Five Mistakes Gardeners Make

I’ve been known to make a mistake or two in my gardens. I think we all have at one time or another. I also feel like I learned more from my mistakes than from reading many gardening books. That being said, I’d like to tell you about some of the more costly mistakes that are made and how you can avoid them.


Mistake #1 – Planting too close to a building, well or septic system
This is a huge mistake and I see it being done almost on a daily basis. It amazes me that even professional landscapers make this mistake often. Trees and shrubs should not be planted next to the house, period, yet it is done all the time.

The main reason is that the roots can eventually damage the foundation. In the case of large trees, tree limbs can fall and cause damage to your house. Leaves can block drainage and cause damage. Vines growing up the side of a house can cause damage to siding or soffits. Plants can block windows when they get too big, causing safety or security issues or blocking light from reaching indoors. Plants are in the way when maintenance on the house needs to be done.

Same is true for planting too close to wells and septic systems. The roots can invade these areas and cause costly damages. Generally you should not plant closer than 25-30 feet to a well or within 50 feet of a septic system, and don’t choose trees or shrubs that love water, like willows. Choose dwarf or smaller varieties when possible. Look at the plant tags and see how wide they are supposed to grow and then add a few feet to that number. Cut that number in half and that’s how far away from a house, well, or septic you should plant it.

For example: The plant tag says a Golden Shadow Dogwood has a mature spread of 6’-10’. If I add 3’ to the maximum spread, I get 13’. Divide that by 2 and my answer is 6.5’. So I will make sure when I plant this it will be at least 6.5 feet away from a well, septic or the foundation of the house.

Mistake #2 – Not planning ahead for the mature size of a plant
This kind of thing goes hand in hand with number 1. In fact, I make this mistake on purpose from time to time, but it’s really important to know the mature size of a plant before planting it so that you don’t plant things too close together.

In the case of trees and shrubs, you don’t want to have to keep pruning it to keep it the size you want. Instead, plant the right sized shrub in the right spot and avoid all that extra pruning. I’m a lazy gardener. I don’t need any extra work.

If you are filling in a large area with perennials, you may want to plant a little closer together for a larger impact now. Just remember that in 2-3 years, you will need to divide and move many of those plants because they will be crowding each other out. I planted too close together many times in the beginning because I needed to fill a large space. My only regret is that I also planted close to a tree that is growing faster than expected and it will be very difficult to move these perennials without damaging the roots of the tree. Learn from my mistake, don’t do it.

Mistake #3 – Over fertilizing
This mistake is made all the time. They see a plant that isn’t doing well and assume it needs fertilizer when in fact something else could be wrong, like soil pH or the wrong amount of water. Too much fertilizer can stunt plants, make them weaker and more prone to pest damage because they always have nice tender foliage for them to munch on. Synthetic fertilizers are even more damaging when not used properly.

To take the guess work out of fertilizing, stop using synthetic fertilizers and apply compost to your garden beds at least once a year. Twice a year in warmer climates with longer growing seasons (Spring and Fall). If you have roses or other heavy feeders that need more nutrients, switch to organic fertilizers such as fish emulsion, compost tea or alfalfa tea. Espoma makes a great line of granular products too. If you insist on using synthetic fertilizers, use them at half strength and applied once a week, maximum.

If you are still having problems, have a soil test done at your local county extension office or laboratory. Don’t know where one is in your area? Check with a good plant nursery (not a big box store) in your neighborhood for a recommendation. At home kits are ok for checking soil pH, but there are more tests the lab will do to determine what is actually in your soil and what may need to be added to make your soil better for the type of plants you are growing.

Mistake #4 – Over watering
Again, this is a very common mistake, especially with houseplants. In general, most plants need 1” of water a week to grow well. If they are slow growers, they most likely will need less water.

Always know how much water your plant requires for optimum growth. Though plants are forgiving, a cactus is not going to like having constant water all the time, but a rose bush may benefit from two or three deep soakings a week.

Before watering anything, stick your finger in the soil. If it feels dry three or four inches down, water deeply until that area is completely saturated. You shouldn’t need another watering until the next week or you can let Mother Nature take care of it. Plants tend to perform better and be able to resist drought better when they are given longer waterings less often than shallow frequent waterings.

Mistake #5 – Growing plants that are invasive
This mistake is made by many new gardeners as well as experienced ones. Sometimes we love a plant so much we don’t take into account that it could be choking out a native species.

What is an invasive plant, you ask? By definition it’s any plant that thrives outside it’s natural habitat, is adaptable to any growing condition and reproduces rapidly. Invasive plants are choking out native plants that our native critters need for food or shelter. This causes a chain reaction that can be detrimental to our environment.

Some plants can be more invasive in some areas than others, but it’s always a good rule of thumb to not grow any of them in your yard or gardens, even if they don’t appear to be a problem right off the bat. We have an old Norway Maple in our yard that I would love to cut down, but it’s a mature shade tree that we need and it would cost a lot to have it removed. As soon as it is feasible to do so, however, it will be cut down.

For more information on invasive species, I encourage you to check out the National Invasive Species Information Center at http://www.invasivespeciesinfo.gov.

Those are my top five mistakes that gardeners make. There are loads more, but heh, isn’t that part of the fun of gardening? To try new things and learn from your own mistakes?

Happy Gardening!

Bottle Cap Table with Poured Resin Surface

Bottle Cap Table with Poured Resin Surface - More DIY How To Projects

I haven't posted any Instructables lately, but I thought this one was kinda cool. It could certainly be adapted to another type of project. It has definitely sparked my imagination.

Pest Busters #9 - Stink Bugs

Stink bugs (from the Pentatomidae family) come in a variety of sizes and colors and look like they are wearing armor over their wings. If you've never seen one, you can view some pictures here.

They are commonly called stink bugs because when they are threatened they release an awful smell that protects them from predators. You need to be very careful when getting rid of them as you do not want them to release this scent in your home. The scent won't hurt you, it just smells awful and could attract more stink bugs to the area.

