Create With Mom: garden

Showing posts with label garden. Show all posts

April 26, 2012

Gardening book and gloves

With the gardening season starting, it would be a good time to get ready with the right tools. Having a guidebook is a good start before starting to garden and plan.

The Canadian Gardener's Guide is a useful book for beginners and experts. It has all the detailed information that we need to know about gardening. It covers topics such as maintenance, diseases, weeds, pests, pruning and caring during off-season. The 435 page handbook edited by Lorraine Johnson has all the details with colourful pictures. It is easy to follow and understand.

Some of the topics that the book covers:

Gardening basics for beginners i.e. tools, jargon.
Shows how to select and garden plants, trees, vegetables, fruits, herbs and flowers in appropriate zones.
Expert guidance to plant care.
Large areas and small areas i.e. information on styles, layouts, designs.
Step-by-step instructions on how to build fence, pathway, patio and other landscaping ideas.
Detailed information about specific flowers such as roses, dahlias, clematis, sunflowers, tropical, perennials, fruit and trees.
About specific herbs, fruit trees and plants.

This book has been very useful for us. It has kept us excited about planning the garden and getting things ready. I have learned lot of tips from this book about gardening and DIY projects for the backyard.

An important tool that we all need to have during gardening is a pair of good quality gloves. This gauntlet style Dig it high five is an extended version of the original Dig it handwear glove. It protects the fingers, palm and hand almost up to the elbow. The cuffs that is extended by 5" is useful for robust work like landscaping, pruning, tending roses, berry picking etc.

I have used this pair of Dig it high five to prepare the garden and clean out the garage. It felt very comfortable and flexible so I had it on for long periods of time. The lightweight, breathable, pliable fabric was helpful with all the tasks that I needed to do, so there was no need to remove it each time. It is easy to wash by hand and air-dry the gloves.

The protective cushions inside the glove cared for my fingernails and tips. The cuffs protected my hand from scrapes and bruises.

Dig it high five is made from environmentally friendly recycled material. Dig it high five comes in four different sizes S, M, L and XL. This fabulous Dig it handwear and high five gloves are sold online and in stores in UK, USA and Canada i.e. home depot.

Gardening has lots of benefits, so we should all try to learn about doing gardening correctly and benefit from these types of books. After doing all the hard work I also want to feel good. In the past years, as much as I love doing gardening I didn't like looking at the fingertips getting damaged even after wearing gloves. I had to take extra care with all types of creams and lotions. Ever since I have used the Dig it gloves I felt good and didn't have to worry about the fingernails.

April 15, 2012

Green Living show 2012 experience

We learned about eco-friendly products and ways we can to be part of sustainable living at the Green Living Show, which will be held at the Direct Energy Centre CNE from April 13th till April 15th.

At the show, we got to know about free services such as getting rid of our garbage in an environmentally friendly way. For example, using TerraCycle. Once, we sign up and tell which type of the waste we like to get rid of, we can start collecting and then send it to TerraCycle using their free shipping UPS slip. The materials that are collected will be used to create new products. TerraCycle operates all over the world. Recycle your electronics is a service that helps us get rid of office and home electronic products. Orange drop can be used to safely dispose our hazardous waste free of charge. Household hazardous wastes should not be thrown in the garbage or down the drain. We can take it to municipal HHW depot collection event or take the paint and batteries to a retail drop-off location. Put your postal code on the side bar and search for the collection depots.

There were other companies that offer eco-friendly options and ways we can make our home greener, for example using rain barrels, solar powered panels, roofing, green windows, water systems, and more. They had a variety of gardening products and tips. There were many products related to fashion, beauty and clothing which were made using natural organic material such as pure cotton and bamboo. The show had companies and business that taught about healthy living by adding yoga and exercise to our daily routine. The electronic cars on display looked really cool.

There were lots of things related to bio-diversity such as plants, seeds, flowers, planting with Rona and Rouge park and magazines that has tips on how we can be part of cultivating a green city.

We spent a lot of time at the Eco-zone which had lots of hand-on children friendly things to do. They had reptiles to touch. There were lots of playhouses and toys built with cardboard. Children mixed clay, soil and wildflower seeds and made seed balls to plant. I found out that there was corn-based glue from Elmer's. The ROM had organized a booth where we learned about some creatures found in the oceans in Canada.

We made cool fish using paper plates. The paper plate fish were made using...

paper plates

googly eyes

glue

markers

yarn to hang

Cut a triangle shape on one sides of the paper plate for the mouth. Staple this triangle piece on the opposite side, horizontally from where the cut was made for the tail.

Glue the googly eyes and decorate the fish. Punch a hole to hang the fish using yarn.

