Hello Garden Friends,

Happy Fall!!!

Inspired by many this time of year, thought I would share an October To Do List😊 enjoy and if you have something you want to share that was not mentioned send a comment, please.

• Bring herbs inside and transplant to a smaller planter to over winterize or harvest to make dried herb bundles or store in glass jars.
• Obtain the many varieties of pumpkins available now for decorating but also for truly using for winter cooking. Prepare your picked pumpkins for pureeing and then freeze until you want to make that special pie, bread or savory dish.
• Drain your rain barrel, detach the hose, remove debris and leave valves open to keep it safe from ice damage over the winter.
• Get your garden soil tested so you know how to best amend in the spring for things lacking and revealed in your test. Perform it yourself by obtaining from a local hardware or big box store or request a test from a master gardener program or cooperative extension.
• Decorate for Fall inside and outside. See the cool DIY below by using an old rack and adorning with fresh or dried flowers/leaves from your Fall garden harvest.

• Collect seeds. Cut back your perennials that have gone to seed. Remember to store the seeds in paper envelopes or glass tight jars but never in plastic bags or containers not unless you have the seeds in a paper envelope and then store in a plastic container that is ok.
• Don’t forget the birds so therefore do not clean up your garden too much they will need those seed heads for snacks along their migratory route for those traveling and for those staying behind it will be a lovely winter treat!
• Plant bulbs, there are soooo many to choose from.
• Dig up your tender bulbs (dahlia, rain lily, canna, etc..) and store in pine mulch, shredded newspaper, peatmoss, vermiculite or sawdust be sure to keep in cool dry place around 50 degrees F. just make sure the space does not freeze.
• Lastly enjoy your garden and take a moment to take in the full display of your garden after a season of growing, learning and finally harvesting. Take your last photos and possibly barefoot strolls thru your place of joy.

Till next time, take care, stay well and relax in the Autumn Joy!

Hello Garden Friends!

Hope your summer season was fantastic and full of wonderful memories, we have only about seven more days and the fall solstice will be officially upon us (September 22, 2021). When those cooler and much awaited less humid days come you may be interested in planting a Larch Tree!

If you love the effect of an evergreen tree and also the brilliant color of a deciduous tree the larch tree has both of these characteristics. They are conifers that are needled and look like an evergreen in the spring and summer but when fall comes its needles turn golden yellow and drop to the ground.

The needles of a Larch are about an inch long and are arranged in little clusters along the stem, each cluster having about 30 to 40  needles. Within the needles you will find pink flowers that eventually become cones. The cones start out red or yellow and turn brown when they mature.

In North America they are native to the northern parts of this continent and happiest in cold climates. They are best grown in mountainous areas but can tolerate just a cool climate with plenty of moisture. Zones 6 and below they like best but in some of our 7 zones they may do ok. Most larch trees are quite large growing between 50 and 80 feet. But for us gardeners with less space there are some varieties to investigate. Larix decidua ‘Varied Directions’ grows 15 feet. ‘Puli’ is a dwarf European version that has amazing weeping branches  held close to its trunk groups up to 8ft tall and 2 feet wide.

‘Tamarack’ Larix laricina a native to America grows 75 feet tall

and ‘Pendula’ Larix decidua a shrubby type of larch becomes a ground cover and spreading 30 feet if you do not stake it.

It is easy to grow a larch tree just plant where it can get six hours of sunlight each day and it can take a frozen winter with ease, they don’t like dry soil so water them often or place in moist/damp soil.

Think about the larch tree and maybe give it a try!

Till next time do one more cool summer thing and then bring out the sweaters, jeans, boots and cozy blankets and prepare to nestle next to an open bonfire or homemade fire pit, take a hayride or visit a farm for all that lovely fall produce and then enjoy putting your garden to bed for a nice winter’s nap. So long for now!

Hello Garden Friends,

Hope this finds you happy and at peace during such a challenging time of pushing thru a pandemic; BUT just push thru in Faith not Fear and remember it can not last forever, for this too shall pass!

Yes, it has been a while garden friends and to be honest being in front of a computer more than we all have ever been, is the reason for the delay in sharing with you. When I get moments of not being in front of the screen I prefer to spend time with my family and in nature.  Plus my derriere is quite numb these days, LOL! But today I have mustered up some time to spend with you and I have missed you dearly 😊 please note going forward our time together will be short, sweet and informative hope you will accept this format for now.

So, I had some other things I wanted to share for the blog but changed my mind and figured I would share some interesting things about the month of October.

So here it is….

