How To Put Your Extra Harvest To Use

The weather is turning colder and it seems like everyone's gardens are slowly coming to an end. You find yourself ending up with more food than you really know what to do with or you have so much food left you can’t eat it fast enough. Throwing it out isn’t an option..what choices do you have? Canning and Dehydrating are perfect ways to take care of them!

Canning can be a great way to go ahead and take those extra veggies and turn them into quick and easy meals. The only thing you can’t can is what you don’t try! Squash, meat, okra, potatoes, peppers, cucumbers, corn it all can be turned in to stews and canned. You can even pickle it. Do you use tomatoes a lot, do you make a lot of spaghetti sauce? Canning your own tomatoes can save you lots of money from buying store bought.

Freezing your food is also an option but then you have to stop and think..do I have the extra freezer space? What if the power goes out? My food won’t last.

Dehydrating, is another great way to preserve your food without having to use up a lot of space and room. They also can keep for many years if done right. Investing in a dehydrator can not only save you time but money in the long run. You can make your own jerky, dehydrate your own onions, peppers, okra, squash, tomatoes almost anything you can think of. Fresh herbs is a staple item in most households and by dehydrating peppers, onions, tomatoes you can turn them into crushed bell peppers, tomato paste or even chopped onions that you can use on a daily basis.

Canning, dehydrating and freezing your food are great options if you have lots of extra food growing in your garden or can get food items at bulk wholesale cost that you can use and don’t want to throw away. Canning, dehydrating and freezing are personal preferences and it is really up to you on which one you find the best for you and your family. In the long run all three choices can save you lots of time, money and protect you in the long run. 

Fall Decorating Tips and Ideas

Fall is such a beautiful time of year with the weather and trees changing.   Since it is so beautiful outside why not make your home beautiful inside too?  With Fall just around the corner it is time to start thinking about how to decorate for the Holidays and all the other get together’s you may be having at your house.  When entreating people at your house you always want to have your home looking its best.  Fall decorations can really bring your home to life and make it feel warm and inviting.  Here are some tips on what you can do to make your house ready to entertain for the Fall and Harvest Season.

One way to make your house ready for entreating is by having a wonderful centerpiece.  Making a Fall centerpiece does not have to be hard or expensive at all.  All you need is a Pumpkin, floral foam, a plastic container (small enough to fit inside your pumpkin), seasonal flowers, dried leaves, and berries.   This is a very simple project that anyone can do.  Step one is to place a cube of floral foam into the plastic container that you have and make sure that it fits, if not cut down till the foam fits into the plastic container.   Now you are going to want to pour water on the foam (enough so a small amount pools at the bottom of the container).  Step two is to arrange the flowers, leaves, berries and anything else you want to put in your centerpiece.  Step three is to cut a pumpkin open and scoop out all of the seeds.   Once you scoop out all of the seeds then you can place your plastic container with the flowers into the pumpkin.  Step four is to enjoy and place in the center of your table.  This project is very easy and can be completed in no time.  Be sure to keep your foam saturated to extend the life of the flowers and keep your centerpiece looking fresh. 

You can also do this project with fake flowers, leaves, and berries.  Most craft stores have fake pumpkins and Fall flowers in stock this time of year.  The advantage of using the fake flowers and pumpkins is that it will last all season and you can reuse it.  Whichever one you choose you cannot go wrong with this project.  Your friends and family will be bragging on how beautiful your centerpiece is and how complicated it looks to make.        

Fall Planting

With the first warm breezes of spring the garden supply centers generally see and enormous  surge of business as gardeners and landscapers rush to purchase fertilizer, now tools, mulch, compost, and trees and plants to get in the ground as soon as the threat of frost even remotely appears to be over. Few people realize it, but spring is not the only season for planting trees and shrubs, in fact most trees and shrubs actually do very well when planted in fall when a little care is exercised. By planting in the fall the new tree or shrub will have plenty of time to establish its root system before the spring growing season begins this is a big bonus for the plant. The fact that trees and shrubs can sometimes be found on sale in the fall is a big plus to the gardener. To successfully plant in fall and have healthy happy plants come spring, a few simple steps should be followed.

1.       DO NOT PRUNE. Pruning serves to stimulate the plant to produce new growth and this should be avoided during the fall and winter months.

2.       DO NOT FERTILIZE. For the same reason as why not to prune. The new plant needs to spend its first winter establishing itself and not devoting energy toward new growth.

