photo credit: Daquella manera

If some may celebrate Christmas in July, then why shouldn’t I write a post about Poinsettia in September?

At the beginning of this year, right after the Christmas season, I wrote an article about Poinsettia (click on the highlighted word to see that post).

I encouraged you not to discard your Poinsettia into trash, but suggested to nurture it until next Christmas, to be pleasantly surprised with its renewed beauty, and to save money by not purchasing a new one.

Since I try to practice what I preach (most of the time), I saved my Poinsettia as well, and will keep you updated with its progress from now until Christmas.  If you can follow the instructions I provided in my first post, we both might have a free blooming Poinsettia for Christmas.

Let’s be optimistic, and don’t worry too much if we both fail, because there will be plenty pretty plants around the holidays to pick from, so we can start all over again.

Just don’t give up.  “They didn’t build Rome in one day either”!

I kept my Poinsettia on my kitchen table all the way until Easter, but had to move it to my living room at that point, so my family wouldn’t think that I had my seasons mixed up.

I did not pamper it much at all.  I just picked off any dried up leaves, and watered it as needed.

Believe me, there were times when I was ready to “throw in the towel”, when it started to look very shoddy.  However, that would have made me a quitter, and would have let you down, so I held on to it.  For a while my poinsettia looked like something from a recycling bin, with hardly any leaves on, but I kept my hope for better days ahead.

Once the weather warmed up,  I took my plant outside and kept it on a window sill in the sun-room.  Watered it regularly, but did not fertilize it at all ( I’m kind of wary of house plants fertilizers, as sometimes they do more harm than good to my house plants).

It started to grow new foliage, and looking like a healthy plant once again. This is how it looks like now, from  this  side.

I must tell you that one branch broke off, when the wind knocked it off my window sill one day,  otherwise it would have looked even better.

Here you have the other side.  As you can see, it looks quite nice from both sides.

Now, if you still have your plant, please read my first article for further, very important, directions on how to care for your revived Poinsettia plant, in order to have it bloom once again in December.

I will keep you posted with my plant’s progress, so check back with us in October, November and December.

I’m just as curious as you are, as this is my first time actually following the care instructions.

I saved Poinsettias before, but was not aware of all the necessary steps to make it bloom again.

It is very relaxing and rewarding to plant your own herbs and vegetables.  You don’t even have to have a “green thumb” for planting these vegetables, and fruits, as you most likely will correct me, and call a tomato a fruit, rather than a vegetable.

I feel that some plants require much more care than others.  I have a hard time planting onions and carrots, as for some reason they just do not turn out as nice and appealing as the ones in the store.  If you have any suggestions, please share them, so I will perhaps give myself another chance with these two.

However, growing tomatoes and potatoes is so easy, and this year especially, as they turned out totally free.

Last year I bought a couple of tomato plants, one Beefsteak Tomato plant, and one Cherry Tomato plant.  They both did very well, and produced lots of fruits.  Some of these fruits fell off the plant and worked themselves into the ground, so this year I noticed free tomato plants sprouting in my garden.  I let them grow into at least 6 inch plants, before transplanting them into a more suitable location.

So, here is my first picking of my free Cherry Tomatoes, which grew even larger in size this year, than last year:

I already mentioned in my previous posts that I like to turn my vegetable kitchen scraps into compost, so I have been doing that during last fall and early spring.  I dug up several deep rows in my garden, kept on filling them up with the veggie scraps, covered them with dirt, and left them there until it was time to prepare the garden for planting.  Most of them were already decomposed, but some still stayed intact.

The excitement came in late April, when I noticed that besides the self seeded tomato plants, I also had numerous Pepper plants(not sure yet what color they will be) and potato plants, sprouting from my compost rows.  Since these plants self seeded themselves, they were hardier to survive any weather changes, as spring has kind of unpredictable weather most of the time.

Eventually I will share the peppers cultivated from these plants, but here are my free potatoes.

