Cool Weather Herbs and Rata-stoup-ie

I love to have fresh herbs on hand for all of the wonderful soups that come with cool weather. There is nothing quite like sitting around the table with loved ones to share a hearty and filling meal, unless you know that most of those ingredients came straight from your own bountiful garden. Seeing others enjoy the fruits of my labor always puts a smile on my face that is usually accompanied with a deep, content sigh.

You don't need much room to plant a little herb garden. Even if you are limited on space, you can still have fresh herbs. A few that do really well in mild cold weather months are Parsley, Cilantro, Mint, Sage, Rosemary, Thyme, Chives, and even Lavender. Fall is the perfect time of year to plant them since they are hardy and will grow quickly. Even better than that, you can plant them all together in the same container, or use beautiful green parsley and cilantro to spruce up existing flower gardens that are brimming with beautiful Winter flowers.

Now To Use Them!

I came across a wonderful Rata-Stoup-Ie recipe from Rachael Ray that is just delightful. It will use some of those fresh herbs you have lovingly planted and a few other garden fresh vegetables that you can also grow in small spaces. I hope you love this hearty soup as much as my family does!

Rata-stoup-ie

Ingredients:

• ¼ cup Olive Oil
• 4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
• 1 lb potatoes quartered (ANY variety works, but I prefer small red potatoes)
• 1 eggplant, chopped, skin on
• 1 zucchini chopped, skin on
• 1 large onion, thinly sliced
• 4 sprigs fresh Thyme
• 2 sprigs fresh Rosemary
• 4-5 leaves fresh Sage, thinly sliced
• 30oz tomato sauce
• 1qt chicken both
• Parsley, generous handful
• Salt & Pepper to taste
• Bread of choice 

Preparation:

1. In a large soup or stock pot heat your olive oil and tilt pot around to cover the bottom and then add garlic over medium heat.
2. Add potatoes, eggplant, zucchini, and onion. Cook over medium-high heat for 5 min.
3. Add Thyme, Rosemary, and Sage, then season with salt and pepper.
4. Stir in tomato sauce and chicken broth, stirring thoroughly. Cover an cook over medium heat for 15 minutes; stir occasionally.
5. Remove from heat. Discard Thyme and Rosemary stems (leaves remain in soup and will have fallen off. You can omit this step but plucking the leaves before adding.) Stir in Parsley.
6. Serve with bread and enjoy!

I use vegetables from my garden and even make my own tomato sauce. For this particular recipe, you can use everything straight from your own garden except for the chicken stock of course. I like to make my own chicken stock when I boil chicken for other things and then I flavor the leftover water and can or even freeze it for later. While preparing everything, I like to have a little kitchen help. Here are the gadgets that help me prepare soups like this. You can find ALL of these wonderful helpers on our website www.lawn-gardening-tools.com or you can click right on the name to take you straight to the product. 

I have a special chopping board with knife that makes chopping all of these vegetables a breeze. One board, one knife, simple clean up and storage. I love my EZ Cutting Board. For smaller tasks, I sometimes use my Food Chopper. Either will work just as well and save you time.  For fresh tomato sauces, juice, stock, etc I use a Tomato Press.  I love to gather my garden fresh tomatoes and spend a day making puree, stocks, sauces, and marinara, then I freeze them so I can pull them out all during the year to enjoy. If you would like to can your tomatoes or make your own chicken broth, I highly recommend our Multi-Use Canner. It even has a built in thermometer. How neat is that?!

We even have you covered when you are ready to plant. Check us out at www.verticalgardeningsystems for a wide variety of container planters.

Tree Hugging Displays

Decorating yards, porches, and columns year round is so much fun. It gives you chances to change up the way things look for a fresh feel to your yard. I want to tell you about a neat new way to do just that, but even easier. The Tree Hugger is an ideal way to display flowers, holiday pumpkins, Christmas lights, and more.

The Tree Hugger doesn't require any tools, nails, or fasteners to work. An innovative simple cantilever design holds the Tree Hugger securely in position on any cylindrical shape 4"-11" around. The design also allows you to move it as you desire without damage to the structure you had it on. It can even be attached to crooked or angled trees for a unique decor.

The Tree Hugger holds three 1.5qt (6") flower pots and can also hold hanging baskets as well. Use it to showcase flowers, accessorize bird baths, decorate for Holidays, or even feed and water animals outside.