3.       DO SELECT AN APPROPRIATE PLANT. Be sure and select a tree or shrub that is rated to do well in the USDA Zone in which it is to be planted.

4.       DO make sure the hole that is dug is at least three times the diameter and around the same depth as the root ball of the plant. This will keep the soil nice and light and allow the roots to spread and all important water to reach the roots. If the root ball is covered in burlap don’t bother removing it, the burlap will rot in short order and allow the roots to spread naturally. If the plant is in a container remove it and carefully loosen the roots since container grown plants have the tendency to become root bound.

5.       DO PLACE THE PLANT in the hole and carefully back fill with native soil, of if the soil is heavy clay be sure and mix in some peat moss to lighten it and allow better water and root penetration.

6.        DO WATER THE PLANT. One of the most important things for the new plant is water. A berm of soil can be built up around the hole to prevent water from running off instead of soaking in. The plant needs to be kept well watered until temperatures begin to cause the ground to freeze.

7.       DO NOT put compost, fertilizer, or rich organic material in the hole this will encourage the roots to grow more horizontally and therefore give the plant a better root base when growing season comes.

8.       DO add a layer or rich organic compost to the surface of the soil around the tree without allowing it to actually touch the trunk of the tree. This will allow the nutrients to leach down into the soil and give the plant a good feeding and head start in spring.

Though spring is the time when most gardeners get out and start planting and working the soil, by following these few steps the careful gardener can get a head start by planting trees and shrubs in fall.

Fall Means Fair Time

When it comes to the fall, what does that mean to a lot of people? It’s time for the fair. The fair to many people is the one thing that they look forward to going to for months. It means quality time with their family, loved ones, friends or significant other, but to many others it means all the exhibits. There is just something about the fair that makes a lot of us excited like a little kid. The smells, the feel in the air, the lights, the fireworks, the sounds makes one excited that it is fall and fair time.

Most fairs have a lot of exhibits that people don’t know about because they don’t take the time to wonder around in the exhibit halls. For example, most fairs have several exhibit halls, one is filled with lots of handmade crafts, photography, cakes, baked goods and other items that people take the time to make. Another exhibit hall may be filled with vegetables that were grown locally that are record setters like pumpkins, watermelons, squash, potatoes, tomatoes and other vegetables native to that area. Then there is the exhibit hall or farm building where they hold the cows, sheep, goats and petting zoo so that people can observe them and watch as they are being shown off, milked or sheared. 

The most favorite exhibit hall is the floral exhibit hall. The floral exhibit hall is home to all the gorgeous fresh grown flowers that have been cut, preserved or turned into floral arrangements. There you can find perennials, vines and annuals of all kinds to see, smell and look at. You will see specimens of roses, hummingbird vines, English ivy, day lilies, black eyed susan’s, daffodils and many other flowers all in one place. It is a gardener’s dream!

So next time you go to the fair, don’t focus on the food, crowds and rides – go see the exhibits, you may be surprised by what you see or find! 

Winter Gardening Tips

As the summer harvest winds down and the first crisp winds of autumn bring the first chill to the air many gardeners are already starting to plan what they will be putting in the ground come spring. This may be the wrong idea, however, because gardening isn’t just a spring and summer hobby, it’s a four season pastime. By following a few simple steps the garden can be prepared for cold weather which will make spring planting easier, and allow some of the cold resistant vegetables to actually flourish.

First, as with any seasonal preparation, the soil has to be considered before anything else. There will be some nutrient depletion in the soil after the growing season, and no winter vegetables are to be grown or if the bed is to be used for planting annual flowers in the spring this is the best time to replace those used nutrients. Be sure to remove any spent vegetables or annuals from the garden bed, if these plants were healthy they can, in turn; be composted and added back to the soil later. Till or turn the soil with a spade to a depth of about six inches, this will help to loosen and aerate the soil which will be beneficial the next spring, then add about a two inch layer of compost to the top of the soil and rake it to spread it evenly. This will allow the compost to enrich the soil to root depth during the winter. If growing cold tolerant vegetables be sure and mulch around them too as this will not only feed the plant but also serve to help keep it warmer and producing longer. Perennial vegetable like asparagus should be covered with a layer of mulch when they begin to go dormant for the winter, this will aid the plant and lead to an earlier harvest in spring. 

During winter taking care of cold sensitive plants can be as easy as covering them with an old blanket, tarp, or even unfolded newspaper on those night when the thermometer dips below level to produce frost. For smaller plants or young sprouts simply cut the neck out of a plastic two liter bottle and cover the plant to create a sort of mini-greenhouse. When covering plants to protect them from the cold it is a good idea to cover them before nightfall as this will help to hold in residual heat from the daylight hours.

