Never fear! Garden gifts if the garden is all closed up

Now, before you say to yourself, "I've already done the end-of-the-year chores, AND it's snowing!" there are some options if you can't get gifts from your own garden this year.

Head over to the Farmer's Market to check out the selection of herbs still on hand. These may already be dried and prettily packaged to boot! Without a doubt, lots of other terrific gift items will be available for perusal, too.

According to the Farmer's Marketer (check out What's at the Market This Week on the left), it looks like apples galore can still be found. Why not whip up a batch or two of applesauce, can or freeze it and give it away? Talk about a refreshing taste of sunshine when the temperatures drop!

Create a tea blend from the great selection of herbs at a bulk grocery store section like the one at the People's Food Coop or Arbor Farms.

Make a super top secret hot cocoa mix for friends and family. Just think of how much fun you'll have "testing" the different recipes! (This could also be done while catching up on garden reading...and ok, you can't grow cocoa ingredients in your garden, but it's still homemade and still yummy.)

Amaryllis make a great gift for everyone from the non-gardener to the novice gardener to the botanist on your list. The thrill of watching the leaves emerge and the final trumpets of color move even the most curmudgeonly.

Give a selection of herbs for the windowsill. Fresh herbs are even better than dried ones, and the cheerful green leaves will be a welcome sight in anyone's home. Tailor the herb selection (seeds or seedlings) to the person in question, along with a cute pot or two. How much fun is that?

Review of New Gardening Books

Just in time as a follow-up to a recent post on gardening books comes this review from the New York Times. Reviewed are a total of 10 new books covering a range of topics - landscape gardening in Japan, historic gardens in England and America, parks and urban landscaping, bulbs, and good old fashioned garden reference - to match the whims and interests of any gardener.

And for those wanting a list of more recent vegetable-focused books, check out this terrific compilation/review from Spring. Reviewing and summarizing 12 books in total, this list would make a wonderful check list for building a gardening library.

And finally, for the whipper-snapper's on your list who might be shy (or even those who are not!) about gardening, The Curious Garden by Peter Brown, is sure to inspire everyone.

Gifts from the garden

As gift-giving season fast approaches, the stress of remembering who's on the list, what they like or don't like, not to mention the cost of many items can make the season more stressful than might be ideal. Here are a few ideas for this year (or to keep in mind for next year!) to ease the situation.

Dried herbs.

Dried herbs make fantastic presents! Whether it's a sprig of rosemary, a sweet little jar of oregano, dried mint and lemon balm for tea, or lavender sachets for a drawer or for a plunge in the bath, these are sure to delight. Drying herbs is easy as hanging them up to dry in the house or popping them in a low, low oven spread out on a cookie sheet.

Garden preserves.

If you've got a nice bundle of goodies canned, dried, or frozen consider dolling up the packaging a bit and giving them as gifts. Dried tomatoes (or tomato chips!) make a fantastic present that could probably be given multiple years in a row without any complaints, not too mention some of that pesto in the freezer!

Garden crafts.

How about a wreath from the wild grapevine growing along the back fence? Or a bouquet of dried flowers? How about some seeds saved from a garden favorite? Here's a good list of ideas and how to do them, or check out this upcoming movie about handmade gifts and crafts to release that crafty gene just lurking in your veins!

More Ideas?

Send along some of your favorite garden gift ideas. We'd love to hear how you share the bounty of the garden during the holidays.

A garden reading list

A great joy of northern gardening is the off-season. While the cold winds blow and the last of the leftover turkey simmers in the soup on the stove it's a great time to do a little reading. The following list of a few good new, old, and revised gardening classics should be a great start.

Growing Great Garlic: The Definitive Guide for Organic Gardeners and Small Farmers by Ron L. Engeland.

Filaree Productions, 1995.

Considered a classic and must-have for anyone growing garlic, Engeland offers detailed information on more than 200 varieties of garlic along with instructions on how to go about growing a terrific harvest.

The Compleat Squash: A Passionate Grower's Guide to Pumpkins, Squashes, and Gourds by Amy Goldman.

Artisan, 2004.

The second of Goldman's three books on gardening and heirloom varieties, The Compleat Squash is a must-read for anyone wanting to meet other members of the Cucurbita family. Recipes, growing information, and other fascinating tidbits about these New World vegetables abound in this beautiful and informative book.