Stink bugs generally live outdoors in yards, gardens, and meadows, but will move indoors looking for warmth and light in the fall and winter months. They can suck the juices from plants in their adult form as well as the nymph form and can do a lot of damage when in high numbers. They especially like fruits and vegetable plants.

They lay their eggs on the underside of leaves on low bushes and wild plants. They cannot reproduce indoors, so that's a bonus for us. As adults they get protection from leaf litter or mulch material on the ground that is nearby where they were born.

The best way to kill them is to gently knock them into a dish of soapy water. Once they have stopped moving, flush them down the toilet. Their armor protects them from many insecticides, so to use them would cause more harm than good in the long run. I don't like to step on them to kill them because this too will release that awful smell.

Stink bugs can flatten themselves out and squeeze through a tiny little area to get into your home. If you are getting a lot of these bugs, or any bugs in your home, then you need to take a serious look at all the areas around your home that could be allowing them access. Common places too look are around windows and vents and all along the seams of your siding. If the problem is minor, some caulk around your windows and doors should do the trick. Make sure there are no holes in your window screens and cover vents with screen whenever possible. Look for large gaps around pipes and under sinks. If you have a huge infestation, you may want to consider having an energy audit done. They will be able to find all the areas where your home is leaking air. Not only will they save on your energy costs, but an added bonus will be no more bugs in your home.

Stinkbugs are attracted to lights, so if you notice that they like to hang out on the side of your house, you may want to look at your lighting set-up. Reduce the amount of lights you have on at night, or reducing their brightness, should help. At night when lights are on inside your home, pull down the shades or use heavy curtains that block light from the outside.

I don't consider these bugs to be a huge pest. They don't bother too many plants in my landscape and some bugs in the Pentatomidae are actually good because they pray on japanese beetles which are far more destructive then these guys. But I know that in some areas, where populations are higher, these bugs can be a real nuisance.

More information on stink bugs can be found here and here.

Birdbaths in Progress

I worked on some mosaic birdbaths this past weekend. I love making them from terracotta saucers. The saucers are relatively inexpensive, depending on where you buy them and they are so easy to work with. Once the saucer is sealed, it's just glue, let dry and grout. What could be easier?

I guess this one is more abstract. I tend to make a lot of abstract pieces now that I think of it. Depending on if I'm in the mood to cut tiles, usually decides the design....LOL.


This next one is a flower pattern made from stained glass rather than vitreous tiles. Wait until you see it finished with the peach glass that will surround the flower. It will be so pretty.

The hardest part for me will be deciding the grout color, as usual.

Mosaic Projects in Progress

It's been a while since I started and completed a new project. Gary has made several things over the summer, but I haven't made a thing. With all the sales in our shop over the past few weeks, I figured I'd better get started on something or there won't be anything left for the Christmas season.

I also want to make a few new things for some giveaways that I want to participate in. Before you know it the One World-One Heart event will be here, and I definitely want to participate again this year. If you've never heard of it, info can be found here. There probably won't be new info from Lisa for this year's event for a few weeks yet, but read up on her blog and get ready.

This first piece is one of those wooden leaf platters like you see all over the thrift stores. The last one I sold was done in shades of green. This one is so delicate in shades of pink, blue and cream.
This next piece is a wooden bowl with pedestal. I don't think I will mosaic the whole thing, but I will paint the exposed parts with a contrasting color before sealing the whole thing with several layers of polyurethane.
These tiles are so tiny, only 1/4" square. I love all the different colors.

Greenhouse Update #7

We worked nearly 8 hours on the greenhouse on Thursday, and didn't get nearly as much done as I had hoped. We were at the stage where it's more detail oriented. It doesn't look like much by the photos, but we did accomplish a lot.

The first thing we did was fix those two windows on the front side that were bugging me so much. I think they look better. I know they still aren't the same height as the windows on the sides, but it's much less noticeable than before so I'm happy.



Then Gary began to frame up the windows on either side of the peaked areas. These windows will actually function and they will have automatic openers attached to them so that when it gets above a certain temperature inside, they will open automatically. We didn't have the right size hinges handy, so we didn't put them in yet.

While he was doing that, I put on some door knobs and handles and finished putting in the door stops and finished the trim on the inside above the side windows.

This doorknob came from Gary's parent's farmhouse and I just love it. It doesn't function like a regular doorknob would. I had to fill in the inside of the door with wood where the old door hardware was and some wood filler or caulk will do the rest before we paint the whole thing. Once that's done, I'll screw down the handle more permanently, but at least now we can get in and out without having to put our fingers through the holes. I'm trying to come up with a creative way to cover up the deadbolt hole in the door. If you have any ideas, I'd love to know. Otherwise we will just cut a piece of wood to fit and then putty up the seam so it's not noticeable.
Once the framework was done for the window, Gary covered that with plywood as well. We had thought to fill in this area with the polycarbonate roof panels also, so it would be clear, but that would have been very difficult to pull off and I think this will look better anyway. We will cover it with the same siding that will be down below.

Gary did the same to the back side with the double doors and we decided to fill in the areas on either side of the door with plywood also. Just easier and faster right now. Maybe in the future I will hang some mosaic panels there instead.

Then we began working on the soffit. Again, we are sticking with the plywood as it might provide a little shade in the summer, plus it's just plain easier. We only got one panel up before it decided to start raining. We were dead tired, so it was fine with me.
There will be a trim piece all along the soffit on the left side so there should be no way any bugs can get up in there. I can't even imagine the amount of caulking we are going to have to do, which is why I bought a caulk gun for Gary's cordless drill. That thing is going to be a lifesaver on our hands.

My goal for this weekend is to get the soffit finished, install the windows in the peak and trim up the whole building so we can start insulating and then putting up the siding. The weather may not cooperate long enough for us to get the siding finished, but at least the whole greenhouse will be completely enclosed. If the weather is too bad, maybe we can start building some shelves inside instead. We'll see.

