Now is the time to order your seed catalogues!
Greetings fellow gardeners,
It is a very quiet morning. The newly fallen snow muffles the traffic sounds and covers the sad greyness of November. I have my new inexpensive Christmas lights on a timer so when it comes on in the early morning it is so cheery.
Speaking of Christmas lights, I heard that the newer light sets have a soy-based covering on the wires and that is super tasty to squirrels! I have been trying to research this online through Snopes.com and so forth, but if it is true, it explains what happened to all my new lights. I am still dealing with squirrels as they swing like acrobats on my feeders or try to eat the suet out of its metal cage.
I received another seed catalogue in the mail, W. H. Perron 2021. This catalogue took over from Dominion Seed House and it is what I would call a dessert catalogue. They have accessories that are fascinating and expensive and some seeds that you cannot get readily. You can’t order online from W.H. Perron, only from the catalogue. You can order a catalogue at https://www.dominion-seed-house.com/en/. I was able to get the peanut seeds that I had been searching for from this catalogue and I enjoyed daydreaming about all the garden projects I could do with their accessories. It is free and a fun read.
William Dam Seeds has a catalogue that is favoured by a number of my fellow gardeners. You can order a catalogue at https://www.damseeds.com/. What I like most about this company is its untreated seeds. As I continue to strive for a more organic garden, untreated seed makes a big difference. I will send an order from this catalogue to my friend so that we can share the shipping. Gardening is a great group activity in so many ways!
Today I popped in to see my neighbour and to pick up some hay to keep my chickens warm. I recycle this hay into my compost as it becomes too dirty. Hay is great as compost, but I try to let it get rid of its weed seeds first. Once it has cycled through, it makes a wonderful addition to the garden. After I changed the chickens’ bedding, I stood back to look at my chicken compound. Last year I thought about how ideal it would be as a climbing aid for my runner beans. This is the time of year that I try to write down these ideas to use as spring comes around the corner. Think about what you would like to add to your garden this year.
I hope that you are starting to make your seed lists. Go BIG. Write down everything you want and what you imagine you would love. Then take an evening to go over it to make it reasonable. I suggest you try seeds this year. Last year so many nurseries ran out of stock. The one vegetable (fruit) that I will always grow from seed is tomatoes. I find so many times that purchased tomato seedlings end up with blight. I keep my tomato seedlings clean right from the beginning and blight is rare.
My Christmas cactus (Schlumbergera) is blooming well. I used to have a glorious pot which consisted of a Thanksgiving cactus, a Christmas cactus and an Easter cactus, and the blooms were lovely colours all sorts of times. You can tell which one is which by the shapes of the leaves.
I recently discovered how easy it is to propagate your cactus. Twist a non-flowering branch, then place it directly in soil in good light. I should try that! If you look closely at the picture of my Christmas cactus you will see my thumb pointing right at that joint.
My Christmas cactus
I just looked out the window and it is getting dark again. As soon as we finish with December 21st then the days will start to get longer, and I will be waiting eagerly for all those seeds. Enjoy your week and think of new vegetables as you bustle through the holiday season.
Judith (Email: lapisdragonarts@gmail.com)
All Veggie Bites are available at the SGHS website: (https://sites.google.com/site/sghortsoc/)
Bulb week 5. I shall add more water.
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