April 2005

Thank you for subscribing to the GardenChick newsletter. This is the first newsletter of the site I started in December 2004. I have finally learned how to add content to the site which proves you actually can teach an old dog new tricks.

Subsequent newsletter will be chocked full of garden tips, info, new products, and recipes to help you have the best garden yet. However, with the first newsletter, I want to do a little something different. I am in the process of developing a line of "GardenChick" products and I need some help. Large companies often have "focus groups". People who come in and tell the company what they want, and what they think of their products. Well, that is way out of my reach, but why not allow my subscribers, who have shown an interest in this fledgling site, to be my focus group and try out the products for free? So...to the first twenty subscribers who email me back with their name and address, I will periodically send my products as they are developed. (FREE!). I just require one thing for you to stay on the list. I will email you some questions after I mail you the product. Please answer the questions, such as how did you like the taste, smell etc., the packaging. What would you pay for the product, would you buy the product for yourself or a friend? This lets me know if I am on the right track with what I think is a good product, but which may not be so. Also, let me know how it could be improved. I may want to use your comments on the site when the product is posted.

Also, I want to develop a reader's page with tips, recipes, etc., so send those in along with any gardening happenings in your area.

So HURRY! get your name and address back to me at Karen@Gardenchick.com.

Until May, Happy Gardening
Karen

Summer 2005

Happy Summer!

I hope this letter finds you well, and your gardens overflowing. I write this on the hottest day of the year according to today's weather. It is 93 degrees and sweltering. You have to get up with the chickens (no pun intended) to get anything done in the garden. By 9:00, the heat drives you back into the air conditioned house.

Summer Garden Tips...

What does all of this heat mean for the garden? Water, water, water. Especially any container plants which need daily watering. Water your garden early in the morning, before the sun has a chance to dry them out. If you are going to be gone for a few days, water the garden and containers deeply. Place your container plants under a tree or in the shade.

Pinch back annuals which become "leggy" to promote new growth, keep chrysanthemums buds pinched back to promote a bushier plant, and keep pinching back until after July for blooms later in the season. Keep annuals deadheaded to ensure continued flowers. If some of your flowers are looking a little spent, purchase some annuals in 4" pots from the nursery to add "spot" color to the garden. The nursery has been growing, fertilizing, and pinching these back to give you continued good looking plants. They are also in bloom so you know what you are getting. Add them to spots in the garden by planting, or placing several pots together to add eye appeal to your yard. Spots to consider include, on the porch steps, patio, and deck. Add shade loving annuals under trees. Keep weeds under control. Keep them pulled or they will flower and go to seed again, multiplying rapidly. Keep the water in your birdbath changed frequently to discourage mosquitos.

Fresh Produce...

If you do not have a vegetable garden I encourage you to buy local. Every community has a farmers market or roadside stands. Support your local farmers by buying great quality, fresh produce that hasn't been shipped across the country.

Recipes...

My herb garden has been overflowing this year. My oregano has spread and climbed throughout the lone rosemary plant. One of my sage plants did not overwinter, but the other has flourished. Three lavender plants have provided thus far 20 bunches for drying, and I am waiting to make lavender dryer packs. (Look for them later on my site.) Newly planted this year was chamomile and lemon balm in my "tea garden". I also planted two tarragon plants and two dill. If you are not used to using herbs in your cooking (and I wasn't), start first by introducing some herbed butters to your family. These butters can be made fresh and spread on corn on the cob, bread, squash cut lengthwise and cooked in the microwave, and in mashed potatoes instead of just plain butter. Note, you need to use butter, not margarine. I bought the Land O Lakes spreadable butter in a small tub. I decided to be "heart healthy" one day and purchased the butter made with olive oil. It tended to separate when I put it in the refrigerator, and did not mix as well.

Visit my site for the herb butter recipe. Also, I have added 3 herbal seasonings to the site, one which is a trio of herbal butters. The other two herbal seasonings are ultimate garlic bread, and fiesta dip. I made these seasonings for a garden show I attended as a vendor, and about sold out. I made samples and received great comments on the recipes. These seasonings have no msg, sugar, or preservatives. I make small batches at a time with organic herbs.