The last of the blooms for this year

It's been getting dark so fast in the evenings that we have not had time to work on the greenhouse all week, so we will have to work doubly hard today to get everything done that I want to get done. There is a slight chance of rain later. Let's hope it holds off until dark.

I forgot to post these pictures I took last week. This first one is the last of the cosmos hanging on before the freeze got to them. I had to pull them all out a few days ago. I thought this was a nice shot.

I've actually got some roses still blooming. They look better now then they did all summer it seems.

These adorable little mushrooms popped up after all the rain we had. They look like little fairy condos.

I'm so glad I planted a few ornamental grasses a few years back. They look so pretty this time of year. This one is a feather reed grass called 'Karl Forester'.

The Best Hoe I've Ever Owned

No, I'm not a pimp, I just had to tell you about one of my favorite garden tools. If you don't have one, I'd ask Santa for one this year. It really makes weeding much easier.

Since it cuts the weeds in a forward motion as well as a backwards motion, you get double duty out of it. It's called a Dual Action Garden Hoe and this one has a 54" long wooden handle, which is very comfortable to use. It may also be called a scuffle or stirrup hoe. Don't be fooled by a hoe that looks like this but doesn't move back and forth. Those are usually called Hula-Hos. And though they may have their place in the garden, I prefer this one that has the dual action since it is easier to use and easier on your arms. I feel like I can do the same amount of weeding in half the time. The short handled version of the Hula-Ho is actually pretty good at mixing hypertufa...LOL.


I also use this tool to fluff mulch and to help incorporate old mulch into the top few inches of soil so that it can decompose faster. I've even used it to help stir up the top layer of compost on the compost pile in the spring when it's still a little frozen. It's a wonderful tool and should be available at every garden center in my opinion. That being said, I had a hard time finding one locally and had to order one online. Luckily, they are inexpensive, even though they are sturdy and well made. Gotta love that!

Greenhouse Update #6

This past weekend was pretty productive considering how cold the weather was. The mornings were in the 30s, so we couldn't get started too early, but it was sunny, so when we were out there it felt great. We worked about 10 or 11 hours on the greenhouse over the two day weekend.

All the doors and windows are installed except for the windows on the peak. We had to make some adjustments along the way as the plan on paper didn't exactly transfer to real life 100%. What plan ever does?

Also, to make things go a little faster, we decided to not make the windows on the side open. It's hard to tell by the photo, but the three large windows on each side are all attached together to form one large window. There is a piece of wood in between each window that connects to a frame of wood that surrounds all three windows. That frame is screwed into the wall studs. it would have made more sense to have two windows attached and then have the middle one push out, but I did not take that into consideration when I designed it initially. Once the framework was built, there was no way to change that. Gary trimmed off each window so that he would have a nice surface to attach the frame to, but that didn't make enough room to have all three windows framed separately. But it's OK because we have a functioning front door and back door that can be opened for extra ventilation and there will be a window on either end of the peak that will have automatic openers attached to vent any hot air.

The windows on either side of the front door are actually turned the wrong way so they would fit in the space better. Now looking at all the photos, it would have been more visually appealing if we had put a piece of wood below the windows rather than above the windows. The windows are not the same height as the windows on the side, but the piece of wood on the bottom would give the illusion that they were. I am going to ask Gary tonight if it would be easy to fix that. If not, no big deal.

The windows and doors were so dirty from all the sawdust and grime from being stored for two years that I couldn't bring myself to take a picture until after they were cleaned. I went over them quickly with warm water mixed with white vinegar and dish soap. It almost looks like there are no windows at all now.


When installing the double door on the back, we had originally planned on having both doors open wide to allow access for my garden carts, but the single doors are actually large enough for that already, so we decided to make one door fixed so that there could be more storage space, which is way more important to me.

The door on the right is fixed in this photo (that windmill will be moved at some point, so it won't be in the way when I am using it).

This week's plan is to:
1. Finish door frame on double door.
2. Add handles to both doors.
3. Finish door stops on both doors.
4. Finish trim on inside above windows.
5. Add plywood to either side of the double door.
6. Add wood for soffit.
7. Put in windows and finish off the peak.

If all that gets done by Thursday, I plan on taking the day off with Gary and we will trim it all out and put up the siding. Wish us luck!

Oh, and did I mention I am the luckiest girl in the world, with the BEST HUSBAND EVER?!!!! Well I am!!!

Getting your garden junk ready for winter

For the most part, the majority of my garden junk stays out for the winter. Only you can decide what you want to leave out and what you want to bring inside to be protected from the elements. I live in zone 5 and we have long cold winters. If you are in the south, you may be able to leave more outside than I can. Here are some guidelines I go by to decide how to prepare my garden junk for winter.

1. If it's breakable bring it inside. The exception to this rule for me are my glass totems. I started leaving them out two years ago, and have had no problems. If you have a lot of tree branches that fall in the winter, you may want to move them to a more protective spot. Experiment. If you have as many as I do, it won't matter much if one gets damaged.

2. If it's irreplaceable and you love it, bring it inside for the winter. Plain and simple.

3. If it's metal, it's usually safe to leave outside.

4. If you want to preserve the paint job, bringing it inside for winter will usually prolong it's life.

5. Anything that can crack should be brought inside for winter. Examples would be plastic, clay or glass items that can fill up with water and crack when frozen and bowling balls. I never leave my garden spheres out all winter. I've put too much time and love into them and I don't want them to crack.

6. Fountains and birdbaths should be drained if you live in areas with freezing temperatures. Turn birdbaths upside down and cover fountains with a large plastic bag or bring inside after being drained and dried. Once I had a cheap clay birdbath crack even though I turned it upside down. It could have be due to the heavy snows that piled on it during the winter. It just sort of cracked right in half. I have plans to try and repair it and then mosaic it, but I haven't gotten around to that project yet.

7. Good quality concrete statues will usually be fine outside, but covering them with plastic or bringing them inside will prolong their life.

