It's time for a Spring gardening giveaway! In this giveaway there is a mix of items that would be handy for someone who is just starting out in gardening or for someone who is already an established gardener who could use a few extra pretties in their kit.
UP FOR GRABS:
Gardener's Organizer
About The Gardener's Organizer by David Squire from Google Books:
"In a practical ringbinder format, The Gardener's Organizer, is packed with useful gardening hints and tips. Information is provided on all aspects of gardening, from taking cuttings and propagating new plants, to caring for the fruit and vegetable garden and pruning roses. The binder can be added to at any time, and is divided into six sections, with useful pockets for storing seed packets, newspaper cuttings, and other gardening paraphernalia."Definitely a nifty way to keep your notes, plans and inspirations organized!
Gardener's Journal
"This handsome garden journal guides beginners and experts alike through five years of planning and organizing a garden. Informative tips, quotations, personal anecdotes, and a special section for children make this easy-to-use workbook an essential companion for any gardener. The extensive records section is the perfect way to track all your planning, planting, and plant care so that past efforts in the garden will never be in vain. Using and reviewing this functional journal will ensure that you will soon be enjoying the full fruits of your labor. Sections include Planning the Garden, Planting, Plant Care, Plant Inventory, and a "Potpourri" of other items."This is really a lovely book!
Seeds
I am including 23 packets of different seeds, all which are from my garden. There is an assortment of veggies, herbs, flowers and other beneficial plants:
- Veggies: Red Bell Pepper, Black Krim Tomato, Red Pear Cherry Tomato, Purple Peacock Pole Bean, Blue Jay Bush Bean, Orca Bush Bean, Small Sugar Pumpkin, Butternut Winter Squash.
- Annual Flowers & Herbs: Sunflower Mix, Opium Poppy, Giant California Zinnia, Dark Opal Basil.
- Biennials: Great Mullein, Teasel.
- Perennials: Hollyhock Mix, Siberian Iris, False Indigo, White Cone Flower, Purple Cone Flower, Columbine Mix, Butterfly Flower, Blue Speedwell, Japanese Primrose.
Beeswax Bunny Mug Candle
A hand poured beeswax candle in a cute vintage mug made in Japan featuring a naughty bunny in the garden. The beeswax was locally sourced, it has a cotton wick and has a sprinkling of lavender flowers, rose petals and chamomile flowers from my garden.
Incense
Two corked jars of incense, on of my Herbwife blend and one of my Fertile Fields blend.
Garden Tools & Gloves
A hand fork and trowel decorated with pretty purple and yellow flowers and a pair of green waterproof gripping gloves.
HOW TO ENTER THE GIVEAWAY:
For those who are interested in entering, all you need to do is share one piece of gardening advice, tool or trick that you can't garden without. All entries must be submitted to the comment section of this post; you can either just type it out there or link to a video or blog entry that is posted elsewhere. Previously some folks were having issues posting in my comment section, so I will accept entries that are emailed to me {unfetteredwood at yahoo dot ca} and I will post them in the comment section, along with listing who the name of the person it is for. The winner will be drawn at random right after the closing date. Below you will see the vitals:
Sláinte!
Laurel
- Only one entry per person.
- Entrants must be 18 years or older.
- The giveaway is open for Canada, US & Europe only {due to the nature of the contents, I don't want to risk the kit being destroyed by customs. Sorry to everyone else!}
- Should the winner reside in an area where any of the seeds are illegal, I will replace those seeds with others that are legal for them in their area.
- To enter you are not obligated to purchase anything from me or to subscribe to any of my social media haunts.
- All entries must be submitted by Wednesday April 1st, 2015 at 3pm EST.
- he winner will need to provide a mailing address to receive their pretties. The information provided will not be used for any other purpose than to receive their winnings. The information will not be given to anyone else, or sold to a third party.
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Good luck to all of you who enter!
Sláinte!
