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 How do you beat the gardening winter blues?
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Frank
 Administrator
Originally Galway, Ireland
Posts: 12551
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| Posted: Mon Nov 16, 2009 3:33 pm Post subject: How do you beat the gardening winter blues? |
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Most gardeners are pining for the spring by now. What do you do to get you through the "rough months"?
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eileen
Forum Moderator
Scotland
Posts: 18528
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| Posted: Mon Nov 16, 2009 4:08 pm Post subject: |
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I keep myself busy indoors when the weather won't allow me to be outside. I make cards, calendars, gift boxes, wedding stationery etc. I slso paint and sketch which helps pass the short, dark days but I'd still rather be in the garden. 
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aythya-camellia
Toledo, Ohio
Posts: 127
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| Posted: Mon Nov 16, 2009 4:12 pm Post subject: |
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I go out and acquire houseplants, commonly in the form of cacti. Also an option is setting up bird feeders near the house.
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Palustris
Posts: 583
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| Posted: Mon Nov 16, 2009 4:31 pm Post subject: |
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Up to this Winter I do as much in the garden as I do any other time of the year. This Winter may be more difficlut as I am due to be of my feet for 12 weeks or so.
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Gardening is the great leveller
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toni
Administrator
Plants Moderator
Regular Plants Contributor
North Texas, Zone 8a
Posts: 11703
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| Posted: Mon Nov 16, 2009 4:51 pm Post subject: |
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I knit while watching favorite movies or listening to audio books, try to get around to reading the dozens of books I have accumulated but haven't read, do some painting and collect way too many 'fine' pieces of garden junque from the thrift store for next years garden.
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To be interested in the changing seasons is a happier state of mind than to be hopelessly in love with Spring ----
George Santayana
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Droopy
Regular Plants Contributor
Western Norway
Posts: 9293
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| Posted: Mon Nov 16, 2009 7:26 pm Post subject: |
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I just pine for spring. When it gets light at ten and dark at four it's kind of hard to keep one's mood up. Luckily I have the children and animals to keep me occupied, and I sleep a lot. 
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The time you enjoy wasting is not wasted time.
-Bertrand Russell
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Netty
Regular Plants Contributor
Southern Ontario zone 5a
Posts: 10302
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| Posted: Tue Nov 17, 2009 12:12 am Post subject: |
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I'm well rested in the winter too! I usually do a lot of cleaning and re-decorating. I love to read and plan next years gardens, seed catalog's and magazines help. Of course Gardenstew helps me get thru the winter too 
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dooley
Texas
Posts: 5366
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| Posted: Tue Nov 17, 2009 1:12 am Post subject: |
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I do sewing now but I have always done sewing of some kind, mostly quilting and things for family. This is the first I ventured into sewing for someone else. I did crochet and I write and bake. I do a lot of baking in winter. The neighbors appreciate that most. dooley
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Jewell
Regular Plants Contributor
Puget Sound Region of the Pacific NW (Washington State, US)
Posts: 1727
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| Posted: Tue Nov 17, 2009 2:34 am Post subject: |
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Prowl the Internet for gardening ideas and plant care, play Farmville on Facebook. I tolerate the dark, short days with journaling, reading, beading and work and sleep when I can wind down enought to relax. Love GardenStew and spend time daily browsing through the articles and friendly talk
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~Jewell
If a you have but two pennies left in the world, buy a loaf of bread with one to sustain your life, and a flower with the other to give you a reason to live. ~Chinese Proverb
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petunia
northern michigan
Posts: 2248
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| Posted: Tue Nov 17, 2009 4:29 am Post subject: |
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My early on plan this year is to help my daughter learn to knit, only I'm having to teach myself as we go along. So far this hasn't been easy, i'm not real good at being patient. Anyway I have a plant room I'll also be busy in this winter. checking over catalogs seeing if there will be new plants I may want. I'm also planning my move-around for my herb garden in the spring.
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Petunia
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Gardengirl
Hertfordshire,UK
Posts: 1021
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| Posted: Tue Nov 17, 2009 9:09 am Post subject: |
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Well......I try not to let the winter beat me and as there is always something to do in the garden I choose the best days (hopefully there will be a few this winter) to carry on tidying up. We have a lot of trees in our front garden which will need a bit of a trim so hopeully will be able to get around to that. The time spent indoors, apart from the mundane jobs, will be filled with my main interests, making my toys for selling on Ebay, looking through the gardening catalogues for inspiration for next year, spending time on my computer. I must admit to playing on-line games, especially bingo, but would add that I do play responsibly and do not spend too much  So far it has been quite profitable so hope it continues. Keep fit by taking Busby for long walks and of course my weekly dance aerobics class. Yes, this old girl has some life left in her yet
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Whenever I feel low I head for the garden.
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Bluewolf
NE Indiana (zone 5a/b)
Posts: 225
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| Posted: Tue Nov 17, 2009 10:32 am Post subject: |
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I sit at my window taking pics of all the birds that come to my 12 feeders.
And if we get alot of snow or ice I take pics of that too
Then post the pics on my various forums along with surfing the net for different stuff
and playing word games on my other forums
also PM alot!!
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"No Act of Kindness,No Matter How Small,is Ever Wasted"-Aesop
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Sjoerd
West - Friesland
Posts: 7021
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| Posted: Tue Nov 17, 2009 11:23 am Post subject: |
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I don't actually have so many problems with the winter time. It comes and goes and I work along in the gardens when the weather allows.
I do quite a bit of planning and seed searching so that I can be ready to go when the season begins.
The most of the veg plots are in hibernation but there are always some plots producing.
The flower garden sleeps during the winter and so I put up and maintain bird feeders in the arches.
When I am relegated to staying indoors then I work on my website and catch-up on reading.
This year I shall make a serious start on converting my travel slides to digital images. This will be a daunting task, as I have literally thousands. They are arranged, but I will have to check them all, one for one to clean them before scanning.
Aside from these things, there are always the various "social" aspects to one's life that come up during the course of the winter months.
You know, I have spent alot of time in the tropics in the past, and while it was in many ways, rather like a paradise--I missed the four distinct seasons very much. I am happy that I can experience them again now and I rejoice at every seasons' change.
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Sjoerd http://www.volkstuindersvereniginghoornenomstreken.nl/Page11.html
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Tammyd
Regular Plants Contributor
South/Central Virginia
Posts: 173
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| Posted: Tue Nov 17, 2009 5:04 pm Post subject: |
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I read my gardening books, read the forums on the Stew, and start focusing more on the houseplants. I bought an amaryllis and paperwhites for forcing. Never done it before so I hope I can get them to bloom. It's usually just about dark by the time I get home from work so if it's not so cold on weekends I still try to work on beds or other things in the yard. Always planning in my head for other gardening projects that I would like to do. Christmas is a pretty busy time for me at work and with family so I don't mind a quiet evening now and then. I also enjoy crafts. I have dried alot of flowers and leaves this year for future projects. 
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Tammy 
"My garden of flowers is also my garden of thoughts & dreams." Abram L. Urban
"You can bury a lot of troubles digging in the dirt."
Unknown
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mixme
San Antonio
Posts: 9
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| Posted: Tue Nov 17, 2009 6:08 pm Post subject: Grey winter blahs |
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Tomatoes in pots! Eggplant in pots! Bagging seeds for The Dinner Garden. Anyone need free seeds? Working for a gardening charity can't be beat! Seeds... SeEDS... I see SEEDS everywhere!! I'VE GONE BLIND!
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