Transplanting Peppers and Free Seeds!

Last week I promised Free Seeds to those who would like them.   All you have to do is send your name and address to mailbox@therunninggarlic.com and I will send them along to you.   The three flower seeds are pictured below and I will also be planting more in my own gardens this year.   The Coneflower is a perennial and will return each year while the two Marigold flowers are annual and the seed needs to be replanted each year.   The seeds are very easy to save so you will have these flower types for many years to come.   I have to limit my mailing of seeds to the United States since there are custom restrictions with sending seeds to certain parts of the world.

Coneflower – Echinacea purple

Mr. Majestic Marigold

Guardian Marigold with a Praying Mantis.   This praying mantis is about 4″ in length and he was one of the neatest bugs I have ever seen!

I transplanted some of my pepper plants last night to give the roots more room to spread out.   The key with transplanting is to be careful with handling the roots; try not to crush them.   I grab the plant by the upper half near the leaves … gently and repot.

Make sure to label all your pots.   It’s easy to forget at this point and then in a few months you will be guessing what you planted!

The pepper plants I have started are – Alma Paprika, Long Cayenne, Red Mini, Tam Jalapeno and Marconi.   The only one that seems to be having trouble starting is the Jalapeno … not sure why, but started another set of seeds last night.   I think I may need another sweet pepper or two.   I will be starting my tomato seeds real soon also … Amish Paste which are good for canning, Cherokee Purple which are absolutely delicious and Sungold – a first this year!

Starting Seeds Indoors …Free seeds

 There is nothing quite like the feeling that fills your every cell when you spot those first seeds starting to sprout.   The excitement just wants to burst from your insides as you stare in amazement at the little green stems pushing their way out from underneath the dark black soil.

The journey that lies ahead for these tiny sprouts of green is nothing short of a miracle.   From tiny seed to fresh juicy vegetables and colorful blooming flowers in a matter of months …… a lifetime for most garden plants. 

These are my pepper seedlings which I started back in December.   Rather early to start seeds indoors for the coming season, but I have found peppers grow at a slower rate than other plants.   This year I want to transplant some big ole pepper plants into the ground!   That way I will be able to harvest peppers earlier than in the past … which was late summer.   I may need to transplant these into bigger pots before they find their final home in the outdoor garden.   I have attempted to start tomatoes earlier and they tend to get leggy and unmanageable so it’s best to wait on them for a few more weeks.

Back in November I also started some herb seeds indoors and they are doing great!   I plan to harvest some this week.   I am fortunate to have a nice setup of wire shelving racks with grow lights that supply constant heat and light for my little growing garden.   I do water at least every other day since the air in the house is very dry.

Can you name the types of herbs in the three pictures above?   Three common every day herbs ….   During the winter months I go through my saved seeds every few weeks and decide if there’s something I can start planting.   Since I have accumulated quite a number of flower seeds this past season (I am obsessed with saving seeds), I decided to send some along to you!   So watch for next week’s Tuesday post and how you can receive your free seeds.   It will be easy so don’t worry.

I also like to send a Thank You to Renee’s Gardens for the recent Media Kit they sent along with a packet of  Mesclun seeds (which I might just start any day now).  Thank You!

Also take a look at P. Allen Smith’s plant suggestions.   If you are new to gardening or looking for Spring ideas, bookmark his site which is filled with helpful ideas.

Happy Gardening Thoughts!!

Garlic Scapes

This year I decided to harvest the garlic scapes from the hard garlic growing in the garden.   Some folks do this and others don’t – last year I didn’t and all the garlic harvested seemed quite large to me.   This year by cutting the scapes (the curly stalks that hard garlic grow) I am giving the bulb in the ground an even better chance of growing larger – the growing energy is directed towards the bulb and not the stalk or scape.   So now I have all these Garlic Scapes

and browsing through the blogs participating in the GROW project I spotted this perfectly timed post by Colleen at In the Garden online  and spent the day yesterday making Garlic Scape Pesto and canning up 6 pints of pickled scapes.   The pickled scapes will make a great addition to my Father’s Day gift since my Dad loves garlic and the garlic bulbs are not ready yet to harvest.

I cut the scapes to fit the pint size jars (I made 6 pints) and added the hot brine along with some red pepper flakes and dried oregano.   To make the liquid brine you heat up 3 cups of vinegar, 5 cups of water and 1/4 cup of kosher salt.   Then you use the hot water canning method and cook 45 minutes.   They need to set for 2 weeks before eating to allow the flavors to blend.

