And the winner of Lawn Gone is...

...Susan! Susan is taking steps to minimize her lawn and mentioned she hoped to expand herb plantings to replace the lawn. 

Can you imagine how lovely a front yard filled with German Chamomile would be? 

Thanks to everyone for entering the drawing, and I hope you will check out Pam Penick's book, Lawn Gone! (Susan, please e-mail your address to me at julie@gardendelights-sc.com, and I'll send your book to you ASAP.)

And, to brighten your Monday morning, here's an update of the forsythia branches I cut and forced to bloom:

Aren't they cheerful? I highly recommend adding a few flowering branches inside--they add a touch of spring and brighten any room.

Happy Monday to you!

XO ~

Julie

 

Happy National Seed Swap Day! (Plus a Giveaway!)

Have you been gazing at seed catalogs, dreaming of spring? Wait! Before you place your order, let's have a seed swap!

Did you know that Saturday, January 26, 2013 is National Seed Swap Day? Nope, neither did I until I happened to read an article today. So, while it's too late for me to organize a local, community seed swap, I thought it might be fun to host a virtual seed swap. Want to join me?

Here's how it will work:

1. Check your seed inventory to see what you can share. Make a list and note quantities. (Please remember—if you save seeds from your garden, please only pass along heirloom seeds. Seeds collected from hybrids usually don't grow true to the parent plant.)
2. Make a list of seeds you'd like to receive.
3. Go to the Garden Delights Facebook page. (In case you don't know, Garden Delights is my organic heirloom plant business.) Please “Like” the page, if you haven't already, and then find today's Status about National Seed Swap Day.
4. Post your seed availability and your wish list of seeds in the Comments section of the post. I'll cut and paste the comments into a master document titled “2013 Seed Swap,” which you can find under “Notes.” It should make it a little easier to navigate than scrolling through lots of comments to see who has/wants which seeds.
5. Check out seed availability, then contact the person who offers the varieties you'd like. Please arrange to share addresses privately.
6. Make certain to pack and label your seeds carefully for the recipient. Add any information that you think the grower would find helpful or interesting, like “Germinates best in cool temperatures” or “Heirloom passed down from grandfather.” The more information, the better!
7. Please be generous when sending seeds. Remember, germination rates vary, plus older seeds may have a lower germination rate.
8. As the seeds should fit into a normal envelope that requires one stamp (unless you're being extremely generous), I'd recommend that the sender is responsible for postage. Everyone will be sending and receiving, so the postage costs should balance out.
9. Please send the seeds within a week of the request, or at least let the recipient know when to expect the seeds.
10. Have fun and make new gardening friends!

Now, I've never organized an online seed swap before...but I'm excited to try it! Please be patient if I haven't covered something or if there are any problems. I'll try my best to fix any technical issues, but any seed delivery issues is between the parties who made the agreement, OK?

And—as an extra bonus—I'm going to randomly select two seed swappers to receive a collection of seeds from Baker's Creek Heirloom Seeds and Seed Savers Exchange! All you need to do to enter the drawing is to “Follow” Growing Days, if you haven't already; “Like” Garden Delights' Facebook page; and participate in the seed swap! I'll announce the winners on February 28.

Are you ready to plant your best garden ever? Then on your mark, get set...let's swap some seeds!

Happy National Seed Swap Day (Tomorrow)!

XO ~

Julie

P.S. Here's a great site with very cute seed envelope templates. You can make your own seed packets! 

P.P.S. Check out Farm Girl Blog Fest, a great assortment of homesteading, gardening, and crafting ideas.

World Kitchen Garden Day Giveaway!

Recently, I've mentioned my need to tackle our overrun, ugly summer kitchen gardens to make the transition to fall crops. I've created plans, determined when to start the seeds, and realized I'm behind schedule.

Guess what? I've still successfully avoided the gardens all week.

I could make excuses: I'm readjusting to the back-to-school routine, focusing on writing, cleaning the house (my husband is rolling his eyes now). Honestly, the gardens just look so...depressing.

Then yesterday, while searching a website, I found my motivation:

World Kitchen Garden Day—Sunday, August 26, 2012. 

 

Launched by Kitchen Gardeners International as a healthy response to the International Snack Food Association's “Snack Food Month,” World Kitchen Garden Day is an opportunity to gather in gardens with friends, family, and neighbors to celebrate the pleasures and benefits of home-grown, homemade food.

Real food. Local food. Healthy food.

Now, that's something to celebrate!

World Kitchen Garden Day is an excellent motivator to get our gardens whipped into shape.

Plus, I can spin it into a fun, family event, instead of tackling the gardens by myself—HA! It's a holiday, after all—right? Maybe I'll invite friends and neighbors, too, and share some of the weed-pulling, soil-amending, planting fun in our gardens.

Of course, I'd feed them yummy local food. I have a great recipe for Peach Crisp.

In honor of World Kitchen Garden Day, I have a giveaway to inspire you to get your hands dirty!

World Kitchen Garden Day Giveaway

The winner will receive:

$25 gift certificate for Seed Savers Exchange

 to purchase your kitchen garden seeds. 

(They also have a great selection of books and gardening gifts.)

-and-

 

 

No matter your political beliefs (and let's check those at the door, please)--this is a beautiful book. In 2008, Kitchen Gardeners International (KGI) initiated a high-profile public awareness and advocacy campaign known as "Eat the View," calling on the White House to plant a kitchen garden. The organization believed that if a kitchen garden could be planted in such a high-profile location, it might inspire millions of people to plant their own gardens. With more than 110,000 signatures on KGI's White House garden petition, the administration took notice.

So did most of the country, as the White House South Lawn became filled with fruits, vegetables, herbs—and thousands of visitors.

From the inception of the garden to the planning, soil testing, crop selection, community involvement, fails, and even seasonal recipes, American Grown is more than just a coffee table book. The layout and photography is gorgeous, but I especially loved the profiles of gardens and gardeners across the country, as well as the seasonal planting diagrams of the White House Kitchen Garden.

There are several ways to enter the giveaway—and each action counts as a separate entry. That's right, you can enter up to FOUR times! Here's how:

1. Leave a comment on this post with your name and your favorite homegrown fruit or vegetable. (If you don't currently follow Growing Days, I would be grateful if you would “Join this Site.” If you already follow Growing Days—thank you!)
2. “Like” my Garden Delights Facebook page and leave a comment. I share more gardening tips and information on the FB page. (Again, thank you if you've already liked the page—just leave a comment!)
3. Repin this post on Pinterest. To make it easy, you can just Repin this pin.
4. Share this post with your friends on Facebook.

Giveaway details:

• The contest deadline is midnight EST on Friday, August 31, 2012.
  
• The winner must be a resident of the continental U.S.
  
• The winner will be selected by a random drawing.
  
• The winner will be announced in an update to this post and on my Facebook page during the first week of September.
  

Happy World Kitchen Garden Day, everyone!
Cheers!


Julie