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 What do gardeners do when there is no gardening to do?
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dirt2diamonds
Showing Great Promise
Joined: 31 Oct 2007
Location: Mississippi
Posts: 410
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| Posted: Mon Nov 12, 2007 11:26 pm Post subject: What do gardeners do when there is no gardening to do? |
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I used the above question in a press release in a flower magazine to draw attention to my gardening book. But the question is one that I would like answered by new and seasoned gardeners. Is there such a time in your life when you are not actually gardening? Do you read about gardening during these periods as I suggested gardeners to do? Do you draw up new designs for certain areas like I do, with actual coloring added? Whether I am physically in my garden or not, my brain is always occupied with gardening. I am out of my garden from Dec-Feb.and I am edgy. I force my kids to look in magazines with me and tell me that my garden could just as easily be featured in a layout :lol:Enjoy nature and enjoy life.
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CritterPainter
Knows Their Stuff
Joined: 27 Aug 2006
Location: Washington State
Posts: 1212
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| Posted: Tue Nov 13, 2007 12:09 am Post subject: |
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I sketch animals in my free time. Try not to think about the garden much, since by the end of the season I'm pretty bummed about the diseases and such that I battle all the time (I have the world's worst garden soil, it's literally all rocks in places, and the reason this area in the land of evergreen trees is a bare prairie). But I'll shake it off by spring and be ready to have a go again.
Oh, and the occasional moving of bunny-poo compost into the beds, of course.
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petunia
Knows Their Stuff
Joined: 13 May 2006
Location: northern michigan
Posts: 1359
PlantStew: 139 |
| Posted: Tue Nov 13, 2007 1:00 am Post subject: |
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I'm pretty much bored also during the winter. I check out garden books from the library to study. Though I do keep my left over flowers in my greenhouse it just seems its not the same as being right there in the garden working. I also start out by exchanging seeds and ordering new ones. By Feb-March I'm deffinitly ready to start them inside seeds so that they're ready for the garden in time.
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Petunia
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glendann
Official Garden Angel
Joined: 19 May 2006
Location: Texas (Map)
Posts: 6521
PlantStew: 183 |
| Posted: Tue Nov 13, 2007 1:29 am Post subject: |
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I work in my little green house when I get the gardening fever I plant Zinnias and other plants that will bloom in the green house.
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toni
Mistress of Garden Junque
 Moderator
Joined: 07 Jan 2006
Location: North Texas (Map)
Posts: 5022
PlantStew: 521 |
| Posted: Tue Nov 13, 2007 1:58 am Post subject: |
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Many years the weather is warm enough for me to be out in the garden thru the winter. I may not be tending plants but there are always beds to dig up and mulch for new ideas come spring.
If I can't get outside because of real winter weather then I knit, make candles and soap and read.
The time of year that I really can't get out in the garden is summer, mid-June thru Sept are normally way too hot for me to be out so my poor garden is on it's own. I get newsletters from several nurseries (along with their print catalogs) and this year I spent the hot months deciding what I would order for planting in this fall.
I don't do a lot of planning, I make notes of ideas and when I can't go out I mull them over in my head to fine tune them, but I don't do diagrams or design plans.
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bsewnsew
Knows Their Stuff
Joined: 03 Feb 2007
Location: Rural Western Pennsylvania
Posts: 1191
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| Posted: Tue Nov 13, 2007 2:08 am Post subject: What to do when we can't sow?/ |
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When I cant sow outside in the winter, I SEW inside. I am sewing lil Haley clothes......Just finished a quilted white vest.........
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Biita
Arctic-ally Challenged Forager
Joined: 31 Oct 2007
Location: Norway (Map)
Posts: 1529
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| Posted: Tue Nov 13, 2007 2:33 am Post subject: |
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well since gardening time is pretty much over by oct here, thats when i take out the berries i had picked all summer an put in the freezer an start to make jams. dry my herbs that are on their last legs, an plan on what worked an didn't work here in the artic, an adjust to what will work, make fermented foods from my veggie garden or pack them away to the freezer, or sand bins.
when i have no more of that to do, i start on my rugs, i make braided rag rugs, an i weave. i also start my wine fermenting so i have a supply for summer (have to let it sit an rippen after its fermented) an in summer i make wine for winter. an when i get bored with all that i drag out the paints an practice my rosemåling (a norwegian kind of folk painting) or read a few good books.
i stay busy,,lol. 
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bsewnsew
Knows Their Stuff
Joined: 03 Feb 2007
Location: Rural Western Pennsylvania
Posts: 1191
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| Posted: Tue Nov 13, 2007 2:57 am Post subject: inside jobs........... |
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Biita .
Did you ever see Santa Claus???????????
Send him down.
Now speaking of wine...........
