Sunday Potager Ramblings #3 (Unexpected Hard Frost While We Were Away)

Well, hi! How are you all making out? We are supposed to get snow tomorrow! I am not super stoked about that, hahaha. Yes, it should melt, and we will have some nicer days to rake the leaves into garden beds, but still… ugh for cold and snow. On the west coast, they are having what we used to call a Pineapple Express… meaning lots and lots of rain. Fall is most definitely here, eh?

Whew, she’s been a busy couple of weeks! With all the yardwork before and after the Thanksgiving trip to Saskatoon, every day has been packed to the brim!

The plan was to take lots of cuttings and do a video and post about seed saving, but turns out Mother Nature had other plans for us.

A vibrant garden scene featuring pink and peach zinnias in the foreground, with lush greenery and various vegetables like tomatoes in the background. — *From this….*

A garden bed with wilting, dry plants and some remaining orange fruits, surrounded by a wooden fence and grass. — To this…

Before we left for Saskatoon, the weather was predicted to be lovely with 24°C (75°F) daytime temps and just mild frosts. I didn’t think much of it as we had had a few of these light frosts already and things were looking fine.

Well… something changed, hahaha. We came home to very dead from frost plants. The daytime temps had indeed been fine, but the nighttime lows must have been lower than expected. The min/max thermometer in the greenhouse showed -3.8°C (40°F) so outside would have been even colder by a little bit.

A backyard patio with a stone-like paved surface, surrounded by a wooden fence and trees displaying autumn foliage. Garden beds and green plants are visible, along with a wheelbarrow. — *Patio cleared, gardens cleaned up, everything watered in, just about finished*… *ready for snow tomorrow (Eek!)*

Therefore, the past week turned into garden clean up week instead. I was gutted for a few days, then recouped and got excited about saving what I could and putting the gardens to bed. Is the start of new dreams and ideas.

and…. instead of seed saving, I made this post on ‘How to Overwinter Dahlias 4 Ways’!

A lush garden featuring a variety of green plants and white flowers in a wooden planter, with a wooden structure and house in the background under a blue sky. — *Sweet Alyssum growing in my carrot, lettuce, and beet bed.*

Gardening

Here are this week’s gardening reads that I found for you. So many good ones!

This read about growing shallots. If you are in a warmer zone, you can plant them now. We here on the prairies, need to wait till spring. I love growing shallots nearly as much as I do eating them!

How to compost in the winter, in Canada (or any place that has cold winters), is a good read. I no longer have a open compost bin as I live in town, have neighbours, and have less space. I need my composter to fit into the landscape. I love my tumbler composter. It is tidy, works fast, and gives me great compost. In winter, I just start filling it up, do not turn!, wait till spring and then give it a whir every day or two. I’ll be getting another tumbler yet! I love them that much. This one is on sale right now! Now… you still should read this article, it is a good read! If you are a prairie gardener, you may want to give her a follow.

How to grow sweet alyssum. You all know how much I love this annual flower for organic pest control (see the picture above), but did you know that you can use it as a ground cover plant, too?

A vibrant garden scene featuring an assortment of potted flowers in red, orange, and green. A decorative terracotta pot and a sign reading 'NITTY GRITTY' are visible. The garden is surrounded by lush greenery and has a rustic stone pathway. — *See the pot feet (pot risers) underneath the strawberry pot?*

This article is mostly for my island and west coast readers as they head into their rainy winter season. How to protect potted plants from heavy rains.

A landscaped backyard featuring two small sheds, one white and one green, surrounded by manicured lawn, stone pathways, and a vibrant orange tree shedding its leaves.

I know we all know to leave the leaves. I don’t think as many people haul them away as they used to ( I hope, gulp), but here are two good reads with thoughts about saving the leaves, using the leaves, that you might not have thought of.

I rake or blow them into the garden beds (not the 3 raised beds though) as the soil in the existing beds really needs a lot of organic matter to make it happy, make it better. The plants survive, but do not thrive. And boy, are there ever a lot of ladybugs sleeping in those leaves! Yay! Pest control in early spring, as soon as they awake from their slumber. So, there is this article, and this one about fall clean up in general. Both are great.

A winding path through a lush garden filled with various colorful grasses and flowering plants, creating a vibrant and serene landscape. — Fall at Summerhome Garden

How do you feel about the native plants movement? Ready for a controversial read? This podcast/read is about how you can blend old favourites with native plants and be an inclusive eco-friendly gardener.

And that brings me to this last gardening read with fantastic garden photos… read about Summerhome Garden and how she uses plants in this lovely neighbourhood garden that anyone can find at the nursery to plant in their own garden.

A rustic outdoor dining space with a wooden table set with dishes and decorative items, framed by greenery and stone walls. — *Collector’s Cottage*

Homey Things….

How to forage for and diy your own fall wreath for free.

If you love that idea (and I do!), here is a repost from my old blog about how to make a rosemary wreath. I like to gift these for the holidays, to neighbours and family. Tie on a few garlic bulbs, and it is a chef’s delight.

You all know how much I love the hygge of a Scandi home, but this English cottage is superb. That outdoor seating area reminds me of Jamie Oliver. Yes, that chef guy from England, hahaha. I seem to recall that he has a similar area to hide away from the rains and enjoy eating al fresco.

A silver gingerbread house baking mold in the foreground with a decorated chocolate cake shaped like a house in the background, set on a marble surface with pine branches and cones.

Recipes!

Read here for where I got this idea for the cutest gingerbread house ever. Pick up the cake mix from the store, or make it from scratch with this recipe. Bake it in this cute little house cake pan, dust with powdered sugar.

Did you know that you can use cinnamon in both cooking and the garden? Read all the ways that cinnamon is a must have in the pantry. Sprinkle it liberally on the cut bits of your dahlias after you divide them, too. Let sit for a bit and then put into potting soil to store for the winter months.

Ever since I had the butternut squash ravioli with sage butter at The Cactus Club Cafe (my go to meal), I have been in love with anything sage buttery. This recipe is easier to make than ravioli, but you get all the same things!

We are having everyone over for our monthly dinner get-together this afternoon. We try to have a big family dinner once a month to celebrate birthdays, anniversaries, holidays, sometimes combinations of several events. They are casual affairs, nothing fancy, just good food, lots of laughs and great conversations.

My nephew, River, is a big fan of buns or breads with every meal. Takes a lot to fill up this 6’3″ teenager! (this is kind of funny if you have met me, as I am under 5′, hahaha). So, when hubby is finished making the dinner, I will go in the kitchen and make these Rosemary Garlic Dinner Rolls and this Sourdough Focaccia.

A charming white shed with a teal door and decorative plant pots. The shed features two windows and two exterior lights above the entrance, with a small staircase leading up to the door.

The winner of the raised bed is Donna S. Hoping she shares it in her garden when it is all set up. Thank you all so much for playing, following, reading, commenting, and sharing your ideas and thoughts with me!

I was planning to just call it the Potting Shed, but after reading the comments and ideas, have decided that it really should have the marigold name in it, as well. Not sure if that will be a flower, or the word, but will keep you informed. Now to find a sign maker who makes rustic wooden signs! If you know anyone, have them give me a shout!

Hubby is busy prepping for the dinner, so I am off to wash the floors and clean the bathrooms. My part of hosting the dinner… plus the breads ; ) Happy Sunday, friends. Hope your day is fantastic! Tanja