 Come on over and visit us at 

www.verticalgardeningsystems.com 

 to learn even more about it. We also have all of your other vertical garden needs covered.

No More Weeds In Our Beds!

A huge advantage to having a container or vertical garden is the decreased need to weed it. Having your plants safe and secure off the ground is a huge advantage when fighting weeds. But what if you love having your garden in the ground? The search for an effective alternative to removing weeds by hand can be daunting.  We have a few solutions that will help you in your search.

Another alternative is the Weed Dragon. Just as the name might imply, it uses flame power instead of herbicides. The propane torch kit does not burn the weed, but the high heat destroys the cell structure of the plant to kill the weed for good. This has been a popular green gas option for over 50 years in homes and gardens. The Weed Dragon is great for more than just a weed killer, it can be used to thaw frozen pipes, melt snow and ice, start a campfire, or even light charcoal. I don't know about you, but something that not only keeps my family and pets away from herbicides, but also serves multiple purposes is a winner to me.

We get overrun by Dandelions every year. Of course, my children love them. My youngest daughter will even surprise me in the car with one, which she has to make a wish and blow of course. Dandelion seeds everywhere! For me, I don't mind them so much, but they will take over a yard or garden before you can blink an eye. The only way to stop them is by getting to the root of the plant. most tools only get the bulb, but unless you get the whole root, you are just prolonging the amount of time before they pop right back up. This Dandelion Removal Tool solves that by going deep below ground, wrapping the root up, and pulling it out. Better than that, it doesn't require you to get on your hands and knees thanks to a long handle.

You can find both of these tools, as well as other cultivators, hand tools, and more at our websites:

www.lawn-gardening-tools.com

&

www.gardenharvesters.com

If you wish to try to skip these steps all together and just plant a container or vertical garden, then we have you covered for that as well. We have all sorts of ideas to get you started on a living wall or container veggie garden.

www.verticalgardeningsystems.com

A Pansy Always Remembers

Such a tough little flower, the Pansy, also known as Violet, thrives in cooler weather. I want to share some about it with you today. If you are looking to make a pretty Winter container garden, this is the flower for you!

The name Pansy is dervied from the French word pensée, meaning "thought". It was later changed over to the name Viola in the mid 15th century and the small flower became a symbol of remembrance. It is known as the flower with a face, which gained even more popularity when portrayed as part of the flower bed in the film, Alice in Wonderland.

 

You can grow your own flowers with a "face" with ease. If you are starting from seeds, start indoors for 6-8 weeks before you transplant outside. It is best to plant the seeds in Summer for winter flowering, or in late Winter for Spring and Summer blooms. Of course, you can always do like I do, which is realize, too late for seeds, that I would like to plant a garden. I buy my flowers ready to transplant straight from my local flower nursery. Pansy's love the sun and cooler temperatures. They do best in a moist, rich, and well-drained soil. When planting, space them 7-12 inches apart. Pansy's love water, so if they need to be perked up, make sure you are watering regularly...just don't drown them. These tough little flowers can survive light freezes and even short periods of snow cover.

If you are short on space, don't fret, you can still have a beautiful garden. We offer plenty of vertical and wall planters. One of our favorites for a Pansy is the Nancy Jane Self Watering Stacking Planter. It features 9 planting sections, so you can have a variety of flowers, vegetables, and herbs all together. Another unique option is a wall planter. The Flovert is a flexible hanging planter that can be used on walls, railings, or even fences. It gives your small space a big appearance. 5 sturdy pockets means endless possibilities.

Nancy Jane Stacking Planter

You can find these planters and so many more on our website,

www.verticalgardennigsystems.com

Prepare For Frost

Fall is rolling in and before you know it frost will sneak up on us. How will you protect your garden when that time comes? If you are like me, I used to lug my plants inside for the night...or nights..and then cart them right back out. It was time consuming and I found many unexpected guests, such as frogs, lizards, and bugs. I decided enough was enough and found some protection. These innovative products will save you so much time (and backache).

