Well, hi there. Happy Sunday! How are you all doing?
Do you ever get grumpy for no particular reason that you can figure out? I had a day like that yesterday. Everything was annoying me to no end, even the radio stations. It was too loud, too much singing, too much talking, lol… there was nothing that was good, I was just out of sorts. What is that all about, eh? At my age, I cannot even blame in on the monthly thing.
We have hit the month of Junuary (a cross between January and June). It is darned cold out there. After our heat wave, we have struggled to get into the high teens during the day and our nighttime temps are so low that I had to put the heater back in the greenhouse. The weather looks like this for the next two weeks. Needless to say, I am gutted.
The tomatoes in my garden are looking very, very sad, as I had just planted them two days before this cold weather came. Not sure that I will have much for tomatoes this year. Read more about the garden and what to do now in the June Potager post.
Other than that, we have been busy, busy, busy. Getting the yard ready, planting, two grandkids birthdays, and a nephew’s birthday. Baking, cleaning, yardwork…
The last book club meeting before the summer break is coming up on Tuesday. We read ‘We All Live Here’ by Jojo Moyes. I gave it a 7 out of 10. Click on the link to see what peeps have to say in Goodreads.
Up Your Gardening Game! The Ultimate Guide to Raised Garden Beds – I have been growing in raised beds for 17 years now and love them. Not only because they raise the bed up for less bending and stooping, but because the soil warms up sooner in spring, and best of all… a whole lot less weeding to do. Almost none.
Organic Gardening Ideas
- Good Watering Practice for Sustainable Organic Gardening
- A Drier Summer Could Change How We Garden | Watering, Lawns, and Drought-Tolerant Plants
- The Cheapest and Best Way to Get Rid of Weeds Without Chemicals – and retain moisture.
- How to Turn Your Yard or Garden into a Certified Wildlife Habitat – even if you are not interested in getting certified, this is a great read for making your yard more wildlife friendly (and thus, safe for pets and kids, too).
- best practices around mosquitoes, with nancy lawson
- predatory-bugs-good-guys-in-the-garden?
How To Grow
I have successfully been growing celery for the past two decades. It is super simple! I do not blanche it, as you can see, but it is always yummy. I water it the same way as the rest of my veggies… in raised beds with weeping hoses, twice a week. That is it. They develop deep roots, like all the other veggies, to go after the water deep in the bed. This makes them very healthy and thriving. I always grow Tango or Tall Utah.
- Celery: How to Plant, Grow, and Harvest Celery Stalks | The Old Farmer’s Almanac
- Serviceberries (Juneberries): Planting, Growing & Care Guide
- Liatris (Blazing Star): How to Plant, Grow, and Care – the bees just love this one!
Garden & Yard Inspo
Looking for planter ideas that are different from the norm? Not a petunia or geraniums in sight? Check out these fabulous planter pots. 6 Beautiful Pollinator Container-Garden Designs
How to Clean a Concrete Bird Bath the Right Way
25 Spring Ground Cover Ideas for a Lush and Green Garden – I saw many of these perennial ground covers being sold in large 6 packs at Home Depot yesterday. Only $15 for 6 thyme, sedums, ajuga, etc… Just make sure the plants are not considered nuisance plants in your area, as some are very fast spreaders.
Recipes
- Berry Good! 10 Spectacular Strawberry Recipes
- How To Make Popsicles
- Homemade Strawberry Shortcake Ice Cream Bars – (the dollar store sells bags of freeze dried strawberries)
- No-Churn Strawberry Ice Cream – this sounds yummy! But maybe not for diabetics.
I make my own popsicles and ice cream bars for my grandkids as they are sensitive to the food dyes. I have the BPS free plastic molds but am looking at the metal ones as they come highly recommended.
From what I have read, most are recommending these metal popsicle molds. These silicone molds are also highly rated. The rocket popsicle molds are BPA free plastic or these ones for ‘normal’ shaped popsicles.
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- Sourdough Zucchini Slice – The Clever Carrot – (made this yesterday!) It’s a classic, well-loved Aussie bake: part frittata, part savory quick bread, featuring fresh grated zucchini as the star ingredient.
- Easy, No-Roll Sourdough Scones (Overnight Friendly) (making these two recipes today)
- How To Make Sourdough Discard Biscuits
The Marigold Potager - A Zone 3 Prairie Garden 
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