Potage Palaver

Garden bed is kitty proofed with fir boughs. 

I would like to take this time to say a great big thank you to all of you for the terrific year at the Nitty Gritty Potager. For those who have followed and shopped with me, for those of you who have just found me, for those who attended this year's workshops (in all the new Covid variations), to all of you who read my blog, and those who follow me on Facebook or Instagram. In whatever way you have found me, thank you so very much.

I am not quite sure what the new year has in store for us, is hard to make plans, but I can tell you that I will for sure have organic heirloom tomato plants, pollinator packs, other flowers and veggies, plus workshops of all sorts. 

Our holiday season is very simple and quiet this year but still this last week before Christmas is busy, busy, busy with errands and preparations.  

Today is our last running around day, the day for picking up the Christmas dinner fixings, a couple of tea towels to wrap gifts in, a few wee gift cards to tuck inside, and any other last bits and bobs. 

Cleaning the house has to be done on the very last day. With two slobbery babies that drool and shed like mad, the cleaning never ends, but goes into high gear just before the grandbabies come over.   

Here is a funny thing.... I have become addicted to watching people clean houses on TikTok and Instagram. I know, I know, how crazy is that? It seems that I really enjoy watching these rooms go from chaos to glittering. Following these ladies has motivated me to make (mental) lists of things to tackle in my own home and some new hacks to make things easier. I know that this is total craziness but at least it is a healthy addiction. If you are interested in checking out some of these cleaning peeps and their hacks (watching someone clean house is apparently quite gratifying ), here are a few of my personal faves... @gocleango, @cleanmama, @aurikatariina (she's amazing!), and this local gal @maidforthis.     

I am also really enjoying following Robyn at Minimalist Home on Facebook. I love the live chat, the ideas, the encouragement. Though I think that I am more of a maximalist than a minimalist, lol, I quite enjoy the chat and the camaraderie. Robyn is holding a daily boot camp in the new year, in case you want to join us in getting your 'stuff' sorted ; )   

Need a last minute gift idea? Here is a very, very cool DIY that I just came upon today... Check out how to print a photo on wood.  

As you wrap and plan and do, don't forget to sip some anti-flu brew to stay healthy over the holidays. I like to put a scoop in my Irish Breakfast tea but it is fantastic on it's own in hot water, as well. 

Pink Variegated Eureka Lemon

This is my last Palaver post for this year. The next one will be in the new year of 2022, full of plans, hopes, dreams, and ideas for the new gardening season ahead. Regardless of what is going on in the world, planning and prepping for spring is always full of hope and happiness. 

I am already plotting my workshops and the tomato list in my journal but the actual process begins sometime next week. 

The last of the summer tomatoes.

Here are a few fun gardening articles that I found this past week that I thought were pretty interesting.

Interested in gardening podcasts? Here is a bunch of idea from the UK. Here on the west coast, our climate is quite similar to the UK so it all applies.. enjoy! Listen up! Top gardening podcasts to discover this season (theenglishgarden.co.uk) 

This one is great, the pros and cons of buying nematodes... hmm, besides being very pricey, might not be the best idea for our bumble bees... The Problem With Buying Beneficial Nematodes For Grub Control (empressofdirt.net)

Check out this article about beneficial insects. Pollinators of Native Plants | Attract These Essential Insects| joegardener®

Have a greenhouse? Want to keep it a bit warmer in winter? Check out this article.. How to heat a greenhouse - The English Garden

This one is pretty interesting from two gardening gurus and changes they are making in their gardens. I kind of live and breathe gardening so was interested to read that their thoughts are pretty similar to mine... never stop learning, never stop trying new things, and always work on doing better. the year's gardening lessons learned, with joe lamp'l - A Way To Garden

Wishing you all a very merry Christmas and crossing my fingers for a happy, healthy new year to come for us all.  

The dogs were not digging my idea of wishing you all a lovely yuletide... this is a good as she gets ; )  

Hemingway says 'have a great Christmas'.

Berkeley agrees... See you in 2022.  

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays - Tanja