Fall is for Gardening Too!

While the rising temperatures in spring send people digging in the garden, many people take advantage of the fall for gardening too!  Broccoli, turnips, collard greens, Brussels sprouts, peppers, lettuce, garlic and so much more!  Depending on where you live, your fall garden may need to be portable to protect from the elements.  Consider a gardening cart or a vertical gardening system with multiple planting pods as well as levels.

 Check out this fall garden from Hollis & Nancy's Homestead (their videos are great!)--

Are you planting a fall garden?  If so, share with us what you are planting, pictures and videos and you may be featured here!

My Favorite New Product

GreenStalk Stackable Gardens

The Newest in Vertical Gardening 

I'm so excited to introduce our customers and readers to the latest in Vertical Gardening: GreenStalk Stackable Gardens! I love these planters and I want to tell you why these are different from any other stackable garden you may come across.

• Features a simple watering system-- The internal watering system ensures that each tier receives sufficient water. So simple! 

• More growing spaces-- Unlike other stackable gardens, GreenStalk features six growing pockets per tier. GreenStalk has a three, four or five tier option (as well as color choices of black or stone with more to come soon). With the largest option, you could essentially have 30 separate growing spaces!




 
• Made of durable, high-quality materials-- No worries about investing in a system that you have to replace next year. GreenStalk is guaranteed not to fade, crack or break for five years.





• Perfect for all your growing needs--GreenStalk Vertical Garden is perfect for flowers, plants, strawberries, kale, eggplant, green beans, sweet potatoes, cucumbers, onions, tomatoes, herbs, peas, lettuce, zucchini, squash, radish, spinach, potatoes, greenery, corn, carrots, peppers, watermelon, beets, broccoli and more. Perfect for all your growing needs!

These are just a few of the awesome features of the GreenStalk Vertical Gardens.  Hop over our website at 855Sheller.com and check out more features or to place an order.  As always, free shipping.  Jot me an email with any questions and Happy Gardening!

GreenStalk Dimensions and Capacity



GreenStalk is a Kickstarter-funded project!

Calming Lavender

Lavender is loved and renowned for it's calming properties.This beautiful purple herb is easily grown in containers. When starting your own vertical or container garden, why not add Lavender to the mix?

Lavender not only helps calm and sooth your senses, it also keeps insects at bay. Pluck a few Lavender flowers, crush, and rub along your arms and legs while sitting outside for a natural insect repellant. You will have to watch for bees though, as they actually love the scent of Lavender as much as we do. To make an insect repellent spray, mix Lavender flowers and white vinegar in a spray bottle. Allow to sit and infuse for 2 weeks, shaking daily. Applying the mixture to places where you have already been bitten can also soothe the itch and irritation. 

One of my favorite uses for Lavender is adding it to a sachet and sewing into a loved doll or stuffed animal. The calming herb does wonders to gently soothe a child and help them drift of peacefully to sleep. These sachets are also great to add to drawers, closets, or just to keep nearby for any time that you need a moment to relax. Get creative in how you use them.

I like to plant my Lavender near my entryways and windows so I can always enjoy a calming moment before I walk in the door, or before I leave out into this hectic world. I use Nancy Jane stacking planters to mix my Lavender with other herbs like Mint, Parsley, or Cilantro. I also use a Woolly Pocket for stand alone Lavender in my vertical garden designs.

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

www.VerticalGardeningSystems.com

What do you love to use Lavender for? 

Sage~ "The Healthiest Herb"

Sage is known as the herb of the wise. It's name is derived from the Latin Salvare which roughly translates as "to rescue" or "to heal". Traditionally is it believed that those who ate Sage became immortal in wisdom and life. In modern times, we still recognize how wonderful Sage is and although it won't make us live forever, it will improve the life we have been given. Leaves are used fresh or dried to flavor wonderful food dishes as well as work against bacterias that cause digestive issues, food poisoning, and more.