October comes from the Latin octo “eight” because before our 12 month calendar existed the early Roman calendar designated it as the eighth month but in our current calendar the name stayed the same but it is now the 10^th month!

October 2020 brings two full moons the first full moon of Fall is the Harvest Moon and will appear today Thursday, Oct. 1. Later this month we will see another full moon called the Hunter Moon on Saturday, Oct. 31 it will be rare in that it will be the Halloween Moon and a Blue Moon.

October brings the leaves into full color; the leaf color change is not because of the autumn chilly weather but the lack of light.  The green color of the leaf disappears when photosynthesis (from sunlight) slows down. Trees within direct sunlight will produce red leaves while other ones will turn yellow, orange and brown.

October is all about collecting the harvest and storing your crops, but you still can do some planting of garlic and bulbs. Do this soon if you have not already.  I will still try to plant some arugula now, which I can harvest fully in 30-45 days; so lets see what will happens.

October birth flowers are cosmos and calendula or marigold. Cosmos are a symbol of joy and peace. Calendulas represent thankfulness, excellence and serenity.

Folklores of October

-When deer are in a gray coat in October expect a hard winter.

-Much rain in October, much wind in December.

-A warm October means a cold February.

Let’s pay attention this month and see if any of these will come true.

October joke:

What is a pumpkin’s favorite sport?

Wait for it, wait for it (drumroll)

Answer: Squash!

Too funny and too cute which really is too corny, LOL!!!

Here is a recipe to try after you collect your Fall harvest (or shop at a local farmer’s market 😊)

Roasted Autumn Vegetables

1 1b. small red potatoes quartered or Yukon gold

2 cups peeled butternut squash cut and diced into ½ inch cubes

2 large carrots peeled and cut into ½ inch diagonal slices

2 parsnips peeled and cut into ½ inch diagonal slices

3 Tablespoons of olive oil

1 Tablespoon of fresh rosemary or 1 teaspoon of dried rosemary

2 gloves of garlic minced

Salt and Pepper to taste

2-3 cups of kale rinsed and chopped

Preheat oven to 450 ^oF

Lightly oil two large baking sheets or one large sheet by cutting ingredients in half

Combine all vegetables, olive oil, rosemary, garlic and salt and pepper in a bowl and toss to coat.

Spread evenly on the baking sheets bake 15 mins then add kale stir bake another 15 mins until vegetables are tender and browned.

Lastly if you need something else to do and want to challenge your brain cells, try this brain puzzle teaser.

The Puzzle

The first part of my word is a verb, add to me one letter and I become a insect, add another and I become a kind of vegetable, add two more letters and I become another name of an insect.

Good luck and the answer will be given next month.

Till then maybe try:

Going for a long cool autumnal hike

 Sitting in the autumn sun

Getting your hands dirty in your garden for as long as you can before everything is put to rest

Relax while sipping on warm spiced drink and reading a great book

Build a bonfire and share it with family and friends

Whatever you choose to do have a Happy October. Enjoy and Take Care!

Hello Garden Friends,

Hope this message finds you well, ready to get outside more often and to get digging in the dirt!

Countryside GC hopes 2019 has been pleasant and healthy for you thus far.  We ended 2018 with a holiday social focusing on gathering and giving, see captured highlights below:

 

Now that we have made it thru another winter, let’s get down to business and reflect on what this Spring will bring to you and your garden.  I’m excited about some poppies that I planted last year which seemed happy at the end of last season by dropping a ton of seeds, I’m praying they sprout and proliferate in that designated area this year let’s see if that will be the case!

I also need to create new beds and do some landscape design projects all with good intentions; hmm wonder if that will happen this year (giggling). In the meantime, I am once again in awe of how things begin to emerge and push thru the earth silently screaming “Look at me, Look at me” I must say I believe those first signs of life in the garden are secretly happy they have survived the winter and are back again to bring us joy.

There truly is something divinely supernatural as to how the whole process works, its just glorious and I give thanks for being here another year to see it all take place again.

So without further ado, I’m happy to show you a glimpse of what is popping up in my garden spaces and hopefully you are also enjoying your old and new garden friends arriving for their season’s visit, they will no doubt be some of the best company you will host this time of year.

 

 

A tad more…..

 

Enjoy, dig, play and rejoice in the power of Spring!

PS. Don’t forget Rita’s Water Ice is free on the First day of Spring, so go treat your self and then if it makes it back to your home, take it with you as you walk around your garden (or a public garden or nursery) checking out what’s new or what plans you may have in store for this garden season.

 

Farewell for now.