The Marigold Potager – A Zone 3 Prairie Garden

This week we got our first snowfall of the year. It started as rain and then turned into heavy, wet snow during the night. It was the wet kind of snow, the kind that can do damage with it’s weight, if you get enough of it. Luckily, we only got a couple of centimeters, so all is fine. Just enough for kids to make small snowmen.

Some of the snow is still hanging around today, but it’s melting away in the sunshine. Good thing as we still have leaves to rake up, no time for snow yet ; )

Gardening Bits

How to get rid of earwigs. As always, I recommend that you try the preventative ideas first to prevent them from becoming a problem, rather than waiting till they are and using harsher measures. You will always get the most organic ideas from me as you know I am all about protecting the birds and the bees : )

How to grow dahlias. Lots of tips in this article. I have grown dahlias for years and years, but you know how they say that you never stop learning? It is such a true fact. If you keep doing, keep reading, keep trying things, you will learn so many new things. The hard part? Remembering those new things! So, I am putting the new tip that I just learned right here so that we can all come back to it in spring…

*Tip – In spring, take off a few sets of the bottom leaves on your dahlia before you plant it, plant it deep so that those nodes are buried in the soil. New tubers will form from those nodes. Meaning, you will get a bigger, stronger, better dahlia, and more tubers that you can save in the fall for the next year. This tip is from @fraicheflowerfarm.

This spring, I found a few flower gardeners on insta that I absolutely love to follow, and learn so much from. The dahlia tip grower (@fraicheflowerfarm) loves the colour pink. So, if you love pink, want to grow pink flowers of all kinds, you need to follow her. She is in northern Alberta, in a zone 2 gardening zone!

Then there is @floretflower, of course. Super well known flower farm on the west coast, in Washington, a zone 7 or 8. Another new to me flower grower is Kristen from @shifting_roots. She is in a zone 3 in Saskatchewan. I also follow upnorthflowers on TikTok. She grows flowers for weddings in a zone 4, northern Ontario.

If you are interested in learning about growing flowers, when to start them indoors, how to grow them in our areas, check out these fantastic flower farms! Why is this avid food grower following flower farmers, you might be asking? Well, you need pollinators and beneficial insects to grow great organic foods, right? Plus, honestly, who doesn’t love flowers?

I always had a dream to add a few more of those 40 foot long beds to my potager at the acreage that would be just for growing flowers for bouquets, but could never figure out what I would do with those flowers after I grew them, hahaha. Who to sell them to? So, now that I just have a city lot, I just plant flowers for me, the neighbours, and the bees : )

Home/Diy’s

I saw the cutest idea for a succulents in a mason jar to give as gifts. Maybe a housewarming gift, Christmas, birthday, or just-because friendship gift. Super simple to make, too. I think the mason jars are rustic and cute, or use cute little bowls from the dollar store instead for the friend with a more boho style.

How to grow spider plants. We all love them… right?

You know I always have to share these cute apartments from Europe and Scandinavia. This one is so pretty with the shared courtyard and cute little sunroom.

Recipes

How to make a tea latte. Kind of time appropriate as we all begin to hunker down for winter and, eek! the holiday season.

Are you a fan of biscotti? I really love it, but my husband hates it. I didn’t know it was so controversial! He wonders why anyone would eat a hard cookie. Then again, he is not a tea drinker, so doesn’t know how well the two go together. This almond, orange biscotti is on my bake-it list!

This antipasto romaine salad looks so good! Looks so good that I had to find me an equally yummy looking vegetarian version, hahaha.

Tofu Shawarma bowl!

salted brown butter crispy treats – smitten kitchen I am making these to take to a coffee date with a bunch of women that I have never met. Eek! Are they too basic?

glazed apple cider doughnut cake – smitten kitchen This just sounds yummy to me.

Holiday Ideas

Did you know that Christmas Day is only 51 days away? Holy moly! Again, in case you missed it. I am not yet decorating for Christmas. Not for many weeks yet, but am sharing these ideas with you now, so you can get them while they are still available, before they sell out. Especially for those of us who have to ship gifts ~ we need to be on the ball! I will admit that I get itching to start crafting as soon as November hits! Love making things!

Here are 10 unique and easy Christmas signs to make for your porch or doorstep. I’m thinking about making that red joy sign… but in green. Which one is your favourite? I like so many of them!

Holiday advent calendars for adults. From chocolates to teas, scents and candles to beauty products. There is even a wine calendar!

Do you choose a colour scheme for your holidays? One that changes every year, or every few years? Me, too! I have friends who are totally tradionalists and think that I am bonkers, hahaha, but I have been changing it up for all of my adult life. This is a nice read to help you choose a nice colour scheme, if you want to try something new. I’m still caught up in the blush idea, so thinking my colours may be sage, white, and blush pink. Alternately, I may go blue, green, with hits of either white or brass. Still lots of time to decide. I put out candles and table runner in early December but the tree and any tchotchkes go up as late as possible, and then everything comes down on Boxing Day ; )

Make this lovely star anise wreath. Some mini’s for the tree, or a larger one for the pantry door, kitchen.

Holiday porch pot ideas. These are going to be more appropriate for those in milder gardening zones.

To do something similar here on the prairies, zones 2, 3, and 4, check out idea #9. That would look super cute. You can also do #7. It will freeze, but as long as you do not touch it, the flowers will stay intact and it will look great till spring thaw. Or… remember this post? I am doing idea #2! I already have the dead branches to put in the post (from my Hallowe’en decor). The lights just make it! I’m super excited. Do this before the soil in your pots freezes solid, and be sure to use metal urns, or plastic/fiberglass pots.

This is my key holder. I change up the picture seasonally. This is a great site to find all sorts of free printables.

When I was working at Hole’s Greenhouses (in St. Albert) many moons ago, I had to fill in for the ladies in the indoor plants department as they all had a meeting to attend. As this was during the holiday season, we were offering bows for poinsettias and other houseplant gifts. Now, you all… I can not make a bow for the life of me! The ladies gave me a crash course before they left and I spent the entire hour working on my bow making skills. Of course, by the following year, I had forgotten it all once again. So, here is a step by step video for those of us who are bow making challenged.

Oh, and if you are in the Nanaimo area and wondering where to buy a homemade greenery wreath, my friend over at Ladybug’s Mew In Yellowpoint has them! She also has those super dupe big pinecones!

Berkeley was given a nice bone this morning and sure enough, our resident magpie had a lot to say about it. He tells her off all the time, tries to get Berk to abandon her bone so that he can peck out the marrow.

What did you do with your extra hour this morning? Did you get some much needed extra sleep? Take time to journal, exercise, or take a walk?

Hope you are having a great weekend, enjoy your leftover Hallowe’en candy ~ Tanja