Mini Greenhouse

If you have a large amount of potted plants or a small garden, this Mini-Greenhouse includes an outdoor heat lamp for optimal protection of your precious plants during the frost and Winter. Easy to assemble by just popping it open, placing over your plants, and staking or tying down. Then just let this mini-greenhouse do the rest. This plant guard is 100% wind and water proof, as well as flame retardant. It features a full height zippered door for easy access to your plants. When you are finished for the season, just fold down and store inside its special storage bag until next season.

Clima-Hood

 I love hanging plants, but I don't love climbing to put them up, take them down, put them up...you get the picture. Now, I use Clima-Hoods to protect my hanging plants. The protective cover just slips right over your whole pot and plant then gently secure the drawstring for simple protection. These hoods are perfect for small shrubbery as well.

Do you grow your herbs in a window box? I do, so I use these Window Box Hoods to protect my winter herbs from the frost. Leave your boxes right where they are, slip one of these hoods over and pull the drawstring snug. These hoods are great for spring time to encourage early flowering as well. Don't just use and store, but use them year round.

 

These area few of my favorite products and I have used them year after year. They can all do double duty to protect against frost and encourage early flowering as well.  You can find these and so much more on our website 

www.lawngardeningideas.com 

We also have a lot of great planters and vertical gardening systems over at 

www.verticalgardeningsystems.com

Teach A Child To Garden

 

 Delight on a child's face must be one of the most rewarding feelings that a gardener can have when that sheer happiness is result of your garden. That tops right up there with knowing that you helped teach that child to garden. You are doing something magical for them. They get to see their efforts pay off and have pride in working with their sweet little hands. They are learning a life skill that will serve them well. It is proven that when a child helps you grow vegetables and fruits, they are more likely to eat them. They will beam with pride at what they have accomplished and eat healthier in the process. It reminds me of a proverb, but I am going to change it up a little....

A wonderful thing about working with children is that YOU don't have to be a perfect gardener, you just have to be willing to spend time together. As adults, we sometimes forget that things that are not new to us, are new to them. They see the world as full of amazement and wonder. So, get out there, get dirty, and have fun! What if you don't have a lot of space? That is ok also. Whoever said you have to dig in the ground to have a garden? Container gardens are just as wonderful. Any container that will allow moisture to flow through can work. If you are a beginner gardener yourself or want to teach your child about healthy eating, we have a wonderful middle ground. A garden that sits right on your counter top AND will encourage healthy eating.

A Sprout Garden is simple to start, easy to care for, and shows super fast results. You can go from planting to eating in just a few days. We offer a 3 tray Sprout Garden kit that has everything you need to get started, trays, seeds, and instructions. Add sprouts to your salads, sandwiches, and even in your smoothies for a great boost and pick-me-up. You don't have to limit the kit to only sprouts, grow broccoli, garbanzo, lentils, and much more. The added bonus of stackable trays is that you can not only grow many different things at once, but they take up very little room.

Come visit us at

 www.lawn-gardening-tools.com 

to have your kit shipped right to your front door.

Mulch Obliged

Leaves are starting to fall and soon enough we will be outside raking them up. The question is, What are you going to do with all of those leaves? Use them! They provide a natural and perfect protection for your plant roots.

3 Ways To Use Your Fallen Leaves

1. Add them to your compost bin and mix with the other fruits, vegetables, and grass clippings you already have in there. These things will help break down the leaves quicker.
2. Rake your leaves up and then layer them over your garden or flower beds. You can even use your bagger attachment on your mower to pick up shredded leaves to use. The leaves can be whole or shredded, but do not layer more than 2-3" thick. Any thicker and you may block out important sunlight and rain needed. The leaves serve as mulch to protect the roots, helpful insects, and other things that are growing during the cold months. In the Spring, simply mix with the soil to continue using the benefits of the leaves.
3. Simply use your mower to mulch up the leaves and leave a "dusting" on your lawn. You don't want your lawn to be buried. This light layer will protect your grass roots and provide nutrients.

Do you want help gathering up all of those leaves? We may just have some things that can help over at www.lawn-gardening-tools.com. 

Save your back from the rake with our Grab X Leaf Grabber. It just grabs up the leaves instead of raking them.

Grab X Leaf Grabber

You can also make less trips. Our Sport EZ Leaf Hauler holds 4 times for than a wheelbarrow and our EZ Haul Original holds over twice that! More than just a tarp with sturdy sides and stakes to keep it in place even on the windiest of days.