Water bottle Greenhouses.

These are just soooooo pretty.  I got these seeds a few months ago and yesterday I decided to plant a few as an experiment.  I know that they will grow that part isn't the experience it is the way that I am starting them.

These 8oz Water bottles are now mini Greenhouses.  Simply cut around the bottle at the point where it begins to get smaller.  Not all the way but most of the way.  Cut it around till you can easily fold or bend back the top.  Put in some soil, seeds, and more soil if needed.  Make sure to water it.  Then take some tape and close the bottle again.  2 pieces should do it.  I used a Zip-tie to label the bottles.  Granted this would only work if you write down someplace safe what each color means.  This is a great way to start some seeds in the dead of winter.  Also known as winter sowing.  After you have it taped up to keep it closed simply place outside in the snow or just on the porch.  When spring comes around and thaws everything out your mini Greenhouses will be the first to start germinating.

I am leaving these inside as I want to see how well they will do.  Mainly because usually this method is done with much larger bottles or milk jugs.  I want to see if the smaller space is enough.  That and it is fun for kids to do.  Their own little Greenhouses in their windows.

Poughkeepsie Gardening Examiner

I am so happy.  A few weeks ago my husband told me about Examiner.com.  He had gotten a Monster.com search results email that contained a job through Examiner.com.  Well that job was for writing Technical Articles.  Although I can do that as well due to my 11 years of Naval service my current true passion is Gardening.  Not that any of you could tell. hehe.

Anyways because of my job in the Navy being very technical he told me about the site and I went to check it out.  I ended up applying for a few different topics, my #1 pick was Gardening.  I did apply to Girl Tech as well because I do have that experience and knowledge.  Well I got hired!!!

So now I get to write articles about gardening here in NY.  And get paid to do it.  How cool is that.  For my loyal readers some of the content will be repeats of some of my blog posts but to a different audience.  That I can get paid for this is just a bonus really.  I am so happy that I will get to share my knowledge, how ever slight it may be at times, with a bigger audience.  So on my links page occasionally I will post a link to articles that I have written.  For now it will just be to my profile as I don't have any articles published yet.  It has to be reviewed first.

Harvesting Edible Garden Tour - January 21, 2011

Welcome to the first of many new Idea's for this year.

I love looking at pictures of gardens.  Of ornamental and of Edible.  So since I already participate in the Garden Bloggers Bloom Day an ornamental of sorts I wanted to create something similar but from the Edible Garden.

So for my entry:

Garlic Chives

 Even in the coldest days of winter hard core gardeners can be found tending to a plant of some kind.  Many of us who are trying to eat healthier can be found giving our Edible Gardens some much needed TLC.  Granted this Garlic Chive plant doesn't look like much but I brought it back from the dead.  I left it out on my porch too long into the beginnings of winter and it got hit with some frost.

But some TLC, water, window filtered sunlight, the heat of my house back to life it has come.

Not truly needing to be harvested at any particular point Garlic Chives are one of those herbs you harvest as needed. But since I used up almost all my frozen chives I needed to cut some more to restock.

I know it doesn't look all that different but this is after the cuttings were well cut.  Chives are best harvested when you cut them right at the soil line.








So what in your garden is edible and harvest-able right now?  Write about it, post a copy of the link below and make a comment if you want.  Come back later and see who else made a post and look at their gardens.

World garden blog carnival. Gardening for the new year Jan 2011

AAAHHHH a New Year a new plan.  Although parts of my garden are still growing from last year for the most part it is a new year and time for new plans.

This year I plan to well....plan my garden.  Last year I was given the Greenhouse for Mothers Day and as soon as it was ordered I went out got some seeds and started them.  Yes they grew.  I did get veggies from them, but I didn't plan.  Had I planned maybe I would have gotten to eat some of my broccoli and cauliflower.

So this year it's all about preparing and planning.  I have "maps" all ready created for each and every garden.  Well except the flower gardens.  Still working on those.  I took each and every seed catalog book I had and filled out the order forms as if I was going to buy everything from that one catalog.  Then after all were filled out I made one master list.  If any items were on multiple forms...the best deal was the only one to be added.  Granted this way I may end up paying shipping from a few different company's but I know that I will be getting the best deal.  I also broke the list down to Need to have to start gardening, Really want to have, and Would like to have.

Planning the garden is more fun than I thought.  It does remind me of my youth when we went on vacations.  Packing a mini-van for 7 people for a week takes practice and a certain amount of patience.  Tetris has to be your game if you plant to get it all in the trunk.  My gardens are like that.  How much can I plant in this one garden with out crowding the plants but yet maximizing the space I have.  It's cool.  If I move the tomato to this garden then I have more room for the beans.  If I plant the peas in with the corn I won't need as many trellises for them to climb on as they can use the corn stalks.  The lettuce will love being planted under the tomato's lots of shade.  Things like that.

Not able to wait I started some seeds last month.  Half of these are for the edible parts of the garden where the other half is ornamental.  Another new thing for this year is I want to plant some of my own flowers.  All but a hand full of plant where here when we bought the house in 2009.  I want to add my own color to the yard.  Some that will come back each year....and some that won't.  I want to try new things.  Expand my experience and learn more.