Sage is a very hardy plant that is able to withstand harsher climates with the proper care. Sage is a clumping herb that thrives with full sun and moderate watering without an overly moist soil. It makes the perfect container plant, alone or as greenery to flowers. As soon as the leaves have grown large enough to serve your needs, you can start harvesting them. Sage is also rated as one of the world's healthiest foods and is not a commonly allergic food.

Sage is a great anti-oxidant, anti-septic, and anti-inflammatory, as well as so many other things. It has been used in a tea or oil form as a remedy for respiratory infections, congestion, cough, and sore throat, packing a big punch in a little plant for cold season.  needs. Sage is also used externally to treat sprains, bleeding, and swelling. It works wonders as a muscle relaxer because of the anti-spasmodic properties that reduces tension in smooth muscles. It is thanks to this property that it is also a great alternative to use for dizziness, nervousness, and excitability.

Sage is also used to treat or help in these common ailments:

• Clean ulcers or sores
• Kidney troubles
• Hemorrhage from lungs or stomach
• Joint pain
• Night sweats
• Nervous headache
• Lack of appetite
• Mouthwash
• Liver complaints
• Insect stings and bites
• Excessive, scanty, or irregular periods
• Hot flashes
• Oral inflammation
• Improvement in memory

*Sage should not be used internally by pregnant or nursing woman for more than just food seasoning. Medicinal doses can cause a reduction of breast milk in nursing mothers. In pregnant women, it can cause uterine spasms. To add flavor to your dish should not cause these side effects.*

Since Sage is such a simple to grow herb and so very useful, I like to keep plenty around. I am not a fan of digging big gardens myself for herbs. I like to have them at a level that makes picking simple. I absolutely love wall planters. A beautiful living wall of plants and herbs brings such peace. My favorites include Grovert framed wall planters. If you have good lighting, you can have an herb garden right in your kitchen because it is designed to protect your walls.

Another wonderful option is Wallpots. 3 deep pockets encourage deep rooting and can be hung on any outdoor vertical surface. Use just 1 or group together for your own unique garden. Maybe you don't want to create a living wall because you're renting or trying to sell. A Nancy Jane Stacking Planter boasts of 9 planting cells that are self watering. You can grow a mixture of plants, herbs, and vegetables while using very little space.

Check out these planters and so many more to create your own unique vertical garden at 
www.VerticalGardeningSystems.com

Cilantro: Natural Healer

Did you know that some of those herbs you have planted are wonderful for more than just great flavoring in your favorite dishes? I love finding natural alternatives to use in place of some medicines and over a few blog posts, I want to share various ones with you. Today I will share about Cilantro. It is one of my favorites and I use it often. I especially love a fresh homemade salsa with Cilantro added.

Cilantro, also known as Coriander, is a wonderful cool weather herb. It thrives in a cool, moist garden, while it doesn't linger around in hot weather. You may recognize Cilantro from the unique flavor the leaves give when added into your favorite Mexican or Thai dishes. Cilantro seeds are also known as Coriander, which is a prime ingredient in Indian curries. It is noted to be one of the oldest spices in the world, dating back to 5,000 BC. Aside from a wonderful and refreshing flavor, Cilantro is a powerful digestive aid. Its cleansing properties are capable of removing heavy metals as well as other toxins from your body. Cilantro is also known to be a strong antioxidant, good source of calcium, and increase levels of HDL while lowering LDL. It has anti-inflammatory, anti-fungal, antibacterial, anti-nausea, and antimicrobial properties. There are many more benefits to this little herb. I highly suggest adding it to your garden or herb box if you haven't already. Here is a simple recipe to use Cilantro. I am using the one from RealSimple.com that I enjoy. Eat this pesto on toast, in pasta dishes, and more for a refreshing flavor.

When I am growing my own herbs, I like to start seeds in a Sprouter. It helps me keep an eye on their growth and progress. I like to use the Victorio Seed Sprouter because it comes with 4 trays, so I can grow different types of seeds at one time. When they are ready, transplanting into a container is simple when you just remove them from the sprouter and into your rich soil. 

