Growing Spomething from Nothing

Hello All!!

As you know from my last post, we are anxiously awaiting Mother Nature to get with the program and "make" it Spring here in Edmonton.  Since patience is not one of my strengths, I have gotten an early start on Spring by growing some veggies inside.  these are a bit unique though...they are grown from scraps, not seeds.  Pretty cool, huh??

I first saw the idea to grow new veggies from old veggies a while back on Pinterest.  I even blogged about it here.  Well, things have taken off a bit and I would call this project a success!! 

Here are a few of the things I've grown:

First up, here's an update on the green onions I posted about a while back.  Once they got to be good sized, I planted them in some dirt.  They were getting so tall that I thought the stability would do them some good.  They are growing fantastic!!  As soon as they get too tall and flop over, I give them a haircut and they are good to go.  I take the portion that I cut off and with my kitchen scissors, I cut them into usable pieces.  I then add them to a jar I have in the freezer.  This is a great way to store green onions!!  You simply toss in the pieces, and then when you need some for cooking, you shake a few out!  They thaw instantly in warm food, so they are ready to go anytime! 

Next is my celery.  I simply chopped off a bit of the root end and placed it in a dish of water an inch or so deep.  within days I saw growth popping out of the center.  I left it in water for two weeks or so, changing the water at least every other day.  Once it had some established growth, I planted it in a pot.  Now, it is taking off and getting more and more lush every day!  I can't wait to get it outside for some warmth and sunshine. 

Finally, here is one more veggie that I actually just started today.  It seems as though this method of sprouting will work with most any veggie that has a strong core with roots.  So, I had some past-its-prime Romaine in the fridge and I'm going to see how it does.  I just put it in water this morning, so I'll keep you posted on how it does.

So, what is the lesson to be learned?  You can grow something from nothing.  You don't need expensive seeds or seedlings to have home grown veggies.  It also takes minimal work for maximum results...my kind of gardening!!!

Happy Planting!
Sharon

Spring Fever!!!

Hey Everyone!!
The fever has shown it's ugly head in our house recently.  No, I don't mean the flu (Thank Goodness!!), I mean Spring Fever!!  Though it is still clearly winter, we have been getting lots of sun lately, which has brought with it warmer days, lots of melting, and many many thoughts of spring!!

To help get ready for the upcoming season, I have been a busy bee.  We're in a new house, so I am still learning what plants are already in the ground (the former owner left me a very detailed journal...score!), and what grows best in our location. 

I wanted to share a few recent purchases with you, as well as give some updates on plants I have mentioned in the past.

First up, I scored some beautiful planters at Winners recently.  The tags said they were beverage coolers, but they screamed planters to me!  I am going to use the larger two for veggies out back and the smaller one for bulbs out front.

I've also collected a few seed packets and books about local gardening.  I'm still planning on consulting my trusty Square Foot Gardening book, but I figured I'd add a few more good reads to the mix. 


For seeds, I am trying a new brand this year,  Renee's Garden.  The various seeds I bought are all smaller versions of veggies, perfect for patio growing.  I'm going to miss my old garden in Calgary, but I think these seeds will offer a new and exciting growing method.  I bought my seeds at the Enjoy Centre, but based on their website, it appears as though they sell all over the US and Canada, as well as from their site directly. 

Even Hannah has gotten into the growing spirit.  A week or two ago, we went to the store and picked out some easy to grow seeds.  She picked Cosmos and Marigolds.  They are growing great, and she is learning a wonderful lesson about responsibility.  She sprays them daily and lets me know if they need a bigger drink.  I can't wait until it is warmer outside she she can pick where we plant them.  I saw some cute rubber boot planters the other day at the Enjoy Centre, so maybe those will work...we'll see!! 

Stay tuned for a few more gardening posts...tis the season!!

Happy Planting!
Sharon

Our Crafting has Gone to the Birds!

Hey Everyone!

Lately it seems like Hannah and I have been seeing more and more wildlife during our week.  Yesterday we saw 2 coyotes walking along the side of a city road (scary since they have to go through our neighborhood to get to the closest safe spot of them), and we've been seeing more and more birds flying overhead.  To celebrate the animals and to try to encourage our feathered friends to come visit our yard, we decided to make new bird feeders.  Our toilet paper tube feeders fed the magpies quite well, and we have been saving up more tubes for spring feeders.  In the meantime, we thought we'd try a different type of feeder. 

This idea originated from a Pinterest post of a project first posted on the HGTV website.  Click here for the link.  Hannah and my husband have been eating a lot of oranges lately, and he is a pro at keeping the peels whole, so I thought it would be perfect for us to try.

To make these feeders you need:

* Orange peels (try to keep them as hole free as possible.  One of ours had a hole from the bellybutton, so I used a snip of coffee filter to plug it)
* Bamboo skewer or chopstick (cut in half)
* Twine or string
* Hole puncher or nail

To make them, you take either your hole punch or nail and make small holes just a touch down from the edge of the orange.  You'll need to make at least two, directly across from each other.  I was a bit off, so I made four holes for better balance. 

Once your holes are made, slide your skewer/chopstick through the holes.  Despite having four holes, we only used one chopstick per feeder.  I wanted a bit of stability, as well as a perch for once the bird food gets lower. 

Then, simply tie the twine to the ends of the skewer, fill the feeder with your food of choice and hang in your favorite tree!!

You can fill these feeders with most anything.  We wanted to give the birds an extra treat, so we mixed up some peanut butter food for them.

To make the filling, you need:

* 1/2 cup peanut butter
* 1 cup of cornmeal or oats (we used a 1/2 cup of each)
* 1/4 cup raisins or any other dried fruit or nuts. 

Simply mix all of your ingredients in a bowl and fill your feeders.  For ours, we used raisins and dried apricots.  I found that the mixture was a bit too dry, so I added a touch more peanut butter to bind it all together.  You can adjust the amounts based on what looks right and what you have in your pantry.

We have two trees in the backyard, so we hung a feeder in each one.  Let's hope we see some customers real soon!!

This project is great for younger children.  They can help measure out the ingredients, mix everything together, fill the feeders and of course, eat the oranges!!

Cheers!
Sharon