Sunday Potager Ramblings #49

Well, hi there. Happy Sunday. What an absolutely gorgeous day we are having. Perfect for weeding and then lounging on the patio ; )

But…. I just read the weather report for the month. Looks like just 3°C degrees tomorrow night and temps that range from 0° to 5°C next week. Yikes. I am not ready to let go of this lovely weather.

That means I have a week to get the harvests in and, clean up the beds. I finally got my hip surgery date, so I know that we have to get things cleaned up within the next two weeks anyhow.. this weather just gives me another reason to get a wiggle on.

I haven’t yet decided if I am going to lift all the tomatoes tomorrow or cover them at night to lift towards the end of the week.

The blushing ones will quickly turn red if brought in. I like beer/pop flats. Lay them in a single layer, not heaped on top of each other. We’ll be placing them on the dining room table, hahaha, till they are ready for roasting or canning.

We have loads of red tomatoes and loads of blushing tomatoes, so will be able to make a good big batch of sauce, and a batch or two of salsa, too. Nachos with salsa and sour cream is my favourite Friday dinner, my guilty pleasure food ; )

Tip – roasting tomatoes first and then making them into spaghetti sauce gives depth of flavour, makes your sauce even better tasting. Roast in the oven with a bit of evoo, salt, garlic, and onions. Delish!

A collection of purple garlic bulbs arranged on a textured surface, accompanied by a small dish of dried herbs. — *Some of my gorgeous planting garlic. Insert heart here, lol. I love growing garlic.*

Late September through October is garlic planting time. Did you get your garlic ordered yet? Most farms take preorders so you might not be able to do that any longer, but there are still farmer’s markets and garden centres and seed stores.

If you are in central Alberta, the garlic at Blue Grass Garden Center is beautiful and well priced. Ultimate Guide to Planting Garlic Successfully – The Marigold Potager – A Zone 3 Prairie Garden

Here are some garlic sources if the farms near you are sold out and you need to order more. I always try to go local first, then within the province, and then to other sources.

Seed Garlic Store | Rasa Creek Farm (this was my garlic supplier when I sold them at the ngg – the garlic is amazing. This was my Farmer Guy : )
Garlic – The Incredible Seed Company Ltd
Fall Garlic Archives – T&T Seeds
Garlic – Vegetables | Veseys
Seed Garlic – West Coast Seeds

A garden path featuring a stone walkway surrounded by lush greenery, including a pergola covered in climbing hops vines and some flowering plants with a wooden fence in the background. — *My hops are amazing this year!*

Okay, on to the fun links that I found for you this week….

Gardening Info & Inspo

What is cramscaping?
5 ways to put leaves to work in your garden.
10 shrubs you should propagate this month. Only #3, 4, and 10 are zoned for the prairies, but great advice for all of them, no matter where you are.

From Martha … Why Your Homegrown Tomatoes Lack Flavor, According to Experts

Homey Tips & Inspo

Interior view of a modern sauna featuring wooden benches, a light fixture, and patterned tile flooring with a shower head mounted on the wall. — *This is our sauna. It is very bougie. We use it regularly.*

How to build a home sauna. Very popular, great ROI, too. If you want one, you should totally build one! You won’t be worry you did : ) This is the company that we ordered our sauna kit from. They have saunas to fill all sizes of area. Ours is a 2 person sauna, at 5’x5′.
5 houseplants to propagate now.
This house is sooo pretty.

No Sew Flannel Throw Blanket – Ella Claire & Co.

A slice of cake with a glossy icing on a blue floral plate, accompanied by a fork and some pink flowers in the background. — Sourdough Bundt Cake – Farmhouse on Boone

Recipes & Foodie Things

From Martha… Why You Should Refrigerate Cookie Dough

I am finally back to baking with sourdough again. These are some of the things that are on my want-to-make list…

This sourdough discard French bread is hubby’s favourite. It makes two loaves at a time, is quick and easy. I make it regularly.
Sourdough apple bread (timely, sounds delish!)
Cinnamon raisin sourdough bread. I love this toasted for breakie.
Easy Apple Cake With Caramel Glaze – I am all about anything apple!
Fluffy Sourdough Biscuits Recipe – Farmhouse on Boone
Zucchini Cake With Cream Cheese Frosting – Farmhouse on Boone
Sourdough Bundt Cake – Farmhouse on Boone
Pineapple Upside Down Cake – Farmhouse on Boone

A welcoming front yard with a wooden house number '5229' sign, surrounded by green shrubs, colorful flowers, and a pathway leading to the entrance of a home. — *Hubs finished the address sign…. it’s a bit bigger than we had planned, but looks so good. Oh, and yes, it has solar lights at the top, so the numbers will be lit up even at night ; )*

Our original address sign above the garage is small. Very small, hard to notice. So, we had a plan to build a number sign in our new front yardscape. It was meant to be a good 6 to 8 inches smaller than this, but the numbers came in larger than we had thought, so now no one is getting lost or confused ; )

The shrubs on either side will grow, with time, so it will be just perfect.

The Marigold Potager – A Zone 3 Prairie Garden