From the category archives:

Fall Gardening

Autumn Crocus

by Fern on December 1, 2009

Post image for Autumn Crocus

This past September 26th came and went without a birthday card or any other acknowledgement from my two brothers. I thought they both somehow forgot. It seemed pretty hard to believe. My birthday has been on the 26th of September for the past 28 years, and they were alive for 26 and 19 of those birthdays respectively. As it turns out, only the 19 year old forgot. The older of my two brothers ordered an assortment of bulbs as a gift, but didn’t realize that they wouldn’t be shipped until it was the right time to plant them in my area. Receiving the box in mid October was a wonderful surprise.

Among the bulbs my brother picked out for me were these Autumn Crocus, which I planted in a pot near my front door. On top of the bulbs, I planted some sweet allysum to cover the bare dirt. The effect is really pretty and couldn’t have been easier.

112809_Autumn Crocus 1

112809_Autumn Crocus 2

I got the idea from this video created by Sunset Magazine. Even if it is already pretty cold in your area, I think you would still be able to do something similar. A lot of bulbs need a long cold winter to produce beautiful flowers in Spring. If you plant them now in a pot that won’t crack, you can leave them outdoors this winter and receive a your “gift” next Spring.

{ 8 comments }

Decorating Your Balcony for Halloween

by Fern on October 23, 2009

I hate Halloween. There. I said it. If there was a bad guy for Halloween–a grinch of some sort–I’d be it. The constantly ringing doorbell (even with my porch light off!) drives me nuts and scares my cats. And then when I open the door, half the time I see teenagers too old to be trick-or-treating, begging for candy. Dude. If you want candy, get a job and buy some!

Photo by Melissa Maples

Now that I got that rant off my chest, I think I can admit that I am one of the few people in the Halloween-celebrating-world that doesn’t like the holiday. So I thought I would collect some of the decorating ideas that even I can admit are pretty neat:

How are you decorating for Halloween?

{ 2 comments }

How to Protect Your Container Garden From Frost

October 21, 2009

Temperatures usually don’t get cold enough to really harm my plants until January or February here at the beach in So Cal (and then we’re only talking about the low 40s), but I hear that those of you in the rest of the country start getting pretty cold weather about this time of year. [...]

7 comments Read the full article →

When Do You Stop Gardening Outdoors

October 18, 2009

All of my herbs are still going strong, as are all of my perennial flowers (which I think is pretty much everything, I didn’t plant any annuals). I have cut down most of my hot season edibles, like the pepperoncinis, Grand Mariconi, and bell peppers. While we still have occasional days of 80/90 degree weather, [...]

14 comments Read the full article →

Asian Vegetables for your Cool Season Container Garden

October 9, 2009

As I’ve become more adventurous as a cook, I’ve discovered a whole new world of vegetables, leafy greens and herbs common in the various Asian cuisines. Finding those veggies in my local supermarket, however, is usually a challenge. And when I am able to find them, they cost an arm and a leg. Of course, [...]

7 comments Read the full article →

Fall Color on Your Balcony

September 30, 2009

This past weekend I flew out to Vermont to visit my brother who is going to college there. We were a tad bit too early to see the trees in their full Autumn glory, but we were still treated to quite a show.
One thing that struck me though, is how different September is across the [...]

5 comments Read the full article →

Happy Autumnal Equinox!

September 22, 2009

This post is scheduled to be published at 2:18pm PDT, the exact moment of the autumnal equinox. As far as I can tell, this means that the sun is exactly halfway through the sky on the day when daytime and nighttime are each exactly 12 hours long, after which nighttime will be longer until the [...]

7 comments Read the full article →

Flower Combinations for Fall Container Gardens

September 11, 2009

If your balcony is looking a little ragged around the edges, join the club. I’ve started pulling out plants that don’t look so good and cutting back others that could use a haircut. If you need a little inspiration to spruce up your balcony this fall, check out these combos:

1) Orange Mums, Sweet Potato Vine [...]

3 comments Read the full article →

Five Fall Vegetables Every Container Gardener Should Try

September 2, 2009

Everyone should taste a just picked fruit or vegetable at least once in their life. Preferably a lot more than once. If you’ve never grown vegetables on your balcony or patio before, or you want to get out of your tomato and basil growing rut, try one of these five edibles.

All of these plants can [...]

9 comments Read the full article →

Five End of Summer Container Gardening Tips

September 1, 2009

Margaret Roach has a list of September gardening chores for people with traditional gardens, but what about those of use with mere balconies or patios to work with? Is there anything that we need to do this time of year?

Photo by cattycamehome
Of course there is work to be done! As long as you have something [...]

3 comments Read the full article →

Sow These Seeds Now for Fall Harvesting

August 27, 2009

I know you’re dragging your heels, not wanting to admit that Fall and that dreaded last season of the year are just around the corner. But if you don’t sow seeds now, you won’t be able to reap the benefit of harvesting them later.

Photo by Vilseskogen
Here are some good seeds to grow in containers for [...]

10 comments Read the full article →

Fall Container Gardening Ideas

August 25, 2009

Depending on your perspective, you may be either looking forward to fall, or dreading it. I am definitely in the former camp. I love the cooler fall weather, and by this time of year I am looking forward to having to water less. I’m also looking forward to a change in the type of tasks [...]

1 comment Read the full article →

← Previous Entries