8. Any mosaics should be brought inside for the winter. My only exception are wall hangings that were properly prepared on wedi board or concrete backer board. I usually hang my mosaics where they have some protection from an overhang or porch, so they are not totally exposed to moisture all the time. And since they hang on a vertical surface, they don't have a chance to collect water. As long as they have been sealed well they should be OK outside. When in doubt, bring it in.

9. Furniture made from wood should be covered with plastic during the winter or allowed to weather naturally over time. Sealing the piece every spring helps to prolong it's life. Painting every couple of years is also helpful and it gives you a chance to change up the colors once in a while.

10. Delicate wind chimes should be brought inside, especially if you experience high winds during the winter months. I tend to leave my metal ones out all winter, but they may require a little re-stringing or cleaning come springtime.

There you have it. My tips on winterizing garden junk. It might sound like I bring in a lot of stuff, but I really don't. I love to collect junk, so I don't mind a few casualties over time. If it all survived, where would I put it all!?!

As you can see by the photo above, my metal tipsy teapot totem stays out all winter, as do my glass totems, glass insulators, copper trellises, leaf casting birdbath and wall hanging, metal bird tree and assorted wind chimes and glass garden dangles. Any decorations that hang on the side of the sheds also stay out. These include old tools, metal signs, and syroco wall hangings to name a few.

Have I missed anything? I'd love to hear how you winterize your garden junk.

SweeTango® Apples

We've been trying new foods this year and our latest find is the new SweeTango apple, which is a cross between a Honeycrisp and a Zestar!. You may have read my Zestar! post a little while back. I am totally in love with that apple and was disappointed when they were no longer available at the farmer's market last week. I had been getting them for a month and would eat two a day at times they were so good.

Trying to hide my disappointment walking through the rows of the produce vendors, I spotted a sign I had not seen before. "SweeTango Apples" it said. Hmmm...this could be interesting. They were offering free samples, and when I tasted it, it was heaven. Pure heaven. Crunchy and sweet with no pucker. I am not a big fan of apples that make your lips pucker unless I am going to use them for baking.

The other thing I noticed about this apple was that it did not turn brown quickly like most eating apples do, so this would probably be a good apple for salads. And then when I heard the vendor say it was a cross between a Honeycrisp and a Zestar!, I couldn't help but smile. What a perfect combination!

They were a little on the expensive side. The apples were huge and cost about a $1 each depending on how many were in a basket. The larger ones were going for 3/$4. I am hoping next week the price will be a little lower as they are just beginning to ripen for the season, but even if they don't I plan on getting more.

My understanding is that this is the first year they have been available for sale, and so far, I have only seen them at the farmer's market. They should be readily available to everyone by 2012, but in the meantime, this apple is a great reason to visit your local farmer's market.

Check out SweetTango.com for more information on this apple and where it is grown. There is also a cool video available here.

Photo courtesy of www.sweetango.com

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How to be successful on Etsy

**Recently updated with new and expanded tips.**

I have been selling on Etsy since November 2008. I do like it because it's inexpensive compared to eBay, but you, the seller, need to market your store a lot more than on eBay. You can accomplish this in multiple ways and I suggest doing them all if you really want to be successful. I am by no means an expert, but I wanted to share just what I've learned over the past year.

1. Renew often, if you can afford it, so that your items appear higher in the search results. This has proved to be more important than I had originally thought. Take the time to renew 5-10 items each day to keep them high up in the search results. Also, a newly listed item is more likely to sell than an item that appears to have been sitting in your shop for weeks or months.

2. If you have multiple items list them separately. When I first started I didn't do that because I thought it was just easier and neater to just say how many I have of each item, but then I found out about the renewing an item thing and it dawned on me that I should have listed them all separately so that they would show up high in the search results at different times.

3. Blog to bring activity to your Etsy shop. Link your store to every website that you can....the easiest way is if you have your own website or blog. I've had a website for a few years and just started blogging again so that I can link my Etsy shop to both sites. Blog about how you made an item or about the creative process it takes to come up with new ideas for your shop. Use these posts to link to your shop in a seamless manner without appearing to be an advertisement.

4. Join Twitter, Facebook and even MySpace to also market your blog. Same idea as having a website or blog...the more you get your shop's name out there the better.

5. Join "We Love Etsy". It's a social networking site. http://etsylove.ning.com. And don't forget to participate in the groups or sites that you join.

6. Participate in the "Community" section on Etsy. Join the forum discussions, virtual labs or participate in a live chat. Remember, Etsy sellers are also Etsy buyers and networking in this way could end up in a sale down the road. I like buying from people I feel like I know. I'm sure I'm not the only one that feels that way. Also read everything you can under the "Resource" section on the same page.

7. Consider joining the One~World One~Heart Event. A blogger set up an yearly event where other bloggers get to know one another. Each blog participating is giving away a free item. Many of the bloggers already sell on eBay or Etsy so it is a great way to get your name and store out there. I found out about it in early 2009 and it was great fun. I won three prizes myself and made one sale because of it and I've met some really great talented people along the way. Your blog name will also be left on their site for 6 months following the official end date, so that is more free advertising. Currently a new event starts each year in Nov. or Dec. Here is the site: http://oneworldoneheart.typepad.com

8. Make other Etsy shops your "Favorite". I've found that many times they will also make you a favorite of theirs. Many people look at these lists of favorites, which can get your name out there even more. When someone has made me a favorite, I send them a convo message thanking them for doing so and inviting them to visit my blog for sneak peaks on upcoming projects.

9. Tag your items with every word or category that you can think of to relate to the item that you are selling. This will make your item come up more often in search results. Also, think about how a person will actually search for an item to figure out what words would be the best to use to tag your item. Also, tag your item for terms you think Etsy will search for when choosing the front page items or showcase items. Read the tags on these featured items and see if they have used a term that you may not have thought of before. I believe you get a maximum of 14 per item, so try and use them all when possible.

10. Describe how you make your item and give detailed information about the materials used, the size of the item, etc. in each listing. The more information you offer, the more confident the buyer will feel about buying from you.

