Cleaning up the Garden

Cleaning up and Putting the Main Garden to Bed

While my container garden has winter-hardy plants growing, I'm letting the main garden hibernate. This is good practice for a few reasons:

* It's good to let the soil rest and recuperate after a hearty growing season

* You can test the soil and add natural soil amendments such as blood meal, bone meal, kelp, greensand, compost, and the like: these soil amendments will break down gradually over the winter

* If you've been plagued with pests such as Mexican bean beetles, leaving them exposed in the cold, naked garden will reduce their population

*If you've not been bothered by pests, mulching the garden will keep weeds to a minimum and will furnish their  own nutrients to the soil

You do want to weed before doing all of the above, one last time before cold weather hits. Otherwise, it's time to tell the garden "Good night: sleep tight."

By RainBoxRed (Own work) [FAL], via Wikimedia Commons  Garden Clean-Up

Time is running out! Check out the Autumn Abundance Sale going on at Sol Luna Enterprises: enjoy 25% off on orders of $25 and over. The coupon code is FALLSAVINGS. This sale lasts through October 31, 2015, so don’t miss out!

One gift idea, just in time for the holidays: a membership to the Shining Biz + Life Academy, chock full of personal and business e-courses, videos, and meditations for just $497 a year for the complete package or for $197 a year for the Life Academy package (for those who don't have a business and are not interested in pursuing this route). This is a fantastic gift idea for a loved one, or even for yourself. Check out this opportunity today. Disclaimer: I am an affiliate for the Shining Biz + Life Academy and all of its services. I use and heartily endorse this program.

Please fill out my free, anonymous survey Getting to Know You

Create your own user feedback survey

Subscribe to our mailing list

* indicates required

Email Address *

First Name

Last Name

Email Format

• html
• text

It's Pumpkin Time

Pumpkin Time of Year

It's that time of year: Pumpkin Time! Whether you grew them in the garden or bought them at a store or farmers' market, the pumpkins have been harvested and are ready to be carved into jack o'lanterns or painted: a fairly new trend involves painting a pumpkin teal blue to indicate that trick-or-treating children who have food allergies can get a non-food treat--a toy or something similar--and not feel left out of the festivities.

Pumpkins can also be made into many delectable dishes--pumpkin soup, roasted pumpkin seeds, pumpkin bread, pumpkin pies, and other goodies. And, of course, you see pumpkin spice everything around this time of year.

Pumpkin time is the heart of autumn, when the weather is becoming cooler, there's a nip in the air, and the hearth beckons the family ever closer. It is a time for turning inward and nurturing the self and loved ones. It's a precious time, not to be wasted.

"Pumpkins Hancock Shaker village 2418". Licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Pumpkins_Hancock_Shaker_village_2418.jpg#/media/File:Pumpkins_Hancock_Shaker_village_2418.jpg

Check out the Autumn Abundance Sale going on at Sol Luna Enterprises: enjoy 25% off on orders of $25 and over. The coupon code is FALLSAVINGS. This sale lasts through October 31, 2015, so don’t miss out!

One gift idea, just in time for the holidays: a membership to the Shining Biz + Life Academy, chock full of personal and business e-courses, videos, and meditations for just $497 a year for the complete package or for $197 a year for the Life Academy package (for those who don't have a business and are not interested in pursuing this route). This is a fantastic gift idea for a loved one, or even for yourself. Check out this opportunity today. Disclaimer: I am an affiliate for the Shining Biz + Life Academy and all of its services. I use.recommend, and heartily endorse this program.

Please fill out my free, anonymous survey Getting to Know You

Create your own user feedback survey

Subscribe to our mailing list

* indicates required

Email Address *

First Name

Last Name

Email Format

• html
• text

Sage: Herb of the Month

Sage Advice for the Garden

This month's herb of honor is sage, or salvia officinalis. As with many herbs, sage is easy to grow: just give it a spot in the garden with at least partial sun, and water sparingly in order to concentrate the herb's essential oils. For best flavor and continued production, pinch off any flowers that develop.

To me, sage suggests fall flavor: roasted herbal chicken and turkey, pork loin, dressing, and hearty soups, such as this recipe for Butternut Squash Soup.  Sage suggests Halloween and Thanksgiving, with its special dishes. Sage suggests family gatherings and time well spent with loved ones. Bon appetit!

Forest & Kim Starr [CC BY 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

Check out the Autumn Abundance Sale going on at Sol Luna Enterprises: enjoy 25% off on orders of $25 and over. The coupon code is FALLSAVINGS. This sale lasts through October 31, 2015, so don’t miss out!

One gift idea, just in time for the holidays: a membership to the Shining Biz + Life Academy, chock full of personal and business e-courses, videos, and meditations for just $497 a year for the complete package or for $197 a year for the Life Academy package (for those who don't have a business and are not interested in pursuing this route). This is a fantastic gift idea for a loved one, or even for yourself. Check out this opportunity today. Disclaimer: I am an affiliate for the Shining Biz + Life Academy and all of its services. I use and heartily endorse this program.

Please fill out my free, anonymous survey Getting to Know You

Create your own user feedback survey

Subscribe to our mailing list

* indicates required

Email Address *

First Name

Last Name

Email Format

• html
• text