As I was planning the next few months of “off” season posts, I began to wonder what kind of activities other balcony gardeners enjoy when they’re not out amongst their container garden? I bet a lot of us enjoy cooking, it seems that it goes hand in hand with gardening. But what else do you enjoy doing? Select up to three options:
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These are books that I really enjoyed reading (and refer back to regularly). They'll be a great help to you on your container gardening adventures:
Garden Up! by Susan Morrison and Rebecca Sweet
Succulent Container Gardens by Debra Lee Baldwin
Sugar Snaps & Strawberries by Andrea Bellamy
Bountiful Container by McGee & Stuckey
Small Budget Gardener by Maureen Gilmer
Southern California Organic Gardening by Pat Welsh
Container Gardening for California
{ 14 comments… read them below or add one }
I knit in the off season. I’m almost as passionate about that as I am about gardening. But I have never been able to have their seasons overlap. Once it gets cooler and the garden is put to rest, it’s hard to pull me away from my knitting projects. But once it warms up, the balls of yarn will languish in a basket until the “off” season comes around again.
It’s only letting me choose one option, Fern! I like reading, cleaning and organizing, and honing my business systems. Plus writing snail mail letters to friends and family and preparing for holidays.
Yes, it’s only letting us choose 1 option. So, my favorites include–crocheting baby blankets, scrapbooking many, many photographs, and voracious reading (which I actually do year ’round).
I love to plan quilts — once the kids are older and I have more time, I’ll make some of them, too!
Oops. I fixed it so you can choose three things now. Sorry!
I tend to bake more in the winter, not just cook. The heat from the stove is always more welcome in December than in July. I tend to make collages (though I’m not a scrapbooker) and pour through seven books at a time. Like Genevieve, I take quite a bit of time to reflect and plan, also. Not just business stuff or garden stuff, but all sorts of “life” stuff.
Great question – I look forward to seeing how Life on the Balcony’s content changes/adapts with the seasonal changes.
To be honest our winter is so mild there isn’t really an off season.
But when I am not gardening I am cooking and writing my thesis. Alas both of those seem to take up all my spare time. Ooooh and I sew when I get the chance, but only when I am back in Adelaide because I don’t own my own sewing machine! I do obsess about Spring plantings over winter, and tomatoes!
I’m into music. I write songs, compose classical music, and record what I can. (I’m a music teacher, as a career.)
There’s always gardening in Southern California and lots of walking.
planning an annual Halloween party and getting ready for the holidays. This is also when I catch up on my movies.
Great quiz Fern!
knitting for sure; i dug out the yarn stash this past weekend to get ready. http://www.ravelry.com is a fabulous site for the knitting community.
i also hope to learn to bake this winter. ive always loved stovetop cooking and grilling, but never really learned to bake.
oh, and my partner is starting up his own business (chocolatier), so i hope to learn how to make chocolate from him (and design some fun packaging).
Prue–I’m with you. The only plants that die in Southern California are the true annuals. But I do way less work in my garden over the winter. Other than watering, my plants don’t require much attention over the winter.
I live in S. Cal too, so keep up with the gardening year round. But, I agree, winter is much less time consuming. Don’t have to water as often, fewer container pests, etc. My non-gardening activities are all summer intensive too – triathlon, swimming (ocean/open water in summer, pool/masters year round), biking & local bike rides, sailing, tennis. Fall/winter I like Apartment Therapy & the home cures.
I live on S. Vancouver Island and here the lawns green up in the winter, our rainy season. But gardening is pretty well over. Winter for me is the time for baking, cooking, dinner parties with lots of candles on the table to ward off the early darkness. I spend much more time on creating new sculptures for our sculpture line and doing mosaics for fun.