Finally, Some Snow

It has been dry at Garden on Sherlock Street.  As I mentioned in my last post, I use a calendar to write down rain fall amounts, snow, etc. each year.  I also write down when I plant seeds and such.  Since no planting happens in December at GonSS, it's a pretty clear month; but usually there are more entries for snow and rain. 

I have only two notes in December for 2010.

We got about 2 inches. 

Now, it is sunny. Tonight will be clear and cold. I heard a prediction of 0 Fahrenheit. For those of you using Celsius, that is about 17 below.  There is also likely to be a colder wind chill factor.  Makes me long for those hot days of summer.

We'll be inside where it is warm ringing in 2011.

Happy New Year!

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Christmas Gifts For The Gardener On Sherlock Street

I received a few Christmas gifts to support my gardening obsession...

A garden hose guide with a cute frog.

A garden hose guide with a pretty dragonfly.

A 2011 Old Farmer's Almanac Calendar where I'll write down when I plant vegetables, how much rain we receive, etc.  It has a lot of gardening "tidbits" on each page.

A book to help me help my plants.

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A Foggy/Frosty Day After Christmas

We awoke on December 26th, groggy from all the family gatherings on Christmas Day, to a white world.  It woke us right up as it was cold!  The fog really prettied up the garden.  I managed to capture a few photos before we piled back into the car to go to another family gathering.  Enjoy the frosty photos from the warmth by your computer!

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Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas from Garden on Sherlock Street.

My mother-in-law found this silver Christmas Tree while cleaning out their garage earlier this year.  It had belonged to my wonderful husband's paternal grandmother.
It gives a glittery focal point to our family room where the plants I overwinter live.

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Unusual Counter Companions

Do you read The Amish Cook?  Lovina wrote in her last column that they just finished eating tomatoes she had ripening on their back porch. Our local newspaper carries her column. I read that last night and was reminded about our tomatoes which is why I took the photo.

We have tomatoes from our garden ripening on the kitchen counter next to our Advent Candles.  It is almost Christmas and we are still eating tomatoes from our garden.  Four of them are ready to eat with one still getting there. 

These tomatoes were all green when I brought them into the house.  They ripen slowly but are worth the wait.  Better than store tomatoes!  I didn't do anything special.  The green tomatoes started on a tray in our guest room simply because of space issues.  I brought them into the kitchen when there were only 20 or so left.  They are roma tomatoes.

Home grown tomatoes are on the menu for Christmas Eve Supper.

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Cute Christmas Gift

Christmas gatherings with our families start the Saturday before Christmas and extend through the Sunday after Christmas.
Saturday, we spent some time with our God children and their mom and dad.  Our God children are brothers and a sister.  We got great new photos of them, my wonderful husband got a t-shirt of his college alma mater and I got this adorable mini clock.  It's a garden cart with a watering can, pruners, hose, trowel, etc.  Too cute!  Do my God children know me or what?

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One

At the beginning of December, I brought a verbena into the house.  It had one tiny bud.

Now, it has one tiny bloom.

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So Happy To Be Here

On the plant stand.

Behind the birdhouse Christmas decoration.

Under a plant light.

Is a geranium bloom!

This is one of the geranium cuttings I started last summer. I was surprised to find a bloom.

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There Are Still Spouts In There

About a month ago, I added some bubble wrap to the cold frame where I planted lettuce and radish seeds this fall.  We've had some pretty cold temperatures but the little sprouts are still going.  They are slightly larger.  They're growing slowly.  I'm not sure they'll produce anything for us.  A real cold spell will likely do them in.  It's an experiment, like a lot of things in my garden.

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A Light Snow In Time For The December Tour

A light snow fell at Garden on Sherlock Street Sunday morning.  It melted quickly but I was able to get a few photos.  I have posted the December tour with photos from Sunday morning so you can see the whole garden with a dusting of snow.  The photos below are bonus tour photos! 

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Tour December 2010

Front Garden

Forest

Back Garden

 Side Garden

Patio

Alley

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Saved Seeds

I finally had time to list the seeds I saved from my garden this past summer: 

zinnia

sweet potato vine

I rarely get the potatoes to survive winter but I keep trying.

caladium

Trust me, they're in the bag.

love-in-a-mist

lettuce (salad bowl or grand rapids)

squash--spaghetti

squash--acorn

watermelon (from my Mom and Dad)

allium

purple hyacinth bean

moon flower

mysterious yellow flower my neighbor had

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More Migration

I reported on the migration of plants to the family room for winter in October.  I added a container with basil cuttings in November.  Now, I have added a container with verbena which just won't die.  As plants in containers on the patio died off with the colder temperatures, I've tossed them in the pile.  Today, I tossed the last bacopa and the last wave petunia.  That left the verbena in a galvanized bucket.

I trimmed off the scraggly looking parts, gave it a good drink and brought it into the family room.  I've never overwintered a verbena before.  Is it even possible?  My plant stand is so full that it is on the floor. 

I've been shuffling plants as I try to accommodate the different light needs.  There have been some casualties.  I'll report them at a later date.  Right now, I'm just amazed that I'm bringing in a plant in December!

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