I Couldn't Resist...

...am I hopeless? 

After my post the other day about being a seed addict, I already went out and bought more seeds, BUT, I did not have any of these varieties, so it's OK in my opinion.

We've decided to grow some hot peppers this year instead of green peppers, so we chose an Early Jalapeno and a Poblano.

My husband grew up on a dairy farm and suggested some varieties that I did not have in  my seed arsenal.  We chose a beet called Early Wonder, a green bean called Top Crop, Buttercrunch Lettuce, Tendersweet Carrots, and Sweet Slice Burpless Cucumber.  We also got some chives, chinese parsley and cilantro.

Over the next few weeks, I need to go over a plan for planting so I can have early and late crops of things like lettuce and peas.  Last year, I got started way too late and my broccoli bolted before it even grew big enough to eat and the peas were worn out by the hot summer sun.

And on a side note, Gary, my husband, found some extra long pallets at work that will work great for a trellis.  For some reason the slats are further apart than normal, so I don't think we will need to remove many of the slats before adding the netting I just bought at Gardeners Supply.

St. Patrick's Day Cactus?

My Christmas Cactus bloomed profusely the entire month of December and now it is budding out again.  This has never happened to me before but I have a feeling it's because I keep the house on the cool side (63 degrees at night and 65 during the day) and it sits in front of a south facing window in bright light.  It's also probably a little cooler in front of the window as well. 

Consistently warm temperatures is a common reason why Christmas Cacti don't bloom.  They like to be moist, without being wet and I don't fertilize mine very often either; once in the spring and again in late summer with a slow release organic fertilizer.

If you'd like more information on growing your own Christmas Cactus, check out my tips here.

So, do you have any unusual Christmas Cactus stories to share?

My Potato Growing Goodies

I want to try growing potatoes this year, but our soil is so hard and wet and I don't have room in the raised beds, so instead I ordered some grow bags from Gardeners Supply.  I've had good luck with everything I have ever ordered from them and the bags have good reviews, so I decided to take a chance on them.

I ordered two of the smaller size, which measure 18" in diameter and 14-1/2" tall and two of the jumbo bags which measure 25" in diameter and 14" high.  They are made of  a polypropylene fabric, which feels and looks like a thick coated felt.  They should last for two seasons, and I am hoping three seasons for us since we have a fairly short growing season.  I am going to sit them on a dolly with wheels so they are not sitting directly on the ground and if we get a lot of rain, there won't be a chance that the bag will sit in water.

I also purchased some biodegradable netting to use for the climbing plants like cucumbers and green beans.  The regular netting is reusable, but who is going to be able to untangle it from all the plant material at the end of the season?  I figured this made more sense because it can go directly in the compost pile.

And for the record, I am NOT being compensated for this post.  I am a loyal Gardener Supply customer, just wanting to blog about the products I love.  I will certainly post on the progress of the bags over this season, so stay tuned.  And if anyone from Gardener Supply is reading, e-mail me. :)

OWOH Winners

Thanks to everyone that stopped by to say hi on my blog.  I have not had a chance to visit everyone yet, but I look forward to doing just that over the coming weeks.

Congratulations to:

Grammy and Papi's Attic- they will win the beautiful Hallmark Gift Book titled The Wonder of Birds A Collection of Charming Discoveries by Marjolein Bastin

and

Wildflowerhouse By Sharon Chapman - who will win Spring Hill Nursery's Step-by-Step Guide to Sun Gardening and Step-by-Step Guide to Shade Gardening

If they do not get back to me within three days a new winner will be chosen.

Confessions of a Seed Addict

I don't know what it is.  Maybe it's the time of year; winter has been overly long and I just can't stop thinking about green grass and flowers? Or it could be all those super glossy, bright colored seed and plant catalogs.  Whatever it is, I can't resist the urge to want to buy seeds every winter.

I probably have enough seed to get me through this year, but I always see a new variety that I want to try or I think I might need more of something.  How can I possibly resist.

I vow, as a seed addict; that I will go through the above seeds and only buy what I need to grow this year.  I will not buy any more of the same.  I will plant what I buy and I will nurture them until they grow big and strong.

Are there anymore seed addicts out there like me?

OWOH Giveaway 2011 - Entry Post

This post will stay on top until February 16th, so scroll down for new posts. Thank you.