Lavender is my all-time favorite herb and it is not used just for it's wonderful scent. Dab a drop of lavender essential oil on a bug bite or sting and the sting will stop immediately. Add a few drops of the essential oil to water for a sunburn soother and you can add a few drops to your bath at night for a restful sleep.

Lavender also has culinary uses. Here's a great recipe for those steamy summer days and would be something different to take to that 4th of July Party.

Lavender Lemonade

Steep 1/2 cup dried lavender flowers in a quart of boiling water for about 5 minutes. Strain and use the liquid to make up part of the water in a frozen lemonade mix. This has a delightful flavor and fragrance.
*Growing and Using Lavender: Patti Barrett, A Storey Country Wisdom Bulletin

The Garden Chick business is growing. Please check the site often for new items. I have attended my first ever garden show as a vendor, and did well with my products. Look for my ad in the summer issue of Herb Quarterly along with other members of the Natural Ingredient Resource Center. http://www.naturalingredient.org

I submitted an article on "planting a fairy chair" for the Fairy Companion Book published by the Essential Herbal Magazine. (I sold out at the Garden Show, but will be adding more to my site.) Look for my article on Herbal Weddings in the July/August issue of the Essential Herbal magazine. It is also being posted on my site. Please visit Tina's site to order a subscription to this magazine. It has lots of information and fun articles. http://www.essentialherbal.com/Tina also wrote a great article on making Herbal Tea Baths which will be posted on the site under the crafts section.

Again, thanks for your subscription to the newsletter. I hope to find something useful or fun. Check the site often, as new products, recipes, and info are added. If you enjoy it please refer the site to a friend. As always, I welcome your suggestions.

Happy Gardening,
Karen

Fall 2005
Happy Fall!

Fall was officially ushered in on September 24th, but has finally reached Georgia. This morning was a nippy 45 degrees with the high expected in the 50's. I believe we also received some of Wilma's wrath yesterday, because it was a little windy outside.

Fall Gardening Tips:
Most people think of winding down their gardening chores in the late fall but there is still plenty of things to be done.

I spent a couple of hours last Friday volunteering at Crabtree Farms (crabtreefarms.org), planting garlic. I have never had garlic in my garden, but came home with a bag full of bulbs for my volunteer efforts. "Elephant' and "Music" were the varieties we planted. I was interested in making garlic braids from mine, but understand these are not the varieties for that. Also, the elephant will make big cloves of garlic.

The people at Crabtree also told me that when I save some bulbs from the garlic I plant this year, to save the biggest bulbs. The bigger the bulb you plant, the bigger the plant will be.

So here is what I have planned for this Sunday... Till up a row or two for the bulbs and add some compost. Space the bulbs about 6" apart. Plant the bulbs, flat, rough side down, and the tapered end up. Push it down into the soil, allowing just the tip to poke through. Pull the soil up over your bulb, and you are through. Next Friday we will be planting strawberries. Sure hope I get to bring some home. The ones I planted last year did not withstand the terrible heat we had this summer. Also, I am sure it didn't help that I planted them in full sun. I have "staked" out a place with some shade for this year's crop. The following tips came from the Chattanooga MasterGardener Newsletter:

