Snow White Oyster Mushrooms

What a thrill to glance at the "mushroom logs" and discover this gigantic oyster mushroom! Thanks to a "mushroom log" workshop conducted by Stephen Conaway of the Greenwich Land Trust on Feb. 27th, 2016, our group is now enjoying oyster mushrooms and shitakes as well. There's no end to the exciting experiences one can have in the garden. 

Time to start thinking about putting the garden "to bed" for the upcoming winter months. But, first, do plant your garlic cloves soon so you can enjoy your harvest next summer.

Garden in Full Glory

 

Since May, Nancy Juarez' garden project has zoomed along. But why explain all the details. The photos should give you a sense of what she has accomplished in 3 months: built raised beds, filled with soil and planted, added wood chips to pathways, added supports for vertical gardening,  fenced in the area, planted flowers in the border, and is now harvesting lots of vegetables and sharing with everyone who crosses her path. BRAVA!

What Should I Do as a Senior Project?

Here's what a student at Westhill HS in Stamford, CT decided to do. Nancy Juarez wanted to create a vegetable garden for the school community, something that she could "give" to her school as a parting gift. So she and her Dad built 9 large raised beds- about 4' by 13' by 10" deep. She  got rich soil to fill them, black fabric mulch to prevent weeds between the beds, and lots of wood chips to cover the fabric. Then she framed in the whole area to prevent the wood chips from spilling out onto the adjacent grass and road surfaces and to provide an area for a flower border as well. Next step: planting the beds- the fun part and the most creative element yet. Kudos to a young woman with great heart and great energy. What an honor to know her. Let's keep growing.

Seeds and Seeds and More Seeds

What would you do if someone said, "Give Designs by Lee a call. They have seeds left over from last year and are happy to give them to you to distribute to the schools' vegetable gardens." YES! I went over to the nursery - different feeling at this time of year- expecting to be given a small basket of seed packets. What I was offered was the equivalent of a full bushel.  I asked if they were to be shared with anyone else. "No, they're for you." Merci Beaucoup! How wonderful to know that others think of our school project and let us enjoy their kindness and generosity. I spent about 3 hours sorting, alphabetizing, and bagging them up for distribution. My dining room table is bursting with seeds. What a happy feeling!
Bottom Line: ask your local nurseries if they have leftover seeds. They can't sell them but most seeds will be viable for much longer than the year stamped on the packet.
Snow outside. Seeds on the table. Spring will come. Life is good!

Birds in Winter

From the Bartlett Arboretum's weekly newsletter, I am happy to share the following:

Over Wintering Birds Food is scare for all wildlife in winter. Many species depend upon supplements from their human hosts. Finding bird feeders that only feed birds is difficult as their competitors, squirrels and chipmunks are creative foragers.  Bartlett Arboretum friends, Designs by Lee, Keough's Hardware and Wild Birds Unlimited in Bedford & Darien offer bird feeders that are less likely to become squirrel feeders. Birds need high protein foods in the winter to help maintain their body temperatures. Look for suet mixes and feeds that contain nuts.  Shell free feed is available if you are adverse to the mess. Providing shelter also give the birds in your garden a better chance of surviving winter. Cleaning out the birdhouses in your garden will keep them disease free while providing an attractive home for overwintering birds.  Fall is the perfect time to clean.   If you are interested in learning how to clean your birdhouses, please click here: Birdhouse

Ready for Spring Planting

Are you ready?
Here are a few photos to illustrate how good basic design will enhance your garden's appearance and productivity. This beautiful garden is at Davenport Ridge ES in Stamford,CT. Beds for early vegetables, for herbs, edible flowers, and more flowers for their beauty and fun. Sunflowers anyone?
Notice the beds of varying shapes and heights and angles. And birdhouses to bring in nature and additional visual appeal and the "ooh" factor. 
Time to: clean-up, amend the soil, set out the first tender plants or seeds: peas, lettuces, radishes, carrots, chards,  etc. Let's get growing!  'Tis the season.

Winter Door Decoration

An easy, fun, and beautiful activity for children and adults, too - clusters of evergreen branches, secured tightly with a rubber band, then with green wire. Create a loop with the wire so as to hang it easily on an outside door. We added our own wired ribbon bows, some pine cones we had gathered and voilà -  a lovely door decoration created during our middle school Garden Club activity. You can use any kind of evergreen as well as dried stems from perennials like artemesia and sea grasses. Be whimsical. 'tis the season.