These Red Potatoes are a result of one piece of a potato which I must have discarded together with the potato peels.  I was very pleasantly surprised when the potato plant dried up, thus a sign that it is time to harvest the crop, and I found all of the above potatoes under that plant.  Amazing, don’t you agree?

I also told you that some of the potato peels sprouted as well, and these plants of course were much weaker, as the peels did not have much nutrition to feed the plant, unlike the potato chunk.

Nonetheless, they still managed to produce some potatoes.  Can you believe this, growing potatoes from a potato peel?

Here they are, free Russet Potatoes.

These are baking potatoes, so the skin is darker and thicker than the Red Potatoes.  Since these are a product from only potato peels, they are much smaller.  The larger ones are the size of an egg, and the smallest ones are the size of a grape.

I still am in a total disbelief that potato peels had enough nutrition to produce these potatoes.  I could have let them grow a little longer, to give them a chance to get larger, but I needed to dig them up as the tops were totally gone, and they just grew in between my other vegetables, not exactly where I would normally plant a potato.

So you see how easy it is to grow plants in your garden, even from scraps!

If next year to wish to try growing your own potatoes, I will post easy to follow potato growing instructions.

All you will need is at least one chunk of a potato, and a place to plant it.

photo credit: BFS Man

As I mentioned before, I am following this super website on tips for living green, and promised to share some of these with you.

Now that you are becoming more aware of these great ways to save the environment, energy, and money, you can join in and be part of the Living Green Team.

Mother Earth and future generations with thank you!

Today’s post is all about conserving water and saving a bundle at the same time, so read on.

Don’t Just Go with the Flow

What?
Conserve water – and lower your bills – by installing low-flow showerheads and faucet aerators.

How?
It’s brilliant, really. Low-flow showerheads and faucet aerators allow you to enjoy the same water pressure with lower water consumption.

Why?
Conventional showerheads use anywhere between 2.5 and 5 gallons of water per minute, while low-flow showerheads can reduce that number to 1 to 1.5 gallons per minute.

Did You Know?
Installing a low-flow showerhead can save you $100 per year in water usage and water-heating costs.

Scrub, Rinse and Get Out of There

What?
Save money and water by speeding up your shower routine.

How?
The average showerhead uses about five gallons of water per minute. Thus, trimming your daily shower by just three minutes can save 15 gallons of water per day – and 5,460 gallons per year!

Why?
Reducing your water use can save you about $170 per year. In addition, it decreases the amount of fossil fuel energy used to supply, treat and heat your water.

Did You Know?
Americans use an average of 100 gallons of water per day. No wonder 36 states are anticipating severe local, regional or statewide water shortages by 2013.

Do the Rain Dance

What?
Save water by installing a water catcher or rain barrel for your home.

How?
Position the barrel to capture rainwater from your gutters. Then use the non-potable water to wash cars, flush toilets, water the lawn, etc.

Why?
A rain barrel can save approximately 1,300 gallons of water during peak summer months.

Did You Know?
Lawn and garden watering make up nearly 40% of total household water use during the summer.

Don’t Be A Drip About Water Usage

What?
Save time and water with a drip irrigation system for your yard.

How?
Shop online or visit your local gardening store to buy a system. Once you’re set up, you can retire the sprinkler and put away that hose you keep tripping over.

Why?
Drip irrigation is extremely efficient because it applies water directly to the plant’s roots. As a result, it eliminates excess water usage as well as the misdirected spray that promotes weeds.

Did You Know?
Over 90% of the water used by drip irrigation is absorbed by the plant, compared to only 40-75% for sprinklers.

No Leaking – In or Out of the Pool

What?
Conserve water by identifying and fixing leaks in your swimming pool.

How?
The bucket test. Fill a five-gallon bucket with water, and put it on a step or bench in the pool. If the pool’s water level decreases faster than the bucket’s water level, you may have a leak.

Why?
In a big pool, even a small leak can waste over 100,000 gallons of water per year.

Did You Know?
You can search for pool repair experts in your area at www.poolleak.info.