Would you share your secret recipe?/ First time ever I made some from the loads of grapes this time.. I have to go taste it ..Husband said it is not correct.
I just made it in a bucket with grapes and no water.
He thinks it is too thick????????
Tell me how to do it..Please.
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dirt2diamonds
Showing Great Promise
Joined: 31 Oct 2007
Location: Mississippi
Posts: 410
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| Posted: Tue Nov 13, 2007 4:59 am Post subject: |
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I'm enjoying the responses and everyone has so many other talents. I have an extra bathroom that we realy do not use and I would use the tub as a seedling green house. I never made it to the secondary leaves on the seedlings before the little plants died, so I quit the seed growing endeavor.
I would think that I was the cat's meow if I could do the early seed growing before Spring. I would probably be offered stock in a seed purchasing company because I would buy, buy, buy seeds.
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Palm Tree
Knows Their Stuff
Joined: 17 Sep 2007
Location: Cape Town (Map)
Posts: 864
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| Posted: Tue Nov 13, 2007 6:59 am Post subject: |
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I actually love winter - it is the only time that my busy schedule takes a little slump and I can catch up with things like knitting, sewing, candle-making, baking, and I even started with crotchet. (Not expert at it yet)
This coming winter I got my ambitions quite high - I want to make a quilt (THis one must become a family heirloom - that is what I tell myself.)
I find that when I design motifs for my craft there is always a gardening theme. Guess you can then say I do "indoor gardening." 
Alas I count myself lucky when I can actually finish one project in winter. My house seems to be filled with the children of most of the family members (maybe I am a child-magnet) They just want to come and join in the fun since I try to make time for at least one fun activity per day during winter.
Luckily school holidays are not that long and now that I am no longer in formal employment I can plan all the activities much better and even get them to help me with preparing the garden on the sunshiny days that we get. (Yes we do get sunshine in the middle of winter as well.)
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Droopy
Slug Slaughterer
Joined: 11 Aug 2007
Location: Western Norway (Map)
Posts: 4067
PlantStew: 5386 |
| Posted: Tue Nov 13, 2007 7:54 am Post subject: |
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A part of my brain is always gardening. Maybe next spring I'll have the strength to finish the projects I have planned? Wonder how that anemone is doing underneath the snow? I look at flower pictures and read gardening magazines or books.
Most of the time I enjoy the children, the animals or one of my hobbies. I often end up trying something new. I like to read too, a perfect winter pastime.
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Biita
Arctic-ally Challenged Forager
Joined: 31 Oct 2007
Location: Norway (Map)
Posts: 1529
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| Posted: Tue Nov 13, 2007 1:06 pm Post subject: |
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Bsewnsew, we don't have Santa here,,lol. but we do have a little 2 foot high troll called a Nisse, who doesn't leave toys an such but if you leave him a bowl of jul rice porridge in the barn or outside, he brings good luck to your home. I add cinnamon an butter for extra luck,,,lol.
The wine,, hmmmm,, don't throw it out, it can be used for wine vinegar. just get a bottle or 20, since you made a bucket,,, an put a few tablespoons of the mix in,,an there you go, instant wine vinegar for salads. but you do need water always. i use a very simple blend, of black currents, sugar, water an yeast. put it all in a wine balloon that they sell here an just let it go for 6 weeks then bottle an let sit for a few months, no yeast taste then. also you can take that mixture an add some to a glass an add tonic water,, that might help in thinning it out, just bottle it up if it tastes good with the tonic water. when you want some just open pour a little an add the tonic. see if that works,, i'll post later what exactly i do for wine... good luck tho.. 
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bsewnsew
Knows Their Stuff
Joined: 03 Feb 2007
Location: Rural Western Pennsylvania
Posts: 1191
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| Posted: Tue Nov 13, 2007 1:25 pm Post subject: santa |
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Look at the money you save buying porrige.
Won't the mice and rats eat it for him or her?
lol 
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Biita
Arctic-ally Challenged Forager
Joined: 31 Oct 2007
Location: Norway (Map)
Posts: 1529
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| Posted: Tue Nov 13, 2007 1:33 pm Post subject: |
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lol,, well maybe the mice, but we don't have rats here on the island, altho we do have a fox that is hiding around here in the pines on the farm, then theres Balder our dog,, but i think its more the tradition more than anything,, but then who knows whats out there after dark,,,, lol.
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If you don't have faith in what you believe, then don't believe at all.
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bsewnsew
Knows Their Stuff
Joined: 03 Feb 2007
Location: Rural Western Pennsylvania
Posts: 1191
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| Posted: Tue Nov 13, 2007 3:09 pm Post subject: rats |
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Lucky you .........No rats.
Ha ha they tear our silo doors apart to eat.. Our cats aren't too good at patrol..
Send Balder over here.. for me .
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