My favorite planter is Nancy Jane Stacking Self Watering Planter. This is a little planter that acts like you have plenty of space. 3 stacking planters offer 9 unique spaces to plant in. You can plant a wide variety of flowers, herbs, and vegetables all in the same planter, yet you don't have to have a lot of room.

To chop my ingredients for Pesto before adding them to the processor, I use a Food Chopper so I can get a smoother consistency without having to run the processor as long. If the Cilantro gets too heated, it can start losing the beneficial properties. 

You can find these items and more on our websites:

www.verticalgardeningsystems.com

www.855sheller.com

www.lawn-gardening-tools.com

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.

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.

Do You Container or Vertical Garden?

Do you love the idea of a garden of colorful and beautiful flowers or delicious and healthy vegetables, but you can't dig, have limit space, or have never gardened before? 

Well, those reasons are exactly why we love vertical and container gardens. I want to share a few things we love here.It is always important to check your climate zone guide for the optimal planting time. We are in South Alabama, so we can wait a little longer than our friends up North. I preferred to transplant rather than grow from seeds when I was fist learning. It was much easier for me, especially when the time came to be put into the ground or my container and I was scratching my head wondering when it sneaked up on me. (Or I decided on a whim that it was planting day Don't judge!) If you want to start from seeds, then you must already be working with them during the heat of the summer. Bonnie Plants are my favorite to work with when buying them at transplant stage. The ones I will share with you today are wonderful hardy (can tolerate hard frost 25-28°F) and semi-hardy (light frost 29-32°F) vegetables, flowers, and herbs.

Fall/Winter crop bounty

Herbs are wonderful. I like to use fresh herbs as often as possible to give flavor to my dishes. Parsley, Sage, Chives, Lavender, Cilantro, and Mint are a few great cool weather herbs. Mint and Lavender have such a wonderful fragrance to them and a mixture of the 2 will give you beautiful greens and purples to enjoy as well as fresh seasonings to Autumn meals or mixed to make soaps and potpourri.  I love to use Cilantro in Salsa and Pico De Gallo. It has a distinct flavor that is refreshing. Chives make a great addition to soups. I could go on and on! A wonderful thing about Herbs is that with full sun and proper watering, they keep on producing all season! You can harvest and dry them to enjoy year round. I like to use the FloVert wall mounted planter. It has 5 pockets so you can separate your herbs because some herbs try to crowd others out. FloVert is natural and flexible as well as easily attached to walls or railings. Even if you only have a small balcony, you can still have big taste.

Lavender

Cineraria was made for the shade, so with gloomy or overcast days, you will not have to worry. Cineraria can grow up to 2ft high and wide with Daises that range in varieties of color like white, red, blue, purple, and pink. Regular water and loose, rich soil will produce a beautiful flowering plant. Pair it with greenery or even some herbs for even more beauty. A wonderful container for a beautiful display would be WallPots. The offer 3 flexible, but durable pockets so you can mix and match your garden. WallPots are lightweight and very easy to hang on your patio walls or fences.

Cineraria Variety

A family favorite of ours is Cabbage. We love to eat it in a variety of ways like steamed, grilled, baked, or in soups. Cabbage is very easy to grow, but needs a larger container because they like their space. The rule of thumb is 12-24" between plants and 1-2" of the main stem buried. This is easily achieved with a large pot or bucket that has a drainage access. You will want a soil with good compost to help retain moisture. Cabbages demand a lot of moisture to produce good heads. Careful not to over water though, you never want your plants just standing in water, but with a nice, really moist soil. You will average about 1-1.5 inches of water a week if it doesn't rain. When the head of the cabbage is formed and firm, cut it from the base of the plant. The Trio Life 3 Tier Vertical Planter is a neat system that won't take up a lot of room. Plant your Cabbages on the bottom tier and you still have 2 more tiers for more yummy goodness.

Thank you for joining us today. We always love to hear about what you are growing. Hop on over to our website, www.verticalgardeningsystems.com/, to get started with your very own cool weather garden. Also, if the mention of Pico De Gallo has your mouth watering, you can visit our friends over at Southern Garden Tools blog for the recipe.