Taking a Break Towards Fresh and Crunchy

I am going to take a break for the rest of 2021 and will be back fresh and crunchy in January. I have no craft shows booked, no talks or meetings for a while, so I am going to read the book that I bought for my birthday in May. The Complete Gardener by Monty Don is a big, beautiful book.

Greetings fellow gardeners,

What strange weather we are having as the holidays approach. I was so astounded to see my pot of icicle pansies begin to rally as if spring had arrived. As the week continues the regular winter weather should return. I am going to make sure that there is lots of snow covering my tender perennials. I can see the birds enjoying the many seed heads of the perennials that I left in the garden, and I also make sure that the suet feeders are full.

Today my first 2022 seed catalogue arrived in the mail thus insuring my activity for the next few weeks. I have already started marking pages and imagining my summer season. With the ice all over the driveway, it took a while to get to the mailbox. I have spiky strips that I can wrap around my boots and that really helps. I don’t use salt on my ice as it is not good for my garden. Instead, I use chicken feed and replace it as it becomes eaten; there is a rogue turkey that wanders past each morning and she cleans it up. You could use any birdseed or clay kitty litter or sand. If you use a chemical substance instead of salt, be sure to read the package carefully to see how it will affect your soil.

Towards Fresh Ideas

I have several ideas for the winter season. I have been going through my seeds and picking out the ones that I could try for microgreens; I also want to try some lettuce under different circumstances. My plant stand is somewhat outdated so I might look into updating it. The plants on the stand need some extra care as well; Leo, one of my too-many cats, has been nibbling the begonia I brought indoors. I have no craft shows booked, no talks or meetings for a while, so I am going to read the book that I bought for my birthday in May. The Complete Gardener by Monty Don is a big, beautiful book. I am enjoying the pictures as much as the writing. I really like Monty Don’s way of gardening as it is similar to mine.

I am going to take a break for the rest of 2021 and will be back fresh and crunchy in January. At this time, I would like to thank Dave Plouffe who is one of my editors and handles putting Veggie Bites up on Facebook. I would also like to thank Jean Carr at the Gardening Calendar for his continuing support and amazing ideas and plans. And of course, there is Vivian McLean; she is my other editor and runs the distribution email list for the Stittsville Goulbourn Horticultural Society. Vivian is the one who makes sure that I am on track and that these Bites get to you on Friday mornings. Enjoy the rest of your year. Judith.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

Contact Judith through her Website https://www.lapisdragonarts.com/. Find more weekly Veggie Bites experiences on the Veggie Bites page.

Bee, Begonia, bird, Christmas, Feeder, lettuce, microgreens, Monty Don, Ottawa, Suet, Tea, Winter

About the Author

Judith Cox

Judith Cox is a Master Gardener and President of the Stittsville Goulbourn Horticultural Society . The many topics covered in her blogs include starting a garden, planting seeds, selecting the best seeds, identifying specific plants, and growing produce other than what is found at the grocery store. Every issue offers solutions to common issues faced by gardeners, including wildlife, whether to water, pests, snails, and other issues. During the winter, Judith writes for local journals and newspapers, give talks at local horticultural clubs on a range of gardening topics. She also finds time to run a small business selling watercolor and pen and ink cards.