11. Fill out your store policy page so that customers will feel confident buying from you. Explain return policies and shipping policies in detail.

12. Take good pictures. This is something I really need to work on for myself, but I haven't had time to retake all the pictures that I've taken already. You can have up to five pictures per item, so why not take advantage of it. Take a picture of the item being used and then have several good close-ups of the item, making sure you use a nice clean backdrop for the picture. Set up a designated area in your house for doing this so that it is easier for you and not such a hassle when it comes time to list a new item.

13. Stay organized so that it's easier and faster to list items on Etsy. I suppose you could ignore this suggestion and still be successful, but I find that when I am organized I am always less stressed and more successful at whatever I am doing at that moment. For example: I have a folder on my computer called Etsy. Within that folder I have other folders that categorize the types of items that we sell (Birdhouses, Birdbaths, Feeders, Ornaments, etc). Within each category folder are the photos I've taken of the items for sale, along with a text file of the description of each item. The photos may be labeled something like "bh1a.jpg", "bh1b.jpg", "bh1c.jpg" (this keeps all the photos together of the same item). I like to write my descriptions ahead of time so that I can simply cut and paste the description into Etsy in a matter of 2-3 clicks. This allows me to post items very quickly any day or night and it only takes about 2-3 minutes to post a new item. This also allows me the time to amend my description or add something that I may have forgotten earlier. Once I've listed that item, I move all the files for that item to another folder that is titled "Listed" so that I know I have listed that item on Etsy. Within the "Listed" folder are the same title category folders that I used previously. I know this may sound a little complicated to those who are not all that familiar with computers, but if you are comfortable working with a computer, it can only make your life easier when you are organized. I can always find a file that i am looking for in a short amount of time.

14. Offer a link exchange between yourself and other blogs or websites. This will not only increase your website and/or blog in search results on the Internet, but many of those people may discover your Etsy store through that association. Try to stick with sites that are related to yours in some way or sites that you genuinely like. Take the time to comment on other people's posts as well. That will draw them back to your blog.

15. Consider giving away a free item on your blog or website a few times a year. This will greatly increase traffic to your site and Etsy shop. When asking people to enter your giveaway, ask them to visit your Etsy shop and tell you their favorite item in the shop and why they like it. Consider giving them an extra entry if they blog about your giveaway or post it on Twitter.

16. Consider featuring other Etsy artists on your blog and let that person know you wrote a post about them. They may return the favor and do the same for you, or someone else may write about you because they can see you are a giving individual and support other Etsy Sellers.

17. Consider spending the $7 a day and showcase your Etsy shop. Your shop views will go through the roof.

18. List every item you can. The more in your shop, the more you will sell and the greater chance of multiple purchases to the same person.

19. Promote your Etsy shop using www.projectwonderful.com. It's a very low cost way to advertise. You bid on ad spaces, so they could cost as little as $.01 a day.

20. Create a business card with the address to your Etsy shop on it. Include it when shipping out an order and give them out often. Consider creating a logo that you can post on your blog. Swap logos with other bloggers to get free advertising. You may also want to swap business cards with other Etsy Sellers and include them in your packages when shipping out product to your customers.

21. Create a flyer for pinning to community bulletin boards around town. If space is limited on the boards, considering pinning up a few of your business cards instead.

Fall Decorations

The last few years I have not gotten into fall decorating. I guess I am just so tired from the gardening season, I don't have the strength to do anything more. It really doesn't take all that long to decorate, I guess, but I just don't like to take the time anymore. Once I got started, I was on a roll...LOL.

This past weekend we went to visit Gary's mom who lives on a dairy farm and they always have a large garden complete with sweet corn. I decided to cut down a few of her stalks to use as decoration around the mailbox. Once I got those up, I decided to dig out a scarecrow I had and add a couple of small bales of straw and some artificial flowers I had lying around. It didn't turn out too bad, especially since pumpkins are outrageously priced this year and I refuse to pay $6 for a pumpkin I am only going to decorate with. At least the flowers add a little something in place of a pumpkin.

Before I put up the decorations, I cut down all the weeds and foliage at the base of the mailbox. There are daffodils and daylilies in this spot. I added some fertilizer, a little compost and fresh mulch, which made for a good base. Everything is tied to the post with twine. It's not much, but it looks good for now.

My Favorite Gardening Tool of all Time - Really!

I could not live without my Farmer's Knife. At least that's what I always called it, but I guess technically it's a HORI-HORI BONSAI DIGGING TOOL. I use a stainless steel one just like in the picture.

It's fabulous for weeding, cutting any roots you might come across in the garden, deadheading plants, or digging holes for small plants and bulbs.

It's got measurements along the blade so it makes planting bulbs especially easy.

I also use it to divide plants. It can make quick work of a clump of shasta daisies or black eyed susans. I've used it for smaller clumps of hosta too (you need an axe for a big clump...LOL).

I never leave the garden shed without this knife on my belt or the sheath in my pocket. But be warned, it is very sharp. The first time I used it, I nearly cut my finger off. Gary kids me about using sharp knifes to this day.

If you are looking for a gift for a hard to buy for person and they like to work in the yard, this knife would make a fantastic present. Better yet, get one for yourself. You won't work in the yard without it.

Boo!

I love my little tree faces. This one looks like he's saying Boo! In the above photo you can also see one of the garden spheres I made from a recycled bowling ball. You can make one too...I've got some general guidelines on how to turn bowling balls in garden spheres on our website.

Also in that photo is a garden totem made from recycled glass dishes and vases. I've got instructions for those as well and they can be found here. These are two great projects to do this winter. Start saving up pieces now so you too can create some unique garden art for your yard.

Autumn is my favorite time of year. The unbearable summer heat is over and cooler weather has settled in. I love the crunch of the leaves beneath my feet and how blue the sky looks against the bright colors of the Autumn leaves.

