Gardens Dreams
When we were down in Zoar on Sunday we stopped in the greenhouse. I was pleasantly surprised to see that they had tons of tropical plants, among them many fruit trees.
It’s a heated greenhouse, of course. These plants would not survive in our cold northern climate without some added heat. The building is designed to maximize the light and heat produced by the sun which helps with the heating costs. The lady working the greenhouse said it was 80 degrees the day before without any alternative heat source. It has nice thick brick floors and wide walls on one side to absorb the most heat from the sun as it can during the day. These then radiate the heat during the night.
They had a bunch of banana plants, one was blooming, an avocado tree with one beautiful fruit, and a lemon tree that was loaded down with lemons!
A greenhouse like this would be quite an oasis during the long cold winters here in the north. I’d love nothing more than to have a greenhouse in my garden and someday I will. I’m saving my pennies and maybe in 10 years so I’ll have enough to get myself a nice little greenhouse to putter around during the winter. Or maybe I should just buy a second home in Arizona and spend the winters somewhere warmer!
Do you have a greenhouse in your garden? Is it something you’d like to have someday?
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Harvesting My Homegrown Ginger
Remember when I told you that I planted some ginger and then I showed you how great the plant looked earlier this fall? The plants finally died back so I decided it was time to dump out the pot to see what the rhizomes looked like.
I took the pot out on the porch and turned it over onto a piece of kraft paper. The plants were pretty pot-bound, which means I should have had them in a bigger pot.
The rhizomes were about three or five times larger than they were when I planted them and the big roots were about 8 inches long. I decided instead of keeping some of the ginger for eating, I’d replant each plant in it’s own container; the biggest one getting a much bigger pot. I think if I give them a good dose of fertilizer a few times next year I should have a nice big crop of ginger next fall!
I don’t have any belief that I’ll be growing all my own fresh ginger anytime soon, but it is a fun experiment. I’m certainly interested to see how much better these plants grow in a bigger pot and see what my crop will look in another year.
Any new experiments brewing in your garden inside or out?
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Christmas in Zoar 2011
Mr Chiots and I always kick off our holiday season by going to Christmas in Zoar. We usually plan ahead and go with friends, but this year time got away from us and we didn’t realize it was happening until Sunday around noon. We put the coffee we were drinking into to-go mugs, jumped in the car and headed down for an afternoon of holiday fun. It’s a great way to get into the spirit because all the houses are decorated beautifully for Christmas outside and in. Each year there are a few houses on tour, we’ve been going for so long we’ve toured almost every home. It’s truly a fantastic way to get into the Christmas spirit. Here’s a slideshow of all the Christmas we saw on Sunday afternoon. Here’s a slideshow to help get you into the Christmas spirit. You’ll notice there are garden photos in there as well, I can’t help myself! (use icon in the top left corn to view in full screen). Be patient, there are 60 photos to get you in the Christmas spirit!
[flashgallery folder=”Christmas in Zoar”]
The gardens of Zoar are also lovely and I’m always hoping to go to their summer garden tour, sadly we’re always working on the Saturday they have it and they don’t announce it far enough ahead of time for me to book events around it. Hopefully later today we’ll head out to get our Christmas tree, then it will officially be the Christmas season at Chiot’s Run.
Do you have any holiday traditions that officially kick off the season for you?
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Everything Was Damp and Gray
Everything was damp and gray in the moment between fall’s rich color and winter’s severe elegance.
Robin Mather from The Feast Nearby
This week has pretty much summed up this quote, it’s been raining, and raining, and raining some more. Then it turned to damp snow and ice, and then more snow. Lots of wet weather to signal that change between fall and winter.
I still love how interesting everything is in the garden this time of year. And now that I’m feeling better I was inspired to throw on my wellies and get out to get a few photos of the garden before the big snows arrive. Here’s what I saw in my garden on Monday.
I can tell that winter is fighting with fall and it will soon win. The air is starting to get the crispness to it and there’s a noticeable lack of smell when you go outside, except for the faint scent of woodsmoke.
Has winter arrived in your garden yet? What weather predominates for you right now?
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She’s a Beauty + a Calendar Giveaway
I don’t know why I’m still taken aback by their beauty when I receive my calendars in the mail. I know the quality of Lulu printing, I’ve seen the photos a million times, yet seeing them in print and running my hands over the glossy paper makes me smile.
I spent some time earlier this week wrapping them up and mailing off the ones that go to friends and relatives far away. I love that they will have a little piece of my home showing in their home each month of the year!
At the end of December my calendar will be hung right beside my computer where I see it all day long. A big thanks to those of you who purchase my calendar as I get a few dollars from each one. This helps a lot with the expenses for keeping this blog going and helps me keep this blog ad-free! If you’d like to order a Chiot’s Run calendar for yourself or for gifts follow the links in the sidebar.
And now the part you’ve all been waiting for, a chance to win your very own 2012 Chiot’s Run Calendar. All you have to do is comment on this post and you’ll be entered to win. Winner chosen:
Where do you typically hang the calendar in your home?
