Well, hi there! If you follow me on fb, it has been a minute since I posted! I have been trying, but life has been busy. The ‘kids’ returned from their winter home in Panama, there have been home and garden shows to attend, and we have had guests and birthdays to celebrate.
So, posting was on the back burner a little bit while I cleaned my house, my daughter’s house in readiness for their homecoming, baked cakes, breads, cookies, cleaned the house some more, and enjoyed the guests and family time.
I did manage to get out two March sowing and growing posts since last Sunday though! Whew! This one has growing and sowing tips, plus my favourite short season tomatoes, and this one is what to sow now (from flowers to herbs and veggies), plus information about growing luffas and waking up dahlias and other tubers/bulbs/corms.
We have had the most amazing weather these past 2 plus weeks. Day time temps are so warm that most all of the snow is gone, except where we have deep shade. We really could use tons of snow for the moisture (too early for rains here yet), but it does not seem to be a thing. Though, one never really knows with spring weather.
The reason I bring this up is because I am trying to decide how crazy to get about spring cleaning. I see the dirty windows, the dusty deck, and the indoors could use a fresh new look, but really, I know that we are still in late winter. I feel like if I start now, I will just have to do it all again in a few weeks time. Where are you on the spring cleaning front?
That said, this is not the time to be raking up dead perennials, or disturbing the gardens, no matter where you live. Those wee little critters (native bees, ladybugs, beneficial insects, frogs, etc) are still in their hidey holes for a bit longer yet.
Garden Inspo
Where to plant nasturtiums in vegetable gardens.
How to grow Sweet Peas. When and how to sow the seeds in all the zones, how to care for them.
How to start seedlings in a cold frame. Cold frames are cheaper to make than greenhouses, but so very helpful… I daresay that you might not even need a greenhouse if you use cold frames. How to build a cold frame, by Eliot Coleman.
Here is the link to Eliot Coleman’s book ‘Four Season Harvest‘ if you are looking to extend your growing season.
Edible landscaping. Another word for potager gardening, really.
This video from Floret Flower Farms. It is actually a small series of videos. I watched one each morning for the past few days, an inspirational way to start my day. Everything Erin does is lovely and inspirational, this video is no exception.
This article is actually about fences that will enhance your yard and garden… but I loved the last idea best, this one with the lights. Looks so good, eh? That gives me ideas!
Pros and cons of using gravel as mulch in the garden.
The best time to mulch your gardens. I used to get questions about this each spring. Please be sure to wait until the soil has warmed up and the spring rains have slowed/ended or you will be keeping the soil cold and all that moisture around your plants. I knew several gardeners who mulched with straw early in the season and ended up battling powdery mildew all summer long, losing crops, with very unhealthy, unhappy plants.
The evolution of Perch Hill Garden. Love.
From Salt Spring Seeds ( a family seed house that is ahead of it’s time), you can buy amaranth, quinoa, all sorts of baking peas and beans. They just sent me this link to a seed kit that helps provide the protein, carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals needed to sustain you and your community. The kit includes one packet of each of the following: Amaranth Mix, Quinoa Pink Passion, Ethiopian Barley, Terminillo Winter Wheat, Provider Bush Snap Bean, Ruckle Bush Bean, Margaret McKee’s Baking Pea, Speckled Roman Paste Tomato, Hokkaido Squash, Kale Mix, Berlicummer Carrot, Detroit Dark Red Beet
Homey Bits of Inspo
Forcing branches indoors. If you are pruning your apple, cherry, pear, dogwood, forsythia, etc, take in a few of the branches indoors to force for blooms and pretty green greenery. We pruned our apple tree 2 weeks ago, stuck a few branches in water, and are now starting to get some of the leaves bursting forth. It’s really kind of exciting. I doubt that they will make it all the way till Easter, but will help to bring that spring feeling indoors very soon.
Here is a blog with gorgeous pictures that makes me want to start spring cleaning right now!
Green kitchens. We green lovers are always on the hunt for just the right shade. What do you think of these? Could you do green cabinets? Would you?
Great advice for how to fix paint runs. I hate when they happen, but they are fixable!
Recipes
How to grow a year round salad indoors, plus a couple of recipes to give you an idea of what to grow.
Perfect Vegetable Lasagna – I love trying all sorts of vegetarian lasagnas!
The best ever deviled eggs recipe. With only 6 weeks till Easter Sunday, this recipe is worth pinning!
My new sourdough starter is so slow to get going well. However, I have been able to make a few discard recipes with it. I made these one hour buns for the family dinner the other day, and everyone loved them. Makes 12 buns, all were gone by the end of the evening. Soft dinner rolls with a hint of sweetness.
I have also made this sourdough discard sandwich bread several times. Hubby says it is the best bread I have made yet. Am thinking that he likes his white bread, hahaha, whereas I love the artisan seedy breads best.
The Marigold Potager - A Zone 3 Prairie Garden 
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