Sunday Potager Palaver #4 (Fall Has Come To The Potager)

Happy Sunday, gardening friends! We are having the most wonderful weather this weekend, perfect for walking in the woods, or the city trails, and finishing up gardening chores.

Two garden beds topped with leaves, very green and healthy lawn, and more leaves falling from the trees in the background. Leaves are great for your gardens. — *We are still waiting on several trees in the yard to drop their leaves!*

How are you making out with your garden clean up? We are so ready that if snow came tomorrow, we would be okay. We could hunker down and have no regrets. We sure do not want snow yet, though, and I’d really like to get the rest of the leaves as they fall from the trees. I have one more garden bed to top with as many leaves as I possibly can ; )

I was pretty worried about getting the yardwork finished up as I had a pinched nerve in my arm/back last week, keeping me from doing anything. No cleaning, no raking, no folding laundry, I was in agony. Went to the chiropractor who used acupressure on me… I felt it that evening, but was almost as good as new the following day. Absolutely amazing. I was back to raking up those leaves in no time.

I’m loving this warmer weather, but can tell you, as soon as it gets cold, snowy, or rainy, I will be ready to hunker down in front of the fireplace, with a good book and a cosy throw as I am a fair weather kind of gal!

Navone rutabaga harvest is stored in a cardboard box, in the cold room. — *Gorgeous Navone Yellow rutabagas in the cold room.*

We’ve picked the last of the veggies, everything except the limp (but still growing) peppers in the greenhouse, and the brussels sprouts. If all goes well, I will leave those in the ground till Christmas dinner. The beets and rutabagas are in cardboard boxes down in the cold room. The box absorbs moisture so they do not go mouldy. It’s kind of the perfect vessel actually. Boxes work for spuds, too.

Carrots, on the other hand, need to go in ziplok bags with a sheet of paper towel in the bag, and placed in your extra fridge. Replace the paper once a month as it absorbs moisture to keep your carrots crisp.

This week’s Bits has a lot of gardening bits, especially fall bits. I thought they were all so good that I just had to keep them all. I hope you love them, too.

Gardening Bits

Borage with a busy bee in it. Borage is full of minerals for your garden. — *Borage with a busy bee on a blossom. Borage has the prettiest blue flowers!*

This post about growing Borage. When I first saw the title (how to grow borage), I thought, are you kidding me? What is there to know? You toss in the seeds and they grow.. and then they come back year after year after year. It doesn’t get any easier than borage. I decided to open the article anyway, only to see that it is a really good article after all, with great reminders about what a fantastic plant borage is! Great for your garden soil, plants, bees, compost pile. It is an amazing herb that everyone should grow.

Yes, it self seeds readily, but that is just a bonus, if you ask me. I hoe or pull out the plants that I do not want, and leave 2 or 3 standing. Put them in your strawberry or tomato bed! And your greenhouse if you are having pollination problems (you gotta leave the door open for the bees to get in and out). If you have a bit of space, pop in a borage or two, your gardens will thank you for it.

How to protect next year’s plants from pest and diseases now.

This vegetable garden video chat with David Mattern and Aaron Bertlesen. I am a huge fan of their organic gardening ideas.

And then this one, too… how to do your fall garden clean up with ecology in mind!

Plant blue perennial salvia for the pollinators. — *If you want a mainly blue border garden, like I made at the acreage, catmint (nepeta) and salvias look amazing together.*

If you are not already in love with salvias (bee magnets), this article might convince you. In warmer zones, you can grow so many different colours and kinds as perennials. Plant them in rockeries, bordering your pathway gardens, as stars in your perennial bed. The deep blues look amazing with pink or yellow roses.

A border garden of catmint and salvia is a magnet for the bees. — Catmint and salvia in my acreage pathway garden bed.

This tubular annual salvia is a favourite of the hummingbirds. — *Pink annual salvia was the ‘thriller’ in this year’s planter pots.*

Here on the prairies, we are a bit more limited for perennial types, but if you use them in planters as your thriller (thriller surrounded by fillers and spillers), you and your bees can enjoy them from spring through till frost. I love watching late season bees and hoverflies enjoying snapdragons and salvias on warm, sunny fall afternoons.

The hummingbirds really loves this annual salvia!

A sidewalk garden bed full of hardy zone 3 perennials. — *The dark blue salvia (in the gardens at the cohousing units in Saskatoon) is the star of the border. Grown here with hyssop, gaillardia, poppies, sedums.*

Of course, we do have several lovely perennial salvias here, as well. As above, they look amazing in your perennial beds amongst yellow or pink flowers, and help to ground the eye. Salvias are drought tolerant (need well draining soil), deer and bunny resistant so would work well with echinaceas and rudbeckias.

How to create a naturalised flowering lawn… check out the fritillaria lawn!

Make bee hotels in your landscape to help your pollinators. Native bees are active from very early spring through end October. Creating bee hotels, homes for them to dwell in, means early pollinators in your garden in spring.

A gorgeous greenhouse set up for the holidays. — *Christmas light ideas for your yard and garden.*

Decor

This article is in Finnish, but don’t let that scare you as you just want to look at the pictures, don’t need to read anything at all. 12 great Christmas light ideas. I love 2, 4, 10, and 11, but they are all so great.

This recipe for a homemade laundry scent booster that is safe, non toxic, and makes your clothes smell fresh and clean.

Fantastic larder and pantry ideas.

Blue and red colour combinations for fall 2024.

Pretty blush pink mushroom ornaments to make for the tree. — *Super cute mushroom ornaments for your tree!*

Make these super cute mushrooms for your Christmas tree this year. I think this hit home with me as blush pink is my colour of choice for the holidays, but you can make it any colour. I did not add any links to the craft paints as they are super expensive on Amazon right now, for some reason. Check out your dollar store or craft store for better prices.

A flatbread pizza topped with tomatoes, onions, corn, arugula, and a drizzle of balsamic reduction. — *Flatbread pizza*

Recipes

This week is all about the pizza, baby!

This quick recipe for flatbread that you can make right away, or refrigerate for up to 5 days. i love me a good flat bread (or a thin crust pizza). She gives topping ideas, but I love mine with basil pesto, halloumi, and artichoke hearts. Can also add tomatoes, feta, or goat cheese, arugula, and balsamic vinegar.

Followed by this yummy pizza with broccoli raab and roasted onions.

Hops vine brought in as cutfowers. Looks good green or when dry. — *Hops vines look great in a vase both when they are fresh and green and when they go dry and brown, too.*

What have you been up to? Is your garden work done? Are you ready to hunker down for winter? Are you planning holidays in warmer climes for the winter months (I may be going to Panama)? What is your holiday theme colour this year? Does your change from year to year?

I hope your weekend is absolutely lovely ~ Tanja

The Marigold Potager – A Zone 3 Prairie Garden