Are You a Profligate Sprinkler?

What?
Conserve water through responsible lawn watering.

How?
Use an electronic soil tester to measure moisture. Water your lawn in one deep session per week – rather than frequent lighter sessions. And do it in the early morning to minimize evaporation.

Why?
Most lawns need about one inch of water per week, and many Americans go way beyond that. To make matters worse, we’re wasting water while many states have droughts.

Did You Know?
A whopping 60% of water use on the West Coast is attributed to watering lawns, a non-essential usage.

If you love roses, but just do not have the right spot to plant them in, why not go for potted roses to adore your deck, patio,  or any other place around your home.

My sister-in-law, in upstate New York, did just that.  She loves flowers, especially roses, but always had to go through tremendous effort to protect her plants from undesirable visitors, such as deer, woodchucks, squirrels, and others.

This year she outsmarted these nuisance animals, and decided to plant her Chihuly Roses in large pots on her deck and front porch.

She was kind enough to share with me, her pictures of these beauties, and I am showing them off to you, in case you are looking for some ideas.

Cream-Yellow rose, not only it is so delicate and beautiful, but also very fragrant.

Don’t you agree that these are gorgeous,  and very healthy looking?

Not only the flowers are perfect, but the foliage is so vibrant green, without any blemishes, or imperfections.

If you grow roses in your garden, you know that it could be quite challenging to keep roses in such perfect condition, so I asked her to share some of her tips.

She informed me that she let them remain in their original containers, for a couple of weeks after purchasing these from a nursery.  After the two weeks, she replanted them into larger planters, leaving intact the original soil around the plants, and adding Miracle Gro soil which contains built-in fertilizer.  For additional nourishment she used liquid Miracle Gro.

Also, to protect her plants from infestation and disease, she applies Sevin powder and spray, per manufacturers directions.  Potted plants need to be watered daily, as the soil gets warm, and the water evaporates easily.

Best way to water is close to the roots, as not to get water on the leaves, to prevent formation of mold and mildew.  Preferred watering time is in the early morning, or after sun down, so the roots have a chance to absorb most of it, rather then losing it to evaporation.

I would like to ask you all to share your tips on gardening in pots, whether it is flowers, herbs or vegetables.

June‘s hot weather was not very kind to gardeners, or their gardens.  No matter how much I was watering my garden, it was back to desert conditions the next day.

The best time to water your garden is either early morning, if you have time, or after sun set.  Also, it is good to remember not to water your tomato plants from the top, but rather down by their roots, to prevent the growth of fungus, and other diseases.

I am always so amazed to see how much difference a light rain makes in my garden, in comparison to my daily watering.

So, let’s play  “show and tell” with what’s new in my garden in July:

These gorgeous White Lily plants are very special, because last year after Easter, they were tossed out by their original owner, and offered to me, that is if I really wanted them.  They did not look like they had much life left in them, but that was more of a reason why I adopted these famished plants.  I watered them really well, and planted them the next day in my South-West side flower patch, to keep them warm and protected during the winter months. Only the two stronger ones looked like they accepted their new home last year.  However, I was pleasantly surprised this spring when they all came out, and bloomed so beautifully in late June.

This Red Canna Lily plant, and about 6 more of these throughout my flower patch, were given to me by my husband’s aunt, who loves tending to her flower and vegetable garden, and the fruits of her labor are definitely showing in her garden.  The tubers of these plants needed to be kept in a dry cool place (my basement) during winter, and I planted then in my garden in mid April.  These Lilies do not have much of a fragrance, but they have such luscious foliage, and a very interesting way to display their flowers.

My granddaughter loves sweet peas, so this year I planted some in my garden.  It is so much fun to watch them grow, as they climb up and for support attach themselves to whatever stands in their way, in my case, the fence. I admire the way the peas sit in the pea pod, so tight together, and so orderly.  Looks delicious!

We love green beans,  so of course, I planted some of these in my garden as well, and here is my first crop of the season.  I can’t wait to steam some for dinner!