Laurel
For me, I always have issues keeping stuff alive during the winter. This year, our winter has sucked. In the fall, I bought a mini indoor/outdoor greenhouse, and it has saved my plants! I forsee it becoming invaluable to me this year, with the unpredictable weather.
ReplyDeleteWhen it's too cold in the house and the radiator takes too long to warm up, I go sit in the green house, and stroke my tomato plants a bit. Between each plant I placed some garlic and basil because I fancy that it makes my tomatoes much more aromatic :) So mixing things up and giving my plants some friends, which help them grow etc. is essential for me!
ReplyDeletemessage me on my blog, or mail me elsi.w@web.de
DeleteIt's kind of embarrassing, but I have a terrible time remembering to do things (even just water I killed bamboo with this ack) so it's actually super helpful to me to have reminders in my phone and my calender to jog my terrible memory.
ReplyDeleteMy gardening tip is rather simple: for outdoor gardens, any time i find an earthworm in my yard, i simply relocate it to my garden. earthworms keep soil fertile, and they don't eat your plants. and i like to imagine a little good karma is transfered into my plants for relocating the worms to the safety of my garden.
ReplyDeleteAlso, rather than using harmful pesticides, you can order ladybugs off amazon. Just release them at dusk (because they dont fly at night) after spraying some water on your plants so they can drink.ladybugs eat all sorts of plant-eating insects like aphids. You can release them over a period of a week or two, or you can get a lady-bug attracting plant suck as dill, fennel, or caraway to coax them to stick around.
In my experience, the most important thing to remember in gardening is knowing the most ideal conditions for the plants you intend to grow. Back when I lived in Arizona, I tried to grow potted herbs, which didn't work out so well. Even indoors, it was still too hot and dry. Now that I live in the far more fertile (and wet and warm when it counts) state of Wisconsin, I can grow just about anything, so long as I don't plant it too early. (By the way, I can be contacted through beautimus.prime@hotmail.com.)
ReplyDeleteI always use this small shovel my grandpa gave me when I was about 6 or 7. Its older than I am and while I have nicer and newer ones, they don't have the sentimental value of the first one my grandpa games me nearly twenty years ago. I also sewed together old windows screens to make a cover for some of my herbs so birds and rabbits don't pick them off overnight and in the mornings. The sunlight can still get in, but the animals can't.
ReplyDeleteGreat giveaway Laurel, thank you! I use lawn clippings as mulch in my beds. I also get a better understanding of what my plants need by spending as much time with them as possible.
ReplyDeleteFirst, let me say what an absolutely amazing giveaway! Thank you so much for giving us all an opportunity to win this great prize. My number one tip for growing great perennials is to carefully aerate the soil. With annuals, you are always starting with a new fresh bed of soil that you’ve most likely turned and unpacked from the long winter. But with plants that come back every year, you can’t just get in there with a shovel and turn everything over. I find that living in the north, all of our heavy snow over the winter packs the soil down so hard that it becomes way too dense for the roots and sometimes, the plants just don’t seem to do as well as they could. If you aerate the soil using a spiky object (carefully, so as not to damage the roots) I find the plants take water and nutrients better and just seem to thrive more…=)
ReplyDeleteWe moved to the southwest and battled with the creatures when trying to plant with seeds. I don't have too much problems in the area we are in now, but we would start with a small plant rather then seeds. The little critters would steal anything/you planted. Starting in small contaimer s and keeping them well watered and protected was the only way to keep them clear. Now we have become so used to container gardening now.
ReplyDeleteMy one gardening something I will not be without is Super Thrive. I use it for cuttings to give them a boost (with great success) and also on all of my container plants. I add a bit to my hose end feeder when watering once a week or so and make sure I drench the leaves too. I use it on everything. It's also wonderful for perking up plants that have been overwintered indoors once they go back out in the spring.
ReplyDeleteI also love my Weasel for aerating the soil in the spring when planting.
I'm new to gardening and have been finding lots of fun tips on pinterest to try out. It makes for fun activities with my kids outside! Lately our most handy tool is a shovel to dig the extra large rocks out of our backyard.