There were lots of organic and healthy food to taste. They had mushroom growing kits at the Organic Garage so we can try our hand at growing our own oyster mushrooms at home.

I was happy to see familiar products such as Green toys, Kicking horse coffee, Organic Meadow, Three Farmers Camelina oil, TIFF, Rough park, ROM, WWF, and RONA.

Organic and eco-friendly products have so many benefits to all of us, however they aren't very accessible. My hope is that it would become wide spread so people would be able to purchase these regularly for a reasonable price. Although, paying the extra cash makes us reluctant to take a step towards eco-friendly options, at the Green Living Show we felt that the long term cost would be less and the impact on the environment would also be less when we use eco-friendly products.

April 12, 2012

Planting with Pefferlaw Peat Products

Pefferlaw Peat product Inc. is a Canadian owned and operated company since 1954. Since 1999 the Prust family has acquired it. Pefferlaw products have OCPP logo because they are 100% organic certified.

The research done by University of Guelph growth trials for 14 weeks have proven Pefferlaw products such as organic hanging basket, planter mix, organic 3-way mix to have equal or surpassed the performance of the best-known national brands.

All Pefferlaw brand organic soils are safe, natural, and free of additives, clay and by products. The hanging basket planter mix is lighter than traditional soil mixes; it doesn't strain the hanging containers and retains moisture longer. They have used peat humus and spaghnum peat fibre. Their 3-way organic mix contains peat humus, peat fibre and composted barnyard manure, which has nutrients that improve aeration and increases water-holding capacity.

Here are some interesting statistics...

24% Canadians grow produce in their garden because of the economy

44% online survey respondents were health conscious, as they are concerned about eating produce from their garden grown in non-organic soil

32% Canadians (1 in 3) believe organic foods are more nutritious than non-organic foods

67% survey respondents said they would use certified organic soils in their garden

I also tried a small experiment planting these coriander seeds indoor using Pefferlaw soil. I found the rate of the plant growing was healthier and faster compared to the time I put seeds using regular garden soil.

Due to my experiment and proven data from University of Guelph's growth trials, I second the opinion of Peter Prust, the president of the company when he said that the exercise done by the University "... proves that it is possible to grow healthy, sustainable, bountiful plants without artificial additives..."

I think it is simple and affordable to plant safely at home and even those without any garden space can grow a small plant i.e. like this herb plant grown indoors by a windowsill.

Container gardening is totally for everyone even those without the 'green-thumb' and all those who are busy for gardening.

As a parent, I believe it teaches children a lot when we do a little bit of gardening i.e. just putting a few seeds into a pot and seeing it grow teaches these curious minds to question and learn many skills. So having soil that you know will work gives all of us confidence that we can do it.

Pefferlaw Peat Products Inc. has participated in successfully restoring a local bog that involved draining and replanting which has now become a habitat for migratory birds. This habitat is protected and has banned hunting on this bog site. Pefferlaw has also supported youth growing projects by hosting Brock 4H Junior achievement day for the past 2 years.

pictures of the bog

Pefferlaw currently has 10 products in their organic line such as top soil, black earth, 3-way mix, compost, cattle/sheep manure, hanging basket planter mix, premium potting mix, potting soil, and planting seeding mix.

If you are into landscape and gardening check out all the other fabulous products they have. These affordable products are sold at these retailers and garden centres in Ontario.

March 13, 2012

Dig it handwear and planting parsley

Dig it handwear is a proper fit comfortable quality glove that can be worn throughout the year for many uses i.e. gardening, DIY projects, sweeping, cleaning, yard work, moving furniture, shovelling snow, washing the car etc...

Dig it handwear provides dexterity and comfort, as it fits perfectly allowing the hand and fingers to move flexibly to do the job. There won't be any reason to remove the gloves to do something because of discomfort.

The gloves are durable because it has a double protective layer. The palms of these gloves are made with synthetic leather, dots are silicon, the back fabric and fingertips inside are 100% polyester. The gloves are made with breathable fabric, which will not sweat the hands. The nails don't have direct contact with the gloves because of the pillow top built inside the gloves, which protect nails from dirt and debris. It also has a snug wrist synch, which keeps the water and debris from entering the hand. To clean the gloves rinse or hand wash with mild soap and cold water then lay it flat to air dry.

The Dig it handwear is a handy useful glove to have and will also be appreciated as a gift for anyone, female or male. The gloves come in S, M, L and XL; here is a link to the size chart. The package is also eco-consciously made with recycled material.

Dig it products are sold in USA and Canada stores and online.

I planted some parsley seeds in the pots painted last summer...

