Tag Archives: gardening

It’s that time of year when we all reflect on the things we are thankful for.  If we go by what we hear in the news, it seems there is little to be grateful for. But Rosies know that’s far from the truth. It’s not the big things in life but the many daily small things that add up making us so appreciative. For Rosies that are gardeners, we are thankful that it rained when it did and when it didn’t, that the gophers didn’t eat our whole crop and the ground squirrels moved on and that winter is finally coming, giving us some rest.

Rosies founder, Sharon Moore, offers her own list of what she is thankful for: my big happy family, the beautiful view of outside my kitchen window, wonderful friends that get me, a sister that is so supportive and finding something to laugh at every day.

Rosies kitchen window view. Now that's something to be thankful for.

What are you thankful for?  We loved to hear from you. Comment below or join the conversation on our Rosies Facebook page. Thanks for sharing.

Once in awhile between projects, we actually have time to read. And of course, we read about new projects. We came across this great magazine Birds and Blooms, Backyard projects, while we were clearing out our coverall closet.

It has all kinds of great ideas to keep us Rosies even more busy. They also listed some really great blogs for more gardening and DIY tips and projects. If you follow a blog you love, let us know. Rosies are all about sharing.

apartmenttherapy.com

yougrowgirl.com

curbly.com

designspongeonline.com

threadbanger.com

howaboutorange.blogspot.com

instructables.com

thebestofdiy.com

diyinsanity.blogspot.com

Now until Labor Day, we are celebrating Rosies’ Labor of Love. Tell us what you’re passionate about (gardening, horses, welding, working on cars, ranching, etc) and submit a  picture of yourself in action on our Facebook page and have a chance to receive our “classic” denim coverall. Feel free to add links to a website or blog. If there is one thing all Rosies love to do, is share information and support women in their causes.

Here’s our favorite “Labor of Love” for this week from Linda Traux: “My favorite thing to do is gardening, but with that my other favorite, digging. When I plant something in my yard you cannot dig too deep until you hit a rock. Not just a small one–a huge rock..I try not to let the rock win…I will stick with it until I get it out using my shovel and crowbar. Once I have it I proudly place it in a nice spot in my garden and of course take pictures. When it is a good find, my friends need to see and hear about it…lol..love digging!” You could say Linda really digs her rock garden.

With the weather being so cold outside, gardening is probably not the first thing on your mind. But now is the time to begin choosing your seeds and plan your spring garden. Whether you are starting from scratch, or just swapping out a few plants, here are our top tips to get you ready:

Send away for catalogs

Comprehensive catalogs will supply you with high-quality plants for spring and garden reading to get you though the year’s shortest, darkest days. Click here to see About.com’s list of FREE seed catalogs, so you can order yours today and start planning.

 

Garden virtually

Even in the dead of winter, gardening is as near as your computer. On the Internet, you can commune with fellow enthusiasts, shop for bulbs from Holland or glimpse far away gardens.

Not only does GuardenGuides.com have lots of advice articles, it has a community forum, where you can chat with other gardeners online and get advice.

YouTube.com has over 6,000 instructional videos on how to plan your garden. Sometimes it actually helps to see how to plant your garden, versus reading instructions. Click here to browse the wide selection of free how to gardening videos.

Better Homes and Gardens has an online Plan-a-Garden that lets you design anything from a patio-side container garden to your whole yard. Use your mouse to “drag-and-drop” more than 150 trees, shrubs, and flowers. Add dozens of structures like buildings, sheds, fences, decks — even a pond.

 

Read Up

There’s still time to read some of the top-selling garden books at Amazon.com, Amazon.com has over 8,000 garden planning books.¬† To help you navigate all the possibilities, here is a list of the best sellers according to The Planting Queen:

1. It’s been out for three years, but All New Square Foot Gardening by Mel Bartholomew still tops the charts. Of the 140 reviews, 104 gave it five stars. I think that’s because many people still want to garden, but they don’t want it to take over their lives. This is the 2006 edition.

2. I love Barbara Kingsolver’s novels. But Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life, which she co-wrote with her daughter and husband, chronicles their year (along with another daughter) eating only locally grown foods. While not a gardening how-to, it does invoke a desire to do it. If only.

3. Root Cellaring: Natural Cold Storage of Fruits & Vegetables by Mike Bubel and Nancy Bubel was published in 1991, but I think many will feel as one reviewer did: My most recent interests all revolve around this new desire that I have to become more self-sufficient.

4. Are we detecting a theme yet? Four-Season Harvest: Organic Vegetables from Your Home Garden All Year Long by Eliot Coleman, Barbara Damrosch, and Kathy Bray was published 10 years ago. Yet it’s number 4 today.

5. Gardening When It Counts: Growing Food in Hard Times (Mother Earth News Wiser Living Series) by Steve Solomon. Nuff said.

6. The Vegetable Gardener’s Bible: Discover Ed’s High-Yield W-O-R-D System for All North American Gardening Regions by Edward C. Smith.

7. Seed to Seed: Seed Saving and Growing Techniques for Vegetable Gardeners by Suzanne Ashworth and Kent Whealy.

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