ReplyDeleteI am new to gardening and I have to start learning how to grow veggies and which soil Too many research for me to do cant figure out where should I start with?
ReplyDeleteI'm new to gardening & am trying to figure where & how to start, so no tips from me. I've been researching raised beds for the last few days, & those seem to be the easiest way to go. Thanks for the lovely giveaway
ReplyDeleteIt seems simple, but researching the species you are growing before you plant or even find soil is super important! I had to take over a native garden that someone else had planted, and species with totally different growing habits were placed next to each other in very nutrient-poor clayey soils. It was a disaster! Make sure you do your research first.
ReplyDeleteI keep my used Keurig K-Cups for starters and use the grounds for the soil :)
ReplyDeleteI flick the tomato buds to make sure that they are fertilized
ReplyDeleteMy best gardener's tip as a new gardener is to start small and with foods that you know for sure your family will eat!
ReplyDeleteFrom beardedboggan from tumblr:
ReplyDelete"One tip I think is especially useful for all sorts of gardeners is to remember the sun and location needs of your plants. Check into how much sun they need, what sort of climates they grow in and everything else that might affect how they grow and prosper."
What an amazing giveaway! I'm a total beginner gardener, having "inherited" my garden from the previous owner when I bought my first home just over a year ago. Fortunately my mom is a seasoned pro, and has helped me maintain it--it's mostly things that grow back every year, but still needed some cleaning. I'm ready to take it on with new things now! My best tip is just to know your local critters. You might be saving a few bucks buying smaller/younger plants, but if they are just going to get eaten, you are better off spending a bit more for more mature plants that maybe aren't as tasty!
ReplyDeleteI wana win!!! Green houses are great! I love to grow my own food and plants!
ReplyDeleteI am so into gardening and so are my roommates too. We have a HUGE balcony and we are going to grow a lot of vegetables and flowers there. The tool I love the most is watering can, I think it´s the most important one :)
ReplyDeletemmyheartishere@gmail.com
Starting seeds in recycled egg cartons
ReplyDeleteI need a hose to water the seeds with but also garden gloves to weed the garden
ReplyDeleteI tend to love my plants too much.. dont over water them..
ReplyDeleteI think just about everyone hates weeding. Let it go for a few days and you can have a forest of green in your garden (not the green you want).
ReplyDeleteThis past year I tried using grass clippings on my garden. It worked very well and I had minimal weeds all summer long. Plus, unlike the black tarp that some people I know use, the grass is composted into your soil. I also have friends that do straw instead of the grass.
My tip is to spray a mix of water and Epsom Salts on your plants. It helps keep bugs out and also will make your plants much lusher.
ReplyDeleteI always clip some rosemary to root and re-pot through the winter-come spring, I have rosemary to plant. I have kept the same plant going for literally years in that way.
ReplyDeleteThe milk I get comes in a plastic bottle which I have I found is very useful when it has been cleaned up. Using the middle section for plant labels once it has been cut into strips and the bottom half used as a container to start your seeds off in. :)
ReplyDeletewOW wHAT A GIVE AWAY !!!! So many treats my favorite gardening tip that i can't do without is children i think it's so important to learn the wee ones to learn to garden and love taking care of mama nature i have 3 helpers Cerridwen Morrighan And Hawthorne that love to get there hands dirty to plant seeds and of course mud pies as well Be blessed
ReplyDeleteMy favorite tip for gardening is companion planting!! http://www.savvyhousekeeping.com/companion-planting/ I know it's kinda a really big thing rather than one little hint, but I have grand plans for a very big garden once I get settled and this is something I want to REALLY work with!
ReplyDeleteMy best garden tip is to compost and then use all of that nutrient dense material when you plant. It really is amazing everything that can be composted -- there is so much more to compost than I ever realized.
ReplyDeletei cannot stress enough how much soil importnace is! always have a good soil! fertilize it and you will have great success!!