One of the least know and even lesser understood ways to protect tender plants, especially if they are caught by a late frost and have begun to produce buds, is to cover them with ice. As night approaches simply place the garden sprinkler near the plants and let it run. This will cause ice to form on the plants, but, contrary to popular opinion, as the water freezes it actually gives off a bit of heat and this can be enough to protect those tender shoots and buds from the bite of that late frost.

Gardening is a pastime that has seen a real resurgence in recent years as many people turn back to nature to produce some of the food they consume and to beautify their surroundings. For some this is a mere hobby, for other it has become big business. Either way, a few simple steps in winter can mean a real boost to the spring growing season.

Vines can bring lots of life

Vines are a great idea to bring life and vibrant color to a lawn or property.  Vines are easy to train and get them to grow in the manner in which will satisfy the home owner.

Vines are beautiful when draped over a trellis or an archway during the spring and summer.  Vines that will have beautiful flowers and blooms will also attract butterflies and those magnificent hummingbirds that everyone loves to watch.

Vines can also be used to cover an ugly fence or building that maybe in need of painting.  Honeysuckle vines are great to get to run up the side of buildings and fences.  They will smell wonderful during the spring and summer and will attract those beautiful hummingbirds and butterflies.  Hummingbird Vines are great to add to fences and a trellis and can also be used to cover tree trunks and planted around gazebos and patios.

Vines are an easy plant to grow as long as the sunlight conditions and soil conditions are right for the vine that will be planted.  There are also some vines that will work well as a wonderful and beautiful groundcover and will look great in a natural area.  Most of the vines that will provide flowers and gorgeous blooms will also be fragrant and will be beautiful when in bloom.  Some vines such as the Wild Strawberry will also product beautiful berries and there are Wisteria vines that will have blooms that look like clusters of grapes as they bloom.  Wisteria is a gorgeous vine and will add a very special touch to a trellis and fence.

Tree Nursery Co has several varieties of vines available and their vines are also in top notch condition and will be healthy.  This online nursery also provides a great plant description with each vine available and will provide all the information needed to make sure that the vines grow to be healthy.

It all depends on what type of vine a gardener or landscaper is looking for and what the purpose of the vine will be.  Vines can cover lots of space and some of them will be fast growing and some may take a little longer to reach maturity.  It is best to research the vines and find the one that will work best for the project that is being completed.  Vines are also a great idea to plant around a large porch and there are a wide variety that would look great when planted around porches.

Tree Nursery Online - Who Are We?

Tree Nursery Online is a wonderful plant and tree nursery that has been in business for 54 years.  This nursery is also family owned and operated and is very family oriented and is located in Altamont, Tennessee.  This nursery offers a wide variety of all kinds of trees and plants that are healthy and in number one quality condition.  Their plants and trees are cared for on a daily basis and are taken care of to make sure that they all grow to be healthy and will not contain any diseases or be infected in anyway.

Tree Nursery Online is passionate about their products and always makes sure that their customers receive what they have ordered.  They have years of experience from taking care of trees and plants when they are first planted and following and tending for their trees and plants until they are mature enough to sell to prospected buyers and consumers.

Tree Nursery Online has had many prestigious costumers from the Tennessee State Parks all the way to The Washington Monument so their products are seen all over the United States and also in some foreign countries as well.  This nursery takes pride in their products to make sure that they are grown to perfection.  This plant and tree nursery will not send anything to a customer that they would not plant in their own lawns and gardens. 

Tree Nursery Online has huge greenhouses that their plants and perennials are grown in to insure that they are healthy and are getting the proper care when growing.  This fabulous plant and tree nursery will grow large amounts of plants so that they can offer the best prices to the consumers.  Their website is very user friendly and is easy to navigate and find the exact plants that a consumer or prospected buyer may be looking for.  This website will provide sizes, growth, zones, soil conditions and other information that is needed for all of their plants and trees. 

Tree Nursery Online has been in business for so long that they know exactly what customers and landscapers are looking for in quality of plants.  This nursery thrives in satisfying the customers and buyers and also offers large quantities of plants and trees.  Their inventory can be purchased in smaller quantities or will even sell by the truck loads and also have very reasonable shipping costs for their orders.  Tree Nursery Online has very affordable prices and their website makes it convenient to shop from the comfort of your own home.