So here is too a New Gardening Year.

Want to see some other's that are part of the Carnival?  Just visit My little Garden in Japan.  Fernando has links on his blog to other bloggers around the world.  

Visit New Year Gardening Resolutions Blog Carnival

at my little garden in japan

GBBD - January 2011

Ahh the new year has begun and the first of 12 posts to show the Blogging world what is Blooming in my Garden.  May Dreams Gardens posts every month on the 15 what is blooming and fellow Garden Bloggers like me join in.  So for the blooming pictures here we are...and a few other cool ones too.

 Unfortunatly this is all that is blooming.  It's cold and white outside.  But it's still pretty

 I had to show this picture.  These are my son's Caterpillar family.  The one on top that looks stretched out and well bad....was made my be almost a year ago and is aptly named Aiden Caterpillar.  The one in the back with a brown face is Daddy Caterpillar and finally the one in front is Mommy Caterpillar.  Aiden informs me I need to still make Sister, Grandma, and Grandpa Caterpillars.

 I was playing with my camera the other night and took a shot of the fire.  Doesn't it just look so warm and cozy?

 Watch out folks.....it's the attach of the snow loving Buddy dog......I love high burst on the camera.

And finally I just had to post this picture as well as it looks cool.  Granted it is not good at all for the house but it sure does look yummy.

Until next month Garden Bloggers Bloom Day post.  Have a good one.

My Garden, My Hobbies in 2010

2010 was a big year here.  We saw lots of new things.  Here are some key pictures from each month.  Making them smaller to load faster so you may need to click on them to see.

January - Started like most January's in the north do....snowy.

February - More snow and snow men.  Falling or splitting Trees and snow banks taller than my kids

March - A little more snow....and then none and the dump trucks cam out to play

April - Spring shows with lovely daffodils.  Mr. Nutters visits from my sisters garden in CA, and many of my winged friends visit.

May - The beginnings of my Gardening adventures.

The kids learn how to plant a tree....











Flowers start to bloom.

Newly planted trees are growing, roses are in bloom, and the Rhubarb is taking root.

Onions start popping up, The construction of the Greenhouse begins. The plants that will be grown in the Greenhouse are started.









And last but not least for this month Greenhouse construction is complete.

June - A Busy Month
Seedlings sprouting just right, then planted in their summer home, my first ever Harvest...Mint










Morning Glories and Moon flowers started their growing, a tomato appears, and I preserved some Strawberry Rhubarb Jelly..another first.











July - Lots of growth happening

The Corn is getting tall, Tomatoes getting bigger, and I started an Herb Garden










The first Morning Glory bloom, the Morning Glories and Moon Flower plants were transplanted, and the tomato plant in the Greenhouse got to tall and heavy to hold herself up alone.











My first Lettuce harvest, Mr Nutters comes back from CA again to look in on my garden, and my friendly birds are back.










Mr. Nutters visits a second time this month but tried to be sneaky about it.  Buddy dog is used as a measuring tool....look how small he looks next to my corn.  And once again Mr Nutters tries to impress me with his stunts.










My first tomato harvest, the corn is now taller than my kids, and the onions were ready.










August - Lots to see and lots to do.

The Corn grows to reach my bedroom window, The Morning Glories and Moon Flowers reach the top of the porch, and finally a Moon Flower blooms












My harvesting skills increase as I begin a collection of dried herbs. And the Carrots are ready and my two eager children gladly helped pick them and pose....

The Morning Glories like the porch and have taken over and really started to bloom, and my tomato plants gets a major hair cut.....it started to touch the roof


September - School begins again and the gardens continue to grow

The attach of the vine is far from over, This Morning Glory vine grew over and under and all around the porch and it's self....all the while producing lovely blooms










The first day of school you just have to bring flowers for your teacher.  More blooms show up every day and the Moon Flowers get a little confused...thus the two vines blooming at the same time of day.  And as fall begins to get closer it's time to learn about seeds, and how to save them.

October - Fall is here

Seeds are ready to be stored, the indoor garden begins to form, and new colors fill the outdoors as the trees begin to make a rainbow.





Seeds are continued to be harvested and new things are learned.

November - Big Changes happened this month

The vines were killed by frost, the first of my Peppers were picked, and tomato plants were moved inside to protect from frost.

Pumpkin pie was made and frost hit the garden












December - The final Month of the year

Major wind storm brings the neighbors carport into our yard, The final veggie harvest of the year, and Cedar shavings are placed over all the gardens for extra protection once winter sets in.

The roof gets replaced after a dusting, Then the snow hits....poor children at play guy, and my little trees turn white



Snow drifts insulate the Greenhouse, snow banks from the porch cover one of my gardens. And the kids get to play in snow half as tall as them....










2010 Sure turned out to be a busy year.  Lots was learned, lots was done.  As 2011 gets underway I look FWD to the types of posts and pictures will be in next years review.