You will need

soil

water

seeds

pots

Soak the seeds for 24 hours then plant the seeds 1/4" deep. Sprinkle some water and leave it in full sun by a warm windowsill or outside if the weather is warm (55 to 65 F). It will germinate in 18 to 24 days.

January 5, 2012

Fondant caterpillar

My children had a fabulous time creating different things with fondant. This activity kept them pretty busy :) My daughter made this caterpillar.

She used a little bit of green fondant to decorate and orange fondant rolled into ball to create this little garden friend :)

November 9, 2011

Dahlia flowers to decorate

Dahlias last the longest and can be picked till autumn, these flowers are beautiful for decoration.

Dahlia 2011

Dahlias are annually planted. These plants need lots of care and pruning which is worth the effort.

There are so many varieties of colours and shapes of these tuberous plant. Dahlia's attract earwigs which a problem, so tap the flowers carefully before bringing it indoors.

Cavendish, Prince Edward Island

Ball dahlia red 2010

Pink dahlia 2010

Red pompom like dahlias known as Aurora's kiss.

Dahlias are worth the hard work of tending as they give blooms throughout Summer and Autumn.

Sunset pink dahlias 2009

Variety of dahlias 2009

Dinner plate dahlia bigger than an adults hand 2008

Thomas Edison dahlia bigger than an adults hand 2008

Dahlia tubers

October 5, 2011

Zucchini plant and sandwich

I stuffed this sandwich with this delicious zucchini omelette.

You need...

1 cup zucchini grated, drain and squeeze out the water

3 eggs

pepper and salt to taste

1 tbsp fresh herbs optional

1 green chillie without seeds chopped optional

1 to 2 tbsp oil

bread slices

butter to spread on the bread slices

Beat everything together and leave aside. With help from an adult heat the oil and fry the mixture in medium high heat, when it easy to flip cook the other side. The omelette should be moist but not runny. When it is a little cool place it in between two slices of bread that is buttered and serve. Toasting the bread is optional.

Some pictures of the zucchini plant from this Summer. We enjoyed a few, but there was too much rain so not every flower that bloomed produced fruit.

The stem that is holding the flower is the vegetable, it was amazing how they grow. It was easy to remove the fruit with a pair of scissors or shears instead of breaking it off.

Many people stuff these flower and batter fry, which I haven't tried.

September 10, 2011

Flower chains to celebrate with

straws cut into 2"

twine thread

shapes of flowers in different colours cut from printer paper

thick embroidery needle

Use the needle and thread the twine. This needle is safer because it is not sharp. Thread the straw and flowers to any length that will be easier to put and remove ones it is tied around the neck.

August 4, 2011

Beetroot plant and curry

Beetroot plants grown from a seed make beautiful border plants that are edible. It is easy to care for these and can also be planted on pots after frost.

The flowers grown beside are marigold.

to make the curry

1 1/2 cups beetroot cut

2 tbsp oil

2 tbsp onion

1/4 tsp mustard seeds optional

1/2 tsp chillie powder adjust to taste

1/4 tsp turmeric powder

1/4 tsp garam masala or cumin seeds ground

1/2 tsp salt to taste

1 cup of beetroot leaves chopped can be tossed in with this

Cut the beetroot into matchsticks or small.

Heat oil add mustard seeds if using then sauté the onion and then add the beetroot with spices. Cook covered on low heat till it is soft. If adding beet leaves add halfway which is about 5 to 8 minutes into cooking.

Here is another recipe for beetroots. These beetroot sandwich that are perfect finger food for snacks and parties.

April 10, 2011

Crocus flower

Crocus sign of Spring picture from the garden, these flowers were photographed on our visit to Riverdale farm.

March 20, 2011

Spring flowers in a pot

What you need to make this lovely pot of flowers to welcome Spring...

small branch from a tree

clay or recycled plastic pot

paper or modelling clay to put inside the pot

tissue paper different colours for flowers and leaves

white glue

paint optional

Put the branch inside the pot and place paper around it and colour it brown or green. Or put the branch inside the pot and place brown or green modelling clay inside the pot to secure the branch.

Cut different colours of tissue paper into small squares or pieces and pinch it into flowers and stick it onto the branch with glue. Using green tissue make leaves similar to how the flowers were made.

Colour the pot, branch and paper inside the pot if you like.

This craft can be kept for a long time and it is a lovely activity of any age group. With younger children supervision and help is required. This craft is inspired several years ago by a magazine or internet I am not sure and I have made these beautiful pots since then.

February 25, 2011

How we used Okra for painting

Using the ends of vegetables before we discard them to make paintings is a simple and fun activity for young children. This is an easy techniques where children can explore doing different designs and art without an adult carving edible vegetables and wasting it.