Below is a picture of a 'Limelight' Hydrangea (on the left) and 'Lady in Red' Hydrangea (to the right of the yellow blooming Ligularia). Each starts out blooming white and both turn brilliant shades of pink as the season progresses. The 'Lady in Red' blooms about a month before 'Limelight' so the pink starts to form much earlier. It's like having two plants in one.
What plants do you like that seem to do double duty in the garden?

Greenhouse Update #5

Sunday we were able to work on the greenhouse the entire day. The day was cool and breezy, but overall a nice day. We've gotten so much rain over the past few weeks that it's been a mess to work back there. The area is in a low spot of the yard and has always been wet. Raised garden beds will be put in next to the greenhouse to combat that problem.
Here's a picture of my wonderful husband up on the roof putting in the polycarbonate roof panels. These panels are pretty easy to work with, but you have no choice but to get up there as the panels need to be screwed down in many places. By the time he was done with this roof, I think he could call himself an expert on the subject...LOL. I was a nervous wreck the whole time he was up there.

Since we didn't put up the walls before doing the roof, we had to brace the walls on three sides to make it more stable when climbing up there. Traditionally the walls should go up first, but I knew the roof would take a long time and since we are fighting mother nature with weather, I wanted to do the roof first before putting up the walls. It took about 4 hours to complete the roof over a two day period.

The bottom of the greenhouse will be cedar clapboard that we salvaged. This picture shows the plywood that will be the under lament to the clapboard. It took about 2 hours to complete this with Gary cutting the plywood with the circular saw and me screwing it to the studs. The backside will be insulated with Styrofoam insulation board. I'm not sure yet how we will be finishing off the inside. The height of the plywood is the same as the height of the wood on the door we are using on one side.

This Craftsman style door was given to us by a friend that I met on a gardening forum. She lives about an hour east of us, and when she heard we were building a greenhouse, she generously offered us this door and some windows to help complete the project.

It took about 2 hours to get this door hung. We still need to do a little shimming and put in the top of the door frame, but the hard part is done. Gary planed down the sides and bottom of the door so it would fit a little better and we'll need to sand down the sharp edges created by the planer and prime and paint the exposed wood before winter.

Here's another view from the backside of the greenhouse. I don't know if you can tell in the photos, but we didn't waste any plywood. The section on the bottom to the left of the door is pieced together rather then one solid piece. Since it will be covered with plywood and insulation will be on the backside, it shouldn't leak any air when we are done.

Here's a photo of the backside of the greenhouse where the double glass door will be. There are small slivers of space on either side of the door. For now, since time is of the essence, they will be covered with plywood and cedar clapboard, but in the future I may make some mosaic panels to fit this area as well as the areas above the windows on the other side where the single door will be.

Tonight, Gary hopes to get the two windows framed up and installed on either side of the single door.

Fall Cleanup Tips for the Garden

It's been a long hot summer, and now that autumn is here and the gardens are winding down, I am tired! I don't know about you, but I lose steam at this time of year and don't have much energy or enthusiasm to do any intensive garden cleanup. Luckily for us, you don't need to. I'm of the mind, that less is more, and that Mother Nature can certainly take care of herself without any help from me. My gardens are wild and informal, so I don't have to do any major cleaning up to make things look good. I usually spread out my cleanup chores over a course of a month or so, but if you were going to follow all my tips, it shouldn't take more than a day or two to put your gardens to bed for the winter. Granted, if you have a large estate, it may take longer, but we have an acre and about a 1/3 are gardens at this point, so if I can do my cleanup in a day, the majority of you can too.

What to do with all those leaves?
For the most part, I mow right over any leaves in the yard mulching them as I go. This will allow the leaves to break-down faster and add nutrients back to the soil. But autumn is a prime time to add material for your compost pile, so feel free to add some of the shredded leaves to the pile as well. I also like to reserve a small amount to help insulated tender plants once we've had a hard freeze.

What if I had any diseased plants?
Whether it be in the flower garden or the vegetable garden, all diseased plants or foliage should be removed from the gardens as the pathogens and bacteria from those plants can over winter in the garden and wreck havoc next year. If you've had a continual problem with a certain plant for more than a year or two, I would remove the plant completely and try something else. It's hard to do, but sometimes you just got to do it for the sake of the health of the rest of the garden. Diseased plants should not be composted unless you are an expert composter and your pile reaches a consistent 120 degrees in the center of the pile. To be safe, I discard all my diseased plants and foliage in the garbage can or I burn them whenever we have scrap wood to get rid of.

Should I be Pruning Now?
Generally, no. Autumn is not a good time to be pruning anything. Pruning stimulates growth and makes it susceptible to winter die back. The only exception is if you feel you need to prune something because it may get damaged by heavy winter snow. In that case, I would wait to prune the plant, tree, or shrub until after it has completely gone dormant. This is usually after you have had a hard freeze (temperatures below 30 degrees).

What should I do with my perennials?
If you live in zone 6 or colder, you may not want to cut back any perennials until spring. For one thing, the seed heads are food for many birds and other critters. And secondly, the dead foliage helps insulated the plant from cold winter weather. Anytime I have ever cut back my plants in the fall, I have been sorry, because I inevitably step on something in the spring by mistake. So, I generally do not cut any perennials back until spring when I begin to see new growth. If the dead foliage bothers you, by all means cut the plant back, being careful not to harm the crown of the plant and make sure the plant is marked so you don’t step on it later. One exception would be ornamental grasses. They will survive much better if you wait to cut them back in the spring. Besides, the foliage is beautiful to look at.

What’s required to cleanup a vegetable garden bed?
This is the area where I spend the most time doing garden cleanup. For the most part, everything must be pulled up once it has stopped producing, with the exception of a few perennial vegetables like asparagus, rhubarb and strawberries, for example. I like to pull up all the spent plants by the roots so that there is a reduced chance of pest and disease problems next year. Compost what you can. Clean any garden stakes with a 10% bleach solution in case any diseases may decide to over winter on them. I am not a big fan of tilling the soil as I believe too much tilling can actually damage the soil structure over time, so I will add a 2” layer of compost on top of the vegetable beds and let the worms do the work. If I had a problem with weeds that year, I will put several layers of black and white newspaper down over the bed before putting on the compost. The newspaper will help block the sun from reaching the soil. No sun, no weed seeds can germinate. The newspaper will break-down over time and the earthworms will be attracted to it and help till it into the soil along with the compost. 3-4 layers will usually break down very quickly over the winter with very little turning that needs to be done in the spring.