It's that time of year again for the One World One Heart Blog Event and Giveaway.  And sadly, it's going to be the last year.  Lisa, from A Whimsical Bohemian, always puts in a ton of work for this event and it has grown from a couple hundred participants to over 1000 last year.

The idea is to visit fellow bloggers across the world, enjoy their blogs and possibly strike up friendships along the way.  I hear there has even been one love connection as a result of this Cyber Event.

Please visit the list of participants here.  And if you have a blog of your own and want to participate, you have until February 12th to sign up.  You can find all the info you need to know at Lisa's blog here.

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Now on to my giveaway and to tell you a little bit about myself. 

I've been a serious gardener for the past 10 years and a crafter and artist for as long as I can remember. I'd love to take the Master Gardener's course with my local extension office, but their class hours have not jived with my schedule. I specialize in making functional items for the garden that are made from recycled and re-purposed materials. When my yard got too small for all my creations, I opened an Etsy shop.  I am married to a wonderful man who I met online in 2000 and we have a spoiled rotten cat named Jasmine.  We live in Upstate New York and also enjoy bird watching, snowshoeing, and eating....LOL.

I will be doing two giveaways this year.  I will pick a number using an online random number generator the morning of February 18th and will e-mail the winners and announce the winners on this blog.

Winner #1 will receive a wonderful Hallmark Gift Book titled The Wonder of Birds A Collection of Charming Discoveries by Marjolein Bastin.  I enjoy collecting her Christmas ornaments and this book is such a delight. I will also include a special coupon code good for 25% off any purchase in our Etsy shop.

Winner #2 will receive Spring Hill Nursery's Step-by-Step Guide to Sun Gardening and Step-by-Step Guide to Shade Gardening.  Both of these books are full of beautiful color photographs and lots of information on specific plants for sun and shade.  I will also include a special coupon code good for 25% off any purchase in our Etsy shop.

The Rules

1. Leave a comment on this blog post only to receive one entry into this giveaway.  One entry per blog/person.  You do not have to have a blog to participate, but if you do, let me know if you are doing a giveaway so I can enter yours as well.

2. Make sure you leave an e-mail address in your blog post or make sure you are logged-in to Blogger or some other source that will link back to your e-mail. If I can't get in touch with you then I can't let you know if you've won.  If you have any questions feel free to e-mail me.

3. Make your comment by February 17, 2011, at 10:00pm EST. At that time this post will be locked and no more entries will be accepted.

4. Winners will be picked the morning of February 18, 2011.  I will send the winners an e-mail and announce the winners on this blog once they have gotten back to me with their mailing addresses.  You will have three days to get back to me with an address, or I will have to pick a new winner. Make sure you check your SPAM folders, as anything with "winner" in the body or subject line usually gets flagged as SPAM.

5. Giveaway open to all countries.  This is the only giveaway that I do where I ship internationally.

6.  Items will ship within three days after you get back to me with your address.  I will ship the books media mail, so please allow up to two weeks for delivery.  I will e-mail you when they are shipped.  International addresses will probably have to ship first class.  I'll let you know either way.

Could Spring Really Be That Far Away?

We never have robins in our yard in winter.  In fact, they leave pretty early in the fall too.  I don't think I saw any robins after September 30th this past fall, but Sunday, I saw an amazing site; at least a dozen robins fluttering around the small stream in our back yard.

I must say I was amazed.  My husband was looking out the back window of our house and said, "I think I see a couple of robins out back."  So I hurried outside with my camera.  It was getting dark, about 4:30 pm and I didn't know if I had enough light on this gray winter day to get a good picture. 

I stood about 20 feet from the water and saw a couple of robins darting in and out of the stream.  I almost forgot to snap a photo.  A few of the robins didn't mind my presence at all, but a few did and called out a warning cry and before I knew it, a dozen or so robins flew out of the stream and into the protective cover of the tall trees above.  Luckily, I did get two photos as proof that maybe spring is not that far away after all.

Tumbleweed

Our version of a tumbleweed in Central New York during winter!

(In case you didn't know what this is, it's a dried hydrangea bloom, probably from 'Limelight').

Don't forget to enter for a chance to win some gardening books or a book by Marjolein Bastin.  

The official entry post is here.

Friends Forever

I stumbled upon this video and just had to share it with all of you.  As you have probably guessed by being a reader of my blog, I am a huge bird and cat lover, but this video takes the cake.