Garlic is a related to onions, shallots and leeks, plants in which the root is the part most prized.  There is an old quote that says one should “Eat leeks in March and wild garlic in May, and all the year after physicians may play”.

Some avoid eating garlic when they are going to be around people, concerned about the strong odor, which is actually caused by the sulfide contained in the plant, Allicin.  This sulfide works it’s way through the body system through the blood and is excreted through the pores (sweat) so that it can actually be smelled on the skin some hours after eating fresh garlic.  Some say that if it is massaged into the feet, it will be smelled on the breath some time later.   I can vouch for the fact that you can smell it on the skin, but have not tried the foot massage method.

Allicin, the sulfide in the plant, is the part with much of the healing benefit of the plant.  It has antibiotic and anti-fungal properties – and may do a good job of clearing the body of certain parasites as well.  It is also said to aid blood pressure.  It will help eliminate bacteria in the intestinal tract.  You can imagine how beneficial this would be to have going through the blood throughout the body.  You do want to make sure that you get a good quality product or use fresh if you want to use it for it’s health benefits.  (Continued below picture)

Image Credit: Wikimedia Commons

Garlic can be grown in the ground or in containers quite easily.   To grow, take a garlic bulb, and separate the cloves.  Plant the cloves in a pot, container, or if you prefer, your garden, in the fall.  If you use a container, put it in an area where it will winter over well, semi-protected.  I usually move mine close to the house, especially if the containers are small…they should do fine in larger containers.  Garlic can be harvested about 6 months after they are planted, late spring, depending upon the climate…we are in the northeastern United States. If you want to increase the size of the bulb, you may want to remove the garlic scapes so that bulbs will grow larger.

Once you start an organic garden, you want to maintain your organic soil in a way that will not compromise the work that you have done.  It is for this reason that you must carefully consider the food that you feed your plants.  When plant food is described as  organic plant food,  it means that the food has been derived from living matter that is also organic in nature. This can be done by making your own compost or buying plant foods that re-use byproducts of food production such as bone meal, fish meal, etc.

I have to admit that my gardens, especially the one with soil that contains only flowers, is not always organically fed.  The vegetable gardens, however, are fed organically.  The herb gardens are fed less frequently because the perennial herbs that I grow don’t need much tending to or watering, they tend to do well in harsh conditions.

But for my vegetables and containers, a plant food like Whitney Farms® organic tomato and vegetable food would be beneficial.  I like to think that what is going into my body as food will be well fed, and am realizing that I should also reconsider feeding the rest of my garden the same way if I care about my plants.  Whitney Farms® is offering a $3 coupon right now, you can retrieve it by clicking on any of the live links in this post.

Image: Lemon Balm from my garden copyright 2012

I decided to ere on the side of “laziness” and leave the plants alone, and they survived.  This includes my Lily of the Valley, Hosta, Tulips, Oregano, Lemon Balm, Rhubarb, Sage, Lambs Ear, etc.  Since the sun had been shining brightly the day before and there wasn’t high winds, it seemed to me the ground would be warm enough to help sustain the plants and the wind would not be high enough to make the already 30 degree temperature an even lower “wind chill factor”.

The plants that I would concern myself with are those that I might bring outside that spend the winter months indoors, bring them indoors.  Annuals that you may have planted early might also be a concern.  Not necessarily Pansies, they seem to tolerate cold fairly well, but any other annuals that you have put in earlier than the suggested date because of the mild temperatures.  If the freeze warning is over a period longer than a day with no warming in the period, then you will want to cover these with something to protect them, something light that won’t crush them, a sheet or if there are just a few special plants that don’t cover a wide area, upside-down flower pots or containers.  I move my container-garden pots on the deck close to the house and they do fine.

If you have any additional tips on how to protect plants during a freeze warning, please share them in a comment.

Our hummingbirds seem to like to spend their time in the large pine trees in our backyard. We see many each year, which is a wonderful change from when we first lived here. Rarely did we see hummingbirds in our area during the first 15-20 years that we lived here.

Hummingbirds not only enjoy the feeder we provide for them, but the nectar from my colorful Impatiens and other flowers on our property.

Image Credit

I enjoy hummingbirds so much, that I put together a page at another location entitled “How to Feed Hummingbirds By Hand“, I hope you will stop by for a visit, and tell us your hummingbird stories in a comment.

We have had other times when our roof has leaked, and purchased a tarp large enough to cover the whole thing until we could have the roof replaced. We keep a new one around at all times because you never know when you are going to need one to protect the house from leaks.

My husband and son use a large tarp in a unique way – they blow leaves into it in the fall and then fold up the corners and drag the leaves into the woods across from us, clearing our yard of leaves.

Another use has been for camping trips…they cover the ground nicely under a tent, and make a nice rain cover over a picnic table in a campsite. The uses for a tarp are endless, limited only by your imagination. What do you use a tarp for?