ReplyDeletesunflowerally22@aim.com
I don't have any gardening advice. I am new to gardening as we just got our own place but I can't wait to plant my first garden. With my boobs issues I think I would get and recommend the little one pads for comfort!
ReplyDeleteI really love pretty & colorful planters. That is my go-to gardening item.
ReplyDeleteI think the most important is knowing when is a good time to plant outside! We basically have more winter than summer so the Farmer's Almanic is great for helping me first out the best times to ensure my garden will do wonderful!
ReplyDeleteRemember my Granny used to keep an old coffee can by the kitchen sink,,in this can she would put table scraps, egg shells, coffee grounds etc...There was always something covering that can but it still smelled. After about 3 days she would mix this concoction with water and give it to the garden.Never seen prettier tomatoes since..(Granny's garden tip)
ReplyDeleteMy gardening tip is to share with friends. I have gotten the best plants from friends willing to share. Kinda like you are doing. Thanks!
ReplyDeletepjames330 at aol dot com
We always lay down the black plastic to stop weed growth. It's a God-send in both vegetable gardens, and flower beds.
ReplyDeletewhen i till my garden i add all my old coffee grounds from the winter months
ReplyDeleteMy grandfather always taught me to put egg shells in the dirt. I dont know if its a wifes tale or if it works but I do it for him. I also use popsicle sticks for plant I.D.
ReplyDeleteI like to talk to my plants. It something that my mom and aunt do and it helps them to grow.
ReplyDeletedlatany at gmail dot com
Read about a plant's requirement before you decide when and where to plant it. Gardening and growing plants is easier when they have the amount of water, sun, and temperature that they prefer.
ReplyDeleteNancy
allibrary (at) aol (dot) com
My tip is to use planter boxes. It help to cut down on water.
ReplyDeleteI have terrible soil where I live, so my greenhouse is my plant saver. Thank you for the chance!
ReplyDeleteI try to keep it simple and plant what my family likes most. Then I trade my extras with my neighbors.
ReplyDeleteHaving a small garden makes it much more manageable for me. So, I guess that is my best tip - don't plant more than you can easily manage.
ReplyDeletetreasuretoday@aol.com
I live in a cool weather area, so my tip is have a small greenhouse to extend the garden growing time. Also research the best crops for your growing zone
ReplyDeleteMy best tip is to research what is native to your area for best growth!
ReplyDeletei always find that planting borders of onions, garlic, and peppers on the borders of my other plants and flowers keeps the animals away! my first year gardening i did not do this and i notice how much more crop i have after having planted them from now on!
ReplyDeletekmcgrew213@aol.com
My advise is to fence in your garden so the deer won't get to it.
ReplyDeleteowen.darlene@gmail.com
My tip is to always make sure what you are planting is appropriate for your climate AND your yard. If something needs lots of sun but you have a shady yard it probably won't grow well and vice versa :) Thank you for the chance!
ReplyDeleteemail address: andrea_hockeygirl at hotmail dot com
Starting seeds in recycled egg cartons! Environmentally friendly tip hehe eclairre at ymail dot com
ReplyDeleteThe soil you use is so so important. Must use top grade soil in order to have a good crop of usable delicious food!!
ReplyDeleteamandajoyrauch at yahoo dot com
My tip is if you have a place for them and can care for them to get a couple of rabbits to collect their feces to mix in with your garden dirt as fertilize :)! We have one rabbit as a pet and I've noticed a huge difference in our garden veggies since starting to use his waste as fertilizer :)
ReplyDeletenurse_mommy(at)live(dot)com
My best gardening advice for families is to get your kids involved. Our children have been helping with the entire process from start to finish since they are toddlers. This is the first year that they asked to have their very own organic vegetable garden. They dug up the soil, added the mushroom compost, planted seeds and plants and have been tending to it and weeding it. It has made the entire process wonderful for our family and we all enjoy the bounty together.
ReplyDelete