I also made the Garlic Scape Pesto and it is totally addicting – I am thinking even better than a Basil Pesto ……. really good!   I modified the recipe a bit.   I cut up 1 cup of scapes and added them along with 1/3 cup of walnuts to the blender.   Blended a while and added 1/2 cup olive oil and lastly about 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese.

 So very delicious!!!   Thank you Colleen for your timely post – I am enjoying my Garlic Scapes to the max!

I recently returned once again from the trip down south and my mailbox was full of wonderful treasures …. 2 new magazines I have subscribed to;  Runner’s World and PaperCrafts.   I have decided I now have to purchase the Provocraft Gypsy to go along with my Cricut simply because of all this back and forth traveling.   The Gypsy will allow me to travel and create without lugging the Cricut machine each trip….how exciting is that!

Renee’s Garden once again floored me with their promptness and generosity.   I received the media kit with my Nasturtium seeds and decided to send for the 18 free packages of seeds they offered.   I received them all within a few days and am overjoyed with all these wonderful new possibilities to add to the gardens down south.

Happy Gardening!!!

Thank you and Paper Crafts

A couple of weeks ago I posted that I had won seeds from Cheapseeds.com simply by being a fan of theirs on facebook –  I went to the website and ordered my free seeds ($20 worth) and received them 2 days later and what a package!   Quick service and lots of seeds … Thank you very much Jeff, owner of Cheap Seeds!!  I am very happy and am actually getting ready to plant this evening.

This is what I received – Love in a mist (2,200 seeds), Bellflower Tussock (40,000 seeds), Candytuft (1,500 seeds), Chinese forget me not (1,000 seeds), Pincushion (300 seeds) and Scarlet flax (1,750 seeds).  I am looking forward to a beautiful flower garden this year … Thanks so much!

I am also excited to report that when I visited the Chicago Flower and Garden Show last week, I entered to win a drawing from the Chicago Botanic Garden and I won!   “A Day at the Garden” which includes complimentary parking, 4 passes for the Grand Tram Tour and 4 passes for the Model Railroad Garden.    How totally cool is that!!! 

I went to the show with my Mom and Aunt and made them a little gift using my Cricut machine…a folder to hold their gardening notes.

 Garden folder

I started work on a card for Mother’s Day and also a sign for Easter … both still need work, but I am discovering new techniques and material to work with.  I actually sewed ribbon onto the card and glued a fabric flower on the Easter sign.   Using the sewing technique gives the card a whole new look and it works very well using cardstock.

Can’t get any better than this …. gardening and crafting and Winning, of course!    Thank YOU!

I got my Cricut!

Yes!   We purchased the Cricut and I am overwhelmed to say the least!   I did attend the demonstration and ask many questions at the local craft store yesterday and now I do feel much more comfortable with it.   There really is ALOT of different shapes, sizes, fonts and figures this machine can cut.   For those unfamiliar with a Cricut, it is an electronic cutting machine.   Different cartridges can be purchased and used to create whatever you have in mind.  My unit came with 2 cartridges and I purchased 2 additonal ones – Walk in the Garden is backordered but I did come home with From the Kitchen.

 My first flower creations!

As I left the store I saw this couple walking down the sidewalk with their 4 dogs.   I watched in amazement as they loaded all 4 well behaved dogs into their small vehicle and drove off.  I really thought I was seeing things!

Also this past week I was notified that I won Free Seeds from Everything About Gardening on facebook.  I am a fan and my name was chosen … I love winning!   Jeff @ http://www.cheapseeds.com does a fantastic job of promoting his business!   I was amazed at another of his links – gardening videos.   Check it out at http://www.bestgardeningvideo.com   Tons of information … tons!   Thank you Jeff … I will have fun picking out my seeds!

Another wonderful discovery this past week is Linda from Scentsibilities.  She left a comment on my post about square foot gardening and mentioned she is on the board of a non-profit called Growing Places Garden Project and they use this method in their gardens.  She encourages everyone to check out the website and start working with others in your community.   What a remarkable person and a wonderful cause!

Billie in a box!

Billie the puppy made me smile today …

If its been a while since you had a puppy in your home you forget all those long hours of puppy training,  getting up a few times during the night,  wake up call in the morning at 4 AM and the constant repeat of the word No.  All that is quickly washed away when you have those “puppy moments” and remember why you brought the little bundle home in the first place….to make you smile and that she did today.