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Egg dying and hunting and the delicious chocolate candies and jelly beans are all fun, but the Easter Bunny, as cute as he is, cannot compare to the gift of eternal life and freedom from sin that the death and resurrection of Jesus brings to all who believe in what he has done in their place. Thinking this way in our modern society may seem archaic to some, but it isn’t, it shouldn’t be, it is what makes this weekend a very special one.

“For God so loved the world, that He gave his one and only son, that whoever believes in him should have eternal life. God did not send His son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through him might be saved”. (Written from memory so a few words may be off, but the meaning is unchanged – John 3:16, 17)

Click for Easter Lily Photo Credit

Miracle-Gro® is already my favorite plant food so I know that their Expand ‘n Gro™ product will be a good one.  What excites me most about this product is that it feeds plants throughout our entire growing season, so it will save the work of repeat feedings.  As it is now, I feed some of my plants weekly, Expand ‘n Gro will feed the plants for up to 6 months.  Best of all, I am able to offer you the opportunity to win a free sample by leaving a comment.  Have you ever heard of this product? Do you use Miracle-Gro® now?  We’d love to hear anything you have to share about your garden and feeding your plants.

I am looking forward to using this plant food not only in my gardens in our front yard, but also in the growing collection of planters and pots with plants on my deck on the lakeside of our property.  This is more than just a plant food, it actually expands when watered, improves the soil, and holds moisture so that you don’t need to water as frequently…wonderful during dry spells and in dry climates.  The natural fiber used, Coconut Coir, means a lightweight bag when you buy the product and that your adding a biodegradable substance to your soil. It holds and releases moisture as needed, and enhances the aeration of the soil.

After reading about the product and seeing that you can get $3 off coupon at the product website, I can’t find a single reason why I would pass up trying this product which I’ll be doing this spring and summer. 

Remember, and if you leave a comment between now and April 15th and are the winner of the giveway, I’ll be mailing you a sample to try in your garden or potted plants…I can ship in the US only.  If we get more names than we can handle on folded slips of paper with my husband drawing a name, we’ll use random.org.

4/18/12 Update:  A winner of the sample plus a $3 coupon has been contacted.  You still have a chance to win a sample…and as comments are low in number, odds are good.  Visit and leave a comment by May 1st here—> Aspen the Yorkie or here—> Happy Nutritionist’s Nuggets

In reality the Shamrock is a clover, the one most associated with Ireland and St. Patrick’s Day has heart shaped leaves, while many of the clovers that I see on our property have rounded leaves.

Shamrock Image Credit
Clover Image Credit

In reality, the heart shaped Shamrock is in the clover family, but it is the heart-shaped variety that is a trademarked symbol of Ireland.

Have you ever searched through a patch of clovers or shamrocks for a 4 leafed clover?  It is something I did as a child and with my children and was great fun if we ever found one.  It makes it extra fun and keeps the children busy if you offer a prize for finding one.  Traditionally a four-leafed Shamrock or Clover brings more luck if it is found unexpectedly.

Would you like to grow your own Shamrocks with seeds from Ireland?  You can! click here for Shamrock seeds and soil from Ireland.and grow your own St. Patrick’s Day center piece.

We are in the northeast, and though it has been a mild winter, our lawn is mostly dormant with just a few spots of green, but that is going to change as the days get longer and spring arrives.  Our lawn has been neglected in recent years. It is shaded by trees almost all day each summer, and the green of the lawn isn’t just grass, but moss and weeds that are mixing in with the grass, and slowly taking over due to neglect on our part.

We haven’t been cultivating and feeding the lawn as much as we should, but that has to change.  I was watching a commercial on television about the Scotts® Snap® Spreader System and was impressed!  It looks easy to use and there’s nothing like a new lawn care gadget to make the job of planting, feeding and killing weeds seem like fun.  I visited the website, and along the bottom it shows you all the different lawn products you can snap onto the specially designed spreader to care for your lawn.  In other words, you don’t have to cut open bags and pour the product into a spreader, you attach a specially designed bag that contains the product to the spreader and start spreading…a neat, clean approach to feeding and caring for your lawn.  A video testimonial should appear below:

A list of some of the prepackaged lawn care products follows:

• Grass Seed
• Weed killer and plant food combinations
• General Insect Killer
• Fire Ant Killer
• Crabgrass prevention
• and more!

I like the specially made spreader…it has a handle that folds down making it easier to store, something that is important around here where space is limited.  You can visit any of the links in this post, and stop by at  Snap perks on Facebook and “like”, if you like.

Here’s to happy, healthy well-cared-for lawns this coming lawn care season, and healthier lawns for those of you who live in areas where lawns remain green much of the year!

Photo Credit

Bilberry is one of those berries, like blueberries, that contain strong antioxidants, or anthocynins.  These are good for many things, but historically credit is given to the berry for helping improve the vision when used over time.  British pilots used the berries to support their vision when flying at night during WWII.  Click here for more information and sources for Bilberry, the berry that is said to improve eyesight and is good for the circulation.