snow came. Will do some more sowing just as soon as the snow melts! I enjoyed the pretty, colourful picture of this hellstrip in this read. Keep your dog off my grass gardening - GardenRant Diy Bits This cute gift card holder. Now, I know this is for easter but I think the idea can be used for any time of year with cute paper, eh? My Baby Girl has a spring birthday so this is something very timely : ) This cute gift idea for gardeners. I think one can play with this idea a lot, using a large pot instead of a mason jar (though I love me a mason jar diy!), a better journal/note book, cute wooden labels ... all sorts of things one can do with this idea. Washi tape / Pretty Ribbons / Pretty Paper I really, really want to make these! How to Make Easy Paper Cones for Treats - Happy Happy Nester Don't you just love cafe curtains? I am a huge fan. Have some in my bathroom and the little kitchen nook. I am now on the lookout for some cute fabric to make those curtains with the little ties on top. So sweet. These super duper cute pillow cases. Goes perfectly with the current cottage chic or grandma chic trends. Not that it is a trend with me, I love it always ; ) *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 : )' Homey Bits I love the look of board and batten! How to choose your interior wall paint colour. Adding walls to make a nursery and mud room. My mind blown. What a great idea. Recipe Bits Best Ever Strawberry Cake - Southern Hospitality (southernhospitalityblog.com) Strawberry conversation heart shaped cookies. Swedish Apple Pie Rolls with Fillo Pastry | All that's Jas (all-thats-jas.com) Have you ever heard of cruffins? Check out how fast and easy they are to make, and how yummy they look! I am doing the jam version, but Nutella is also a thing ; ) Another strawberry scone recipe. I made some scones last week, they turned out really well, but like the look of these, so will try this recipe, too! Wonder how it works with frozen berries. A strawberry cheesecake that I think even I can make! Make these yummy looking Salted Caramel Pretzel Blondies Why does this Vermont Farm Sandwich sound so good? And these garlic parmesan Caesar dressing French fries! On today's agenda, is making cute plantable handmade-paper gift tags. I picked up some cosmo seeds, have the bits of scrap paper soaking, ready to blend. I added a few dry pink rose petals for a bit of colour, will see how that works out. Here is the how to video and the link to some paper making molds. Happy Sunday ~ Tanja