• When the soil temperature drops below 60 degrees... the bulbs of spring flowering tulips, daffodils, hyacinths, dwarf irises, Anemone and crocus should be planted. I have a large clump of dwarf irises I am going to move and divide. I placed them in one of my herb beds and did not realize how large they would become. Select healthy, disease free bulbs and add bone meal or bulb fertilizer into the planting hole, as you prepare the soil. Tulips may be planted up until early November. Gladiolas, Dahlias, and other tender bulbs should be dug before the ground freezes, and stored in a cool, dark area. Dahlias and begonia tubers should be stored in a box of slightly moist peat moss. Gladiolas can be stored in a paper bag without anything else.
• If you divided or planted any perennials last month, keep those watered. You can still put out winter pansies, flowering Kale and Cabbage and fall mums.
• Throughout the fall and winter you can plant or transplant evergreen and deciduous trees and shrubs. Also, my nursery has blueberry plants out. I put out 3 last year, one didn't make it so I am going to plant 2 more. My granddaughter (MacKenzie who is 2), picked the few little blueberries I had last year directly off the bush and ate them.
• Plant a cover crop over your existing garden to add nitrogen, or compost to improve the soil. This is the first time I have done this and is on my list for Sunday. Some cover crops to consider are:
• Oats which will overwinter. They are a non legume (which means they don't provide nitrogen), but will build up your soil. Plant 1 _ pounds seed per 1,000 feet of garden.
• Vetch which is a legume, will overwinter, but needs to be mixed with a "support crop" such as wheat(non legume) 2 pounds per 1,000 feet.
• Winterpeas is another legume, needs a support crop such as wheat or annual rye mixed in with it. 2.5 lbs per 1,000 feet of garden.
• Annual rye is a good support crop and will overwinter. Plant _ pound of seeds per 1,000 feet of garden.

Also, this is the time of year to take a look at your garden and see what worked and what didn't. My strawberries didn't work, so I will move them this year. Start planning any new beds, think about a "theme" garden, butterfly, bird, wildlife, or herb garden, and put your thoughts on paper, cut out pictures you like, order some seed catalogs, and get ready for the inevitable cold weather.

Next, Cold and Flu Season Got You Down?
Try some of these "natural" remedies from It's My Nature (www.itsmynature.net)

Aromatherapy Recipes for Colds (***Note these are ESSENTIAL oils, not Fragrance oils)

Bath: Add the following ingredients to a hot bath:
10 drops lavender essential oil
5 drops eucalyptus essential oil
5 drops sweet orange essential oil
Relax in the bath for at least ten minutes. Breath in through your nose, absorbing the energy from the oils and exhale through the mouth releasing all the impurities.

Steam Inhalation: In a pot of boiling water add:
10 drops eucalyptus essential oil
5 drops ginger essential oil
5 drops lemon essential oil
Hold your head about 18 inches from the water and breathe in through your nose, exhaling through your mouth. Careful, not too close, you don't want to get burned.

Dry Inhalation: On a handkerchief place:
3 drops eucalyptus essential oil
2 drops clary sage essential oil
2 drops sweet orange essential oil
This is wonderfully refreshing if you have to be at work while you are experiencing the symptoms of a cold! Hold the handkerchief about three inches from your face. Inhale through your nose and exhale through your mouth.

Just In Time for the Holidays
Maggie's recipe for Pumpkin Mushroom Stuffing: (www.prairielandherbs.com)
6 cups cubed pumpkin bread
1 cup butter
1 cup chopped celery
2 cups chopped red onion
1 cup sliced mushrooms (portabella, cremini, portini, or a mix)
2 Tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary
2 Tablespoons chopped fresh tarragon
2 Tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
2 Tablespoons chopped fresh chives
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 to 3/4 cup chicken (or veggie) broth
chopped toasted pecans (you can use as a garnish when done, or Maggie personally thinks this recipe is even better with the pecans mixed in before baking so they are evenly dispersed through the stuffing.)

Spread bread cubes on a baking sheet and let dry overnight, or heat in a 200 degree oven until dry. Preheat oven to 375 degrees and butter a 2 quart baking dish. Melt butter in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Saute celery and onions for about 10 minutes. Add mushrooms, and continue cooking for about 8 minutes or until tender. Add fresh herbs, salt, and pepper. Fold in bread cubes, and add enough broth to moisten. Transfer to prepared dish and cover with foil. Bake for 40 minutes. Remove cover and bake for 10 minutes, or until top is crisp. Garnish with fresh herbs and pecans.

And finally, in ending, check out http://www.gardenchick.com/vision_sugarplums.html for an article I wrote for the Essential Herbal Magazine. It discusses the use of herbs for sleep. If you purchase my dream weaver tub tea, bath salts, or a dream pillow, there will be no shipping. It will show on your cart, but I will manually take it off before the charge is submitted.

Happy Holidays,
Karen
Gardenchick.com