Yesterday we stopped at the local grocery store and I scored a big box of apples – they weren’t perfect apples and a few were even useless – they were boxed up and being sold very cheap – I was in my glory … a bargain for me and my dehydrator!!  So I sliced and dried all day yesterday and the dehydrator is still running with another batch.  Apple chips are the best!

 Apples drying in the dehydrator

My first big batch of apple chips – all types of varieties mixed

Trail mix with the apples – I will eat the apple chips just as is, but you can make up your own homemade trail mix very easily.  I added almonds, pretzels and chex cereal here….and those chocolate chex are to die for.  I could probably eat a whole box if that voice in my head wasn’t yelling Stop Stop…enough girl!

So the Puppy Moment came when I took a second to check where the puppy was since it was so quiet all the sudden.  I found her in the box that I had brought the apples home in – all snug and comfy.  She has ventured out of the box a few times but keeps going back in there to nap … she found it all on her own – no coaxing from me! 

I also spent some time this weekend packaging up the Free Seeds for the Great Garden Giveaway – they are all ready and waiting!  Make sure to tell all your garden friends about the event.  I listed the Free Seeds on craiglist this morning and received over 100 hits before someone flagged and deleted the post.  I am guessing it was viewed as a promotional thing of some sort.  Last year I gave away hundreds of seeds on craiglist and had no problem. 

Thank goodness I have my little puppy to make me smile!!!

Companion Gardening revisited

From time to time I will revisit pictures, blog posts and articles I have saved on my computer.  Usually this is a good time to clean up the computer and remove those pictures, etc. that are duplicates or that I just don’t need anymore.  I came across a blog post I had written on Companion Gardening and I decided it was time to refresh my memory and browse through the “Great Garden Companions” book written by Sally Jean Cunningham once again, especially since I am planning the garden for next season and should incorporate many of the plants that are beneficial into the scheme of things.

Random notes on Companion Gardening (from previous post)

Four o’clocks  – this flower is considered a trap crop for Japanese beetles.  This means that the beetle will flock to the four o’clock flower instead of its regular target, in my case, I hope to keep them off my rose bushes and hibiscus plants.  Both of these had Japanese beetles dining on them last year.  Each day as the four o’clocks become full I intend to have a bucket of soapy water on hand and flick the beetles in the bucket .. this I am thinking will immobilize them … permanently.

Nasturtiums  – this is a picture of how I plant most of my seeds in trays and since the nasturtium seeds are quite big, you can see them clearly.  I scatter the seed in the tray and then cover with the soil, water, place under grow lights and wait for action.  This flower I will plant all over since it is said to attract loads of beneficial insects which are the good bugs that eat the bad bugs who do the damage to your plants.  They also are said to repel aphids, potato beetle, Mexican bean beetles, cucumber beetle and squash bugs.  I will be planting more nasturtiums near my cucumber, zucchini and beans.  Another note states to plant with vine crops to protect ground beetles and spiders (beneficial insects).

 Buckwheat is used as a cover crop because it adds good nutrients to your soil.  If there is an empty garden place make sure to grow some buckwheat there.  I have an area which one day will be planted with flowers.  I tossed some buckwheat seeds in this area and will let them do their magic.  I will also plant buckwheat in borders around the gardens since it attracts parasitic wasps, hoverflies and honeybees … the good bugs. 

Also between the corn rows to attract wasps that parasitize the corn earworm!

Basil –  I will plant around my tomato plants along with Borage which will repel the tomato hornworm.  Basil also repels aphids, asparagus beetles, mites and mosquitoes.  Borage will attract bees and other beneficial insects.  My pepper plants will be nearby along with marigolds that will be planted throughout the gardens.

I found this very interesting regarding the dandelion – they have taproots which reach down below the topsoil to absorb important nutrients from the subsoil, which become part of the dandelion plant.  Make sure to add the dandelion (before it flowers) to your compost or back into the topsoil for those important nutrients.

 “Great Garden Companions” written by Sally Jean Cunningham is the source of my research and a book I highly recommend.

I will add more notes after rereading the book but one tip that I will add now is to start your flower and/or herb seeds indoors.  You want to get a jump start on them so they are already blooming or producing when you plant your other seedlings out such as tomatoes, cucumber, squash so they can perform the companion tasks of repelling evil bugs and encouraging good bugs. 

Here’s a heads up note – There will be free seeds offered to the first 20 participants in the Great Garden Giveaway and one of those seeds is the Golden Guardian Marigold which I have used and continue to use in my gardens … a good companion plant!