So, what’s new in your garden this time of the year?  Please share your comments.

TIP:  Planting your own vegetables not only saves you money, but also provides you with fresh, delicious, and pesticide free veggies.

Who wouldn’t love raspberries?   They look so succulent, fresh, inviting and delicious, right? While all of this is true about the fruit, growing them in your garden is another story.

As the old saying goes “every rose has it’s thorns”, and the same is true about raspberry bushes.  Despite the great appeal of the fruit,  the plants require quite a bit of TLC, which I learned after I planted mine (ignorance is bliss…sometimes).

Before you decide to add them to your gardening plan, please click on the highlighted words above, to familiarize yourself with the whole process.

You will find out that there two different types of raspberries, those that produce fruit once a year, during early summer, like mine, and the overbearing ones, that produce fruit at least twice during the year (summer and fall).

They begin producing fruit in their second year of growth, as during the first year they try to establish themselves, and strengthen their Primocanes, which develop into Floricanes, thus fruit bearing canes.

Raspberry bushes are scratchy and full of fine thorns, thus tending to them requires wearing protective gear, mainly long sleeves and gloves.  The canes need to be thinned out and pruned.

These are my raspberry bushes with new growth this late spring, after I pruned them in early spring.  Here again, read the linked article on the pruning method.  I pruned mine to about 3 feet tall canes, and cut out all the dead canes, and removed the very thin ones (the suckers).

I also would not recommend planting raspberry bushes close to your vegetable garden, like I did, because it creates additional weeding, as the roots spread into my garden, and new (unwanted) plants spring up everywhere.

This picture was taken at the beginning of June, and as you can see, there are lots of raspberries getting ready to ripen, and to be picked.  How exciting is that? So far, the birds have been behaving pretty well, and not beating me to the ripe fruit.  It almost makes me forget how many times I have been scratched by these  prickly bushes.

Raspberry bushes need to fertilized twice per year, pruned regularly, kept weed free, and supported by trellis ( I planted mine against the fence).  Raspberry plants, just like rose plant, do not like to be watered from the top, over their foliage, but rather close to the roots, to prevent the growth and spread of mold and disease.

Since I try to keep my garden as close to organic as possible, I only use natural fertilizer.  Actually, since I planted my raspberry bushes in mushroom soil, two years ago, I did not use any additional fertilizer yet.

I am dreading the Japanese Beetle season, since I try to pick them off, rather than spraying my plants with any pesticides.  They will love to get on these lovely leaves and chew away,  so I really will have to keep an eye out for those pesky beetles.

I used to strategically post these special beetle traps, but found out that these actually attract more beetles to my yard, due to the aroma of the lure, which does lure them towards the traps, but not all of them end up in the traps, but rather attack other flowers and plants they find just as attractive and tasty.

I also, prepare my own organic bug spray, by mixing hot pepper sauce, vegetable oil, water and dish detergent.  It works on bugs, but it needs to be applied often, especially during a rainy season.

Please share your gardening tips and stories with all of us, and leave a comment.

photo credit: craigCloutier

A while back I shared with you that I am following this wonderful  website , which provides numerous tips on “living green”.

I love nature, enjoy pesticide free gardening, and try to contribute to saving Mother Earth as much as possible, I promised to share some of their tips with you.

Here is one  I saved for you for today:

Avoid Chemical Pesticides

Read the full tip online

What?
Protect your family – and the environment – by avoiding the use of pesticides in your lawn and garden.

How?
Work with your eco-system, not against it.  Plant native and complementary plants.  Then weigh living with a few dandelions versus using a pesticide that could poison your child or pet.

Why?
Pesticides have been linked to cancer, birth defects and nerve system damage in humans.

Did You Know?
Most of our water sources are contaminated with pesticides.  Over 95% of river and stream samples, as well as over 50% of well samples, contain at least one pesticide.

Okay, But How Hard Is It?
As easy as keeping your yard safe for children and pets Two Smileys

I love gardening, and especially growing my own herbs to have on hand to use in my recipes.

