Potager Palaver (Hotbeds, Pantry, Winter Carrots)

What has been going on around here this past week? 

Puttering a wee bit in the greenhouse and garden in between rain showers.... but man, what a lot of rain! Here are some things that I forgot to tell you earlier and other bits of interest.  

I forgot to mention the other day in the Ramblings post that I have popped the sweet peas into the garden beds already. Some will do their edible peas now, too. Sadly, I have no seeds at home right now to do so. Direct sowing the seeds now will give you Much earlier blooms in spring. 

Oh, and that reminds me to tell you all to pick up some seeds for your winter sowing, as well. This might be a good time to do it with the Cyber sales happening this week.  

I sow carrots in January, May, and early July. Pick up some seeds now to toss in the garden after the holidays are done. October sowing is best for those of you who live in a wintery (snowy zones 2 to 5) zone but if your ground is not yet frozen, toss them in right now. 

For winter carrots, I like to stick to Nantes types like Scarlet Nantes, Little Finger, Starica, Romance, Bolero. or Rotild. I also love the Kyoto Red, a carrot that is best sown in late summer or winter, does not thrive when sown in spring. If you have something else at home, toss them in. Don't worry too much about the variety, the main goal is to sow them now to get good sized carrots, with less pest issues. 

Anytime now, you can also sow lettuces, spinach, kale, greens of all sorts, plus onions. Ideally, they are sown under cover or under the eaves, close to the house where it is warmer, they will start growing as soon as the weather is warm enough for them germinate. This can be done in wintery cold zones, as well. 

Here is the post for how I made my rosemary wreath from scratch, grapevine ring and all. I have yet to bring them into the house so just took pics of them in the greenhouse. 

Looking for an easy way to 'glue' your ginger bread house together so that it actually stays? Check this out. 

Have no greenhouse but want to start seedlings earlier? Here is a fantastic article about how to make (and use) a hotbed. Inexpensive and you can grow anything! 

Hmm, are you guys on a candle kick, like I am? Wondering what to do with all those jars afterwards? Here are some ideas.. Me? I will just put plants in them, use them as pretty flower pots ; ) 

I shared gDonna's pantry last week but in case you missed it, here is her blog. If you are like me, money is tight and everything is costing more by the day. Check out some of her ideas, I really love them, and her way of writing, too. If you missed that pantry, you gotta check it out! 

Okay, this one kind of bugs me but is a good article. The part that bugs is me is that you have to register to see it if you are not willing to get rid of your adblocker. I don't know about you, but my adblocker stays! Anyway, if you want to register, here is a good read about different mulches and how to use them. 

That is about it for this week's palaver. Take care and talk soon! Tanja