The New Organic Grower: A Master's Manual of Tools and Techniques for the Home and Market Gardener (Revised Edition) by Eliot Coleman.

Chelsea Green, 1995.

Another definitive work from the author who brought us the Four Season Harvest and The Winter Harvest Handbook, Coleman in this revised edition of offers even more detailed instruction and advice for those growing organically in smaller spaces.

The Organic Gardener's Handbook of Natural Insect and Disease Control: A Complete Problem-Solving Guide to Keeping Your Garden and Yard Healthy Without Chemicals edited by Barbara Ellis and Fern Marshall Bradley.

Rodale Press, 1996.

Pests and disease can visit any garden and wreak a bit of havoc. This book, edited by two extremely experienced, knowledgeable, and engaging gardeners and garden writers, offers time-tested solutions for maintaining an organic garden while identifying and managing a few troublemakers.

Tucking away the garden

Fall is, at least in Michigan, when the garden gets tucked away for the season. Unless a hoophouse or other structure for a little winter gardening is underway here's a small list of things to do at the end of the season.

Jot it down.

Before doing a single one of the following things head out to the garden with pen and paper in hand (or camera!) and make some quick notes on what was where, how it worked, how it tasted, what to remember to do again, and what to remember to never do again. The ideal is a garden journal, but even a quick map is great to avoid planting members of the same family in the same space next year or to help remember where that new rhubarb plant went.

Plant garlic.

Ok, so it's time to tuck the garden away, but it is such a pleasure to plant bulbs for that dash of spring color so why not plant some garlic for a dash of flavor? It's not too late to tuck some in, and add the site of those little tasty green shoots to your winter daydreams. Some good, basic information on growing garlic is helpful whether this is the first time you've planted them or the hundreth as is a list of varieties available. Never done it before? Never fear! With garlic, there is nothing to lose. The scapes (flowerheads that need to be snipped) are tasty, and the bulbs...is there really a question?

Compost everything.

A bittersweet but satisfying task for the fall is cleaning up the beds. Frost bitten basil, tomatoes, and other plants need to be moved out, cages brought in, and plant tags found. Unless your garden was struck with tomato blight or some other disease plan to pop everything in the compost bin. Add a those last grass clippings and leaves, and savor the thought of the fantastic growing material that will soon be created.

Feeling really motivated about composting? Check out this great little article on deep composting. Reminiscent of lasagna gardening deep composting makes use of the woody debris that can accumulate in fall while creating a new growing space that can be put to use almost immediately.

Build up soil.

Fall is a great time to give the garden soil a boost of healthy snacks for recharging the soil as well as continuing to build a solid soil foundation for future growing. Mix in shredded leaves (just run them over with the lawnmower), although it is important to consider what kind of leaves get thrown on the garden or into the compost bin. Walnut leaves are less than ideal, and maple leaves need to be well-shredded. Maple leaves tend to be nitrogen-fixing (holding onto the nitrogen while they break down rather than giving it out to the plants growing in the garden) although eventually they contribute.

A nice recipe for building up soil (literally and figuratively) can be found here (again reminiscent of lasagna gardening) is feasible for old and new beds alike.

Gardening in a pot

The weather is chilly and the gardens are finishing up for the season. Feeling forlorn about fresh vegetables without room for a hoophouse?

Well, despair no more! While the title of the article sounds a wee bit unfortunate - Grow Food Scraps Indoors - the article does offer some good ideas for growing food in pots, including green onions. A good list of vegetables and some nice details about how to manage the indoor container garden can also be found here.

And just as a little extra, this blog post focuses mostly on growing in containers outdoors, but it offers sound advice on selecting containers and the unique needs of such plants. Enjoy!

Gardening in Flint: Tasty Greens and a Whole Lot More

Any gardener will attest to the hope and joy one finds working the soil for food or for flowers. The miracle of seeds turning to tiny plants turning to a full grown plant is a joy in itself. The vegetables served to a gathering of family and friends or the bouquet on the table at the end of the day offer a satisfaction that fills the heart and soul.

A recent article in The New York Times about gardens in Flint that serve up plates of food along with healthy doses of community pride and innovation offers a reminder of what is best in gardens and all of us.