How should I treat my annuals?
If you want your annuals to spread and multiply, leave the seed heads where they are or collect the seeds and start them yourself in pots the following spring or try the wintersowing method. If you have a bed devoted to annuals, you can pretty much treat it like you do your veggie beds. A lot of times, I just cut off the annuals at the base of the plant and leave the roots. The roots will compost themselves over the winter months and add nutrients to the soil. Plus, you are not pulling up valuable soil with the roots. Again, if you had any disease problems, dispose of the whole plant, roots and all.

What should I do with my bulbs?
If you have any tender bulbs or tubers that cannot survive the winter months in the ground, you may want to dig them up and try storing them for next year. I’ve written an article about storing dahlias if you’d like to check it out. If you don’t care about saving them, then leave them be. They will turn to mush and add nutrients to the soil.

Weeds, Compost and Mulch?
As much as I try, I always have a few weeds in the fall that need to be cleaned up. It’s better to pull weeds as soon as possible, or at least before they set seed. If any weeds got away from you over the summer, use this time to pull them up. They are usually easy to pull up at this time because it’s rainier in the fall and the soil is softer. Use a hoe to get the smaller weeds and this will help break up the top layer of soil and mulch, which is a good thing. If you use a lot of mulch each year, it can become compacted over time, especially if you don’t have a lot of activity going on in your soil to help break it all down. If you’ve followed my blog and website for any amount of time, you should not be having that problem.

Even if you don’t have any weeds to get rid of, I like to use a hoe lightly over the whole garden to help incorporate some of the mulch into the soil. This will help the mulch to break down and nourish the soil. You most likely will be adding more mulch in the beds in the spring to make them look pretty, so there is no harm in mixing it up a little bit in the fall. After I’ve done that, I will cover the whole garden with an inch or two of compost. Compost is the best fertilizer a gardener can use. Plants use up nutrients all summer, so you need to add that back to the soil. The best way is with compost. It takes time to break down, so fall is an ideal time to add it to the garden. Compost will also help loosen up the soil and insulate the plants over the winter months.

If you have an excess of leaves to use up, you can shred them up and add them to the gardens as an additional source of nutrients or for insulating tender plants. This is best done after you’ve had one or two hard freezes. Mulching sooner could encourage rodents to nest in the leaf material.

What should I do with my container plantings?
If the pots in question contain annuals only, put the spent plants and soil in the compost pile. After they have broken down, the finished compost can be added to future pots or to the garden, so nothing is wasted. If your containers contain perennials that can over winter outdoors in containers, I usually like to gather them in one area and insulate them with shredded leaves. Having them in one place also makes them easier to water and easier to protect them from critters that may like to feed on the roots and stems of perennials when their regular food source is scarce.

If you have permanent plantings in pots, such as with small trees and shrubs, you don’t really need to do much of anything unless they have become root bound and need to be put in a larger pot. The bigger the pot they are in, the better they can survive outdoors in that pot. This may mean you need to put a small shrub or tree in a half barrel or full barrel sized container. In general, most trees and shrubs can be grown in pots all year round without a problem providing they are hardy to your area.

And of course, if you have any fragile clay or ceramic pots, you will need to bring them inside over the winter or they will crack.

To clean pots, I usually just brush out any lose dirt. If there were disease or pest problems, wash pots with a 10% bleach solution. I like to take care of the cleaning in the fall since spring is usually so busy.

What do I do with garden art and birdbaths?
If you have a lot of garden junk like I do, most of it stays outside for the winter, with the exception of my bowling ball garden spheres. They come inside because they can crack during freezing temperatures. If anything is breakable, irreplaceable or fragile, by all means bring it inside. If you want to preserve a paint job, it’s usually better to bring it inside for the winter. Unheated garages or garden sheds are usually sufficient.

As far as birdbaths go, I encourage everyone to have at least one hooked up in the winter with a heater attached to it to keep the water from freezing. If you have a natural water source nearby then that is not an issue. Birdbaths should be emptied, cleaned with a 10% bleach solution, dried and store indoors for the winter.

What if I want to over winter tender plants indoors?
You may like to move your houseplants outdoors in the spring, so don’t forget to move them back inside before temperatures fall below 50 degrees. Look over the plants thoroughly and drench the soil with water to flush out any pests that may be hiding in the soil. Use this time to repot the plant if it has grown root bound or if you are concerned about pests hiding in the soil.

You may need to prune these plants back by as much as half, as they will adapt to lower light conditions more easily that way. Research the specific plants you have to determine how much can be cut back safely. You may need to cut them back in stages to avoid shock.

Isolate any newly brought in plants for a week or two until you are sure they don’t have any bugs on them. You don’t want to affect any other plants you may have in your home. If you do notice a pest problem, try spraying the plant with water first to get rid of them. If that doesn’t work, organic bug sprays
suitable for indoor plants can be purchased to help with the problem.

Now is also a great time to take cuttings from plants like coleus and sweet potato vine to be grown as houseplants. They can be rooted in water and then potted up to enjoy all winter long. More cuttings can be taken in spring for plants to be planted in the landscape in June.

Can I plant anything now?
Fall is a great time to plant trees and shrubs. Plants are usually on clearance at this time, so it can be a huge savings to plant in the fall. Perennials can also be planted now. The rule of thumb is to plant 4-6 weeks before your ground freezes. Any newly planted trees and shrubs will need a little extra protection from winds and heavy snows if that is a problem in your area. We usually construct sandwich boards that can be sunk into the ground a few inches and that are several inches taller than the plant we are trying to protect. If you have rabbits or other critters that will nibble on the tender stems and bark of newly planted shrubs and trees, it’s very important to protect the plant with chicken wire so they can’t chew on the plants.