One of the herbs I enjoy in my dishes, is fresh Basil.

Someone shared this recipe for a homemade vinaigrette, so I am sharing it here with you.

Fresh, homemade salad dressing is not only convenient, but also very refreshing.

Yields: 1 2/3 cups of dressing.

Ingredients:

• 9 Tbs white wine vinegar (plain or any other vinegar you have)
• 1 1/2 Tbs honey
• 1/2 tsp fine sea salt (or regular salt)
• 1 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil, or Canola oil
• 3 Tbs chopped fresh Basil
• 3 Tbs minced fresh Chives

Directions:

1. Combine vinegar, honey and salt.
2. Whisk in the oil, until combined.
3. Stir in Basil and Chives.
4. Cover, and store in a refrigerator up to five days.

TIP: In case you do not have fresh Basil or Chives, you still can make a simple salad dressing by mixing some Extra Virgin Olive oil with vinegar, and adding some salt, pepper to taste, plus some dried Italian herbs, such as Oregano and Basil.

Those of you who enjoy gardening, will be excited to see the 2010 additions to my flower patch, and my vegetable garden.

Last year I posted all my monthly blooms from May through September, so as not to bore you, this year I will only share the new additions and any amazing changes to last year’s plants.

As you already know that I use only natural fertilizers and do not spray my vegetables with any chemicals.

I also deposit my kitchen vegetable scraps into my vegetable garden to create compost as an additional nutrient for my garden soil.  Some of these vegetable scraps include potato peels, or chunks of potatoes not suitable for cooking.  Many of these potato pieces sprouted into new potato plants, and will produce new potatoes for us to enjoy.

Potatoes are not one of those vegetables that most small gardeners would plant, as they take lots of space, and I am one of those gardeners.  However, this one is a keeper since it is so vibrant and in full bloom now, so it will produce at least 2-4 potatoes, enough for one dinner.  I am very excited about that, because homegrown potatoes are delicious.  At the bottom of this post I will share a close up picture of a potato flower, if you never had a chance to see one before.

Sweet Williams – what a perfect name for these flowers, as their fragrance is truly very sweet.  Aren’t they lovely?

Perfect for cut flower bouquets, but I prefer to admire them live, in my garden.

These were here last year, but this year they really spread out and I totally admire the numerous blooms.

Pruning these rose bushes this spring, resulted in numerous new branches, full of gorgeous blooms.

Here is my self grown potato plant, and a close up view of the potato flower.  I would be curious to know how many of my readers had ever seen a potato bloom before.

This year I have added few artichoke plants and sweet peas.   Sweet peas will be able to produce this year, but the artichoke will only build up strength to produce next year.  I will share an update on its progress, and hopefully enjoy some fresh artichokes next year.

Strawberry season is in full swing now in my garden.  This year’s crop is quite abundant.

There are so many different ways to consume strawberries, such us serving it plain, sliced with whipped cream, baking a Strawberry Shortcake, making a berry smoothie, and also cooking a very refreshing summer dish – Strawberry Soup.

The recipe for the Polish Strawberry Soup has been posted by Barbara Rolek on her blog.

This weekend,  I prepared this dish  for my family, as it only took minutes to prepare.   It may be served as an appetizer, a refreshing drink any time, or with a dessert.

Barbara suggested serving it hot, or chilled, with pasta, however my family requested it chilled, without pasta.

I tried my strawberry soup warm, topped off with a scoop of Vanilla Ice cream, and it was just perfect!

We also agreed that it would be great as a base for a cocktail drink (with rum or vodka), or as a salad dressing for an exotic salad of fresh spinach with mandarin orange segments, walnuts and strawberries, maybe with a dab of vinegar to add some tartness to it.

If you had the pleasure of tasting Strawberry Soup, or decide to try some of the above suggestions, we would love to hear your comments.

TIP:  Any leftover soup can be used to make Popsicles.   Great for kids and adults!!