Be sure to mulch any new plantings after the ground has frozen to prevent them from heaving over the winter months. Since they have not grown roots deep into the soil yet, they are more susceptible to heaving.

Fall is also an excellent time to plant spring blooming bulbs. Check out this article on how to do that.

Well, there you have it….my tips on cleaning up and preparing your plants and garden for winter. You may not need to perform all these tasks, but now you are prepared for almost any scenario. Happy gardening.

Kousa Dogwood in Fall

Just a quick note to show you the gorgeous fruit that is forming on a dogwood tree that I planted about 5-6 years ago. This particular variety is called 'Kousa' and blooms about a month later than the more traditional variety we've come to know and love. This is only it's second year blooming and the tree is still small, about 7' tall and only 4' wide or so. Can you imagine how wonderful this tree will look when it's fully mature with "berries" like this all over?

Dogwood is an excellent tree to plant for the birds. Why would you want to garden for the birds? Check out this article for my reasons why. Not only does the tree provide shelter for the birds and beauty and shade for you, but the berries will provide food in winter when food is scarce.

My Favorite Shovel

Fall is usually when I dig up plants that haven't worked for me or when I need to divide perennials to give away or replant in my garden. I couldn't do any of that digging without my favorite Round Point Shovel.

It's 30" length is perfect for me and I'm a little on the tall side. I also feel like I have better leverage because my hands can be fixed on the handle.

Not only do I use it for digging, but it's good for spreading compost on the garden as well. I just get a pile of it on the shovel and shake the shovel from side to side to spread the compost. It's lightweight and durable at the same time.

The bright red handle makes it easy to find in the shed, so I always know where to find my favorite shovel.

So do you have a favorite garden tool?

Sweet Autumn Clematis

We've had cool rainy weather the past week or so and it definitely is beginning to look and feel like Autumn. Leaves are just turning bright colors in my area of the country. The ash and elm trees in the yard are just about done shedding their leaves and the birds are going nuts for the seed heads left standing in the garden.

My favorite thing about this time of year, besides the brilliant fall foliage and cooler temperatures, is the smell of the Sweet Autumn Clematis vine. It's absolutely magnificent and I highly recommend planting one or two in your landscape. I've been told they can self sow in warmer climates, but I have never had that problem in zone 5.

This vine gets cut back to about a foot tall in the Spring. It takes about 3 years to get established, but after that it is a very vigorous grower. I have two vines and both are still young plants. I planted them a couple of years ago and they were only one year old plants at that time, so mine will probably take another year before they really take off. Other than cutting them back in the Spring, all I do is give them a dose of compost in the fall and spring and some rose fertilizer after I begin to see buds forming in early Spring.

Since they bloom so late in the season up here, they are a welcome site when the majority of the garden is finished blooming. I love to find excuses to be outside just so I can smell it. It's absolutely heavenly....better than any rose in my opinion.

Like many clematis, this vine can tolerate a bit of shade. I've found that if it gets at least 3-4 hours of sun, it still blooms well. After blooming, the silvery seed heads are just as pretty as the flowers. If self sowing is a problem for you in warmer climates, the seed heads can be clipped off right after flowering.

This vine can be easily started from seed. I use the wintersowing method to start them in pots to share with friends, but they can also be sown in the fall in the area that you want the vine to grow.

Greenhouse Update #4

It's been over a week since my last update. Sorry about that. We've both gotten colds and it's been raining, so we really haven't worked on this for a few days, but here is what got done before the rains began to fall.
The week of September 20th, we finally got all the brackets in place so we could start putting up the rafters. Gary wanted to frame the windows for the sides first, but I'm all about doing the hard stuff first and leaving the easier stuff for last, so the rafters is what we started with. :)

For those of you who may want to make one yourself, I took some close-ups of the hardware.
For the most part, the majority of this hardware was salvaged from job sites (you'd be amazed at what gets thrown away), and gotten for next to nothing on clearance at a building supply store. When companies stop carrying one brand and start selling another, they mark down many items for pennies on the dollar. Sometimes they even throw them out or give them to their best customers. It helps to have a contact at a store like this.
To help strengthen the frame we screwed together two 2x4s and attached them across the center of the greenhouse at the same point as the wall studs. We connected those with a shorter length of board to create an "H" inside the frame. Remember, since we are using old windows for the walls, the framing is a little unconventional, so we need to compensate in other areas to make sure the structure is sturdy.

We attached them with three metal braces (one on each side and bottom) and used a mending plate on the top to prevent this "beam" from becoming separated from the wall stud (sorry, I couldn't get a picture of that part).
I couldn't get a good picture of the additional bracing Gary added, but if you look to the right of this picture, you will see a wooden brace going from one of the new center supports diagonally up to the top of the rafter. There is one on each side of the greenhouse. This support was constructed by screwing together three 2x4s. At the top of the support, one 2x4 is attached to either side of the rafter. The center piece is cut shorter so as not to interfere with attaching the support to the rafter beam. This support is designed to prevent the building from twisting in heavy winds. If it ever stops raining, I'll try to get a close-up picture of this for you.
This photo shows the inside of the bracing and hopefully you can see the "H" that was created by screwing together two 2x4s and attaching them to the wall studs.


And another view of the inside framing.

Though all the rafters are up, they are not fully attached yet. To put up the rafters, Gary stood on a ladder while I slid each board up to him. He attached the top of each rafter to the main board with a 4" screw so that it would stay in place while he hammers in each nail. Each brace requires several nails on each side, so it will take a while to hammer them all in place since we don't have a nail gun. The bottom of the rafters are all hammered in, but the tops still need to be done. Hopefully we can get to that this weekend in between rain showers, if Gary feels up to it. Once the rafters are all hammered in place, the 4" screws will be removed and the end bracing can be removed (The end bracing are the vertical pieces of lumber that were holding up the main beam, which are easily seen in the first photo of this post).

That's it for now. Hopefully, I will have another update for you next week.