Just another Saturday- Marietta Farmers Market, Boxing Azaleas, Separating Hostas

We had a busy Saturday. First I took the dogs for a walk to the square. The farmers market is still there as in the You Tube video I did a couple of years ago.



Now across the street they have an artist market! Even more reason to visit!




On the way home we saw some azaleas at the Marlow House that had been trimmed into hedges. Now that they have bloomed they look so cool I had to take a photo.



So here is what we tackled today. I wanted to put separators between the Mondo grass and our lawn. In order to do that you have to dig down in between the two so the Mondo root won’t creep into the lawn.



We dug up the Dwarf Japanese maple tree and built up the base then planted it right back where it was. I wanted it to be higher so it could be seen over the other plants on the ground.



Next it was on to separating the Hostas. The ideal time to do this is before they leaf out.
I wanted to plant this Red Astilbe. I have Red, White, Pink and Purple planted in the bed out in the front yard and since this guy isn’t doing much in this little planter I decided it was time for a move to the front.



We also planted a red encore azalea, two Blue Mirror Delphinium and some more Bugleweed.
Now for an Epsom Salt bath, Deep Blue for my muscle pain (settersrun360@gmail.com for more information) and a glass of wine. Have a happy weekend!
P.S. My husband just tried Deep Blue on his lower back and had wonderful results.

Farmers Market Baskets-Classic and Organic baskets

I first heard of Farmers Market Baskets from my niece Meghan who is the owner of Merge Health, Fitness and Nutrition. You can fine her web site at http://www.MergeIntoHealth.com. She had “Liked” the Farmers Market Baskets page on Facebook so I looked into it and “Liked” them too. I figured I’d try it at some point just to see why people were gravitating toward businesses like this one. Farmers Market Baskets is a family run (Tom and Kristina Plauche’) and volunteer run fruit and vegetable co-op service. There is a one time membership fee of $10 but you don’t have to do that. If you decide not to join you’ll be charged a $1 fee to help cover the cost of running the place. You can also choose to buy a Classic basket (traditionally grown food) or Organic basket.
Well I ordered my first basket (1 Large Organic) for $32.64. (Baskets run anywhere from $10 to $33.) Luckily for me they have several locations for pick up and one of them was my gym. I came with basket in hand. Next time I’ll use a box because as romantic as a basket of fruits and vegetables is while walking home on a spring afternoon, it gets very heavy. I ended up calling my husband to drive around to pick me up. I guess I’ll have to step up my workouts.




I walked up to the front door and there on the Health Place porch (my gym) was Amanda. She was friendly and helpful. She loaded up my basket and suggested I fill up a box instead of my basket but I knew I could make it home, so I declined. Note to self ~ next time listen to Amanda.
I got my goodies home and took notes on what I got for my $32.64. Here is the list and it’s pretty impressive and all organic - 1 bunch of Kale, 2 live root Bibb lettuce, 1 bunch of bananas, 5 ears of corn, 1 cucumber, 2 zucchini squash, 2 tomatoes, 4 sweet potatoes, 2 onions, 1 orange pepper, 1 cantaloup, 4 pears, 6 apples and 4 oranges. Not a bad run. I was very happy with my loot.
Now let me tell you a little about this business and how to get to it and order from it. You go to http://farmersmarketbaskets.com/ and click on the order now icon. You can place a one time order (which is what I did just because I wanted to try it out) or you can repeat your orders every week or every other week. They have add on specials if you’d like. Fuji apples and Wheat Bread were the extras this week.



It was convenient for me to go to the gym but there are other locations and you can even go to their warehouse if you wish. For a $3 charge a co-op members can even drive your basket to your home (as long as you live within the designated area) so there really isn’t any excuse not to try it.
Wondering what to do with all you’ve just bought? Go to the web site for lots of yummy recipes. If you go to the bottom of the page there are icons for volunteering, starting your own group or to set up group deliveries. It’s a healthy and affordable alternative to running to the grocery store or packing a lunch to find a Whole Foods.
Was it worth it? I say yes. Will I do it again. I say Yes.

One last winter thing- planting lettuce in a pot for winter use, planting potatoes, Pocket hose and Scrub Daddy reviews

During an Essential Oils party (I'll tell you more about this later) one of the participants said that she thought gardening was hard. I said NO! You just need to try one thing to get started. Here is a good way to start Growing It First. Take a small pot and plant some lettuce. You can get a salad for two every other day or so just by pinching off what you need. It will grow back pretty quickly. Here I have Bibb and Red Leaf lettuce. We’ve been eating lettuce off of these plants all winter long. (Keeping them inside) If you don’t want to start with seed just go to your local nursery or hardware store and buy the plant. Now is the time to do this before all the plants are gone.

Here I have lettuce that somehow survived the winter. Unfortunately it will have to be pulled because it got very bitter during the cold weather. Bitter lettuce is perfectly safe to eat but I don’t care for it.


I am going to plant these fingerling potatoes that I got from Whole Foods. They are organic and have developed eyes or buds. You can cut potatoes leaving two or three buds on each piece because each bud will produce it’s own plant. Always plant a certified seed potato but this is an experiment of mine so I’m going against my own advice but just this once. Cut the potato into pieces two days before you plant. That way the potato will form a kind of a scab and this will help to keep the potato from rotting in the soil. Plant the potatoes in a sunny spot with well drained soil. You can always grow potatoes in a container that is deep enough to hold the root if you don’t have a yard or a place that has a lot of sun. Just make sure you have drainage holes in the bottom.

Just wanted to show you some peach blossoms. They are so pretty! My peach trees are now about 5 years old and if you remember I planted them about 2 years ago so they are still growing strong. I have more about pruning fruit trees on an earlier blog if you are interested.

I wanted to tell you about my new go to side dish for dinner. Onions, kale, carrots and chickpea sauté. My kids will be so proud!

I heard a great review on the Pocket Hose from my friend Shelly and wanted to try one. Unfortunately when I went to the web site they wanted $7.99 for shipping and handling so I was happy to find it at Bed, Bath and Beyond. I was able to use my coupons there as well and since I got such a great deal - I bought 2. I gave one to a friend and used the other one. It’s a very light weight hose that expands when used and shrinks down to fit into a small pot for easy storage. I liked it a lot until it starting leaking at the spigot and nozzle. Had to throw it away after about 3 months.

Another thing I found was a scratch free Scrub Daddy. It’s firm in cold water and soft in hot water. I was told it originated on Shark Tank (one of my favorite shows) so I had to try it. It really does what it says it does. I'll need to get another for outside use. It's cool and I like seeing that smiling face at the sink every morning.

That’s it for now. I’m going to start planting and I’ll keep you updated on my progress and results. Let me know how your plants are coming along. You can comment here or go to my Facebook Page “Grow It First”. Happy Growing!

8-1-13 update:

The potatoes worked. It was just too wet this summer for plants that grow down in the ground. Many potato harvests were very small because of the over abundance of rain. I will try the pot growing method in February and write a blog on that for you. If you grow potatoes in a pot it really doesn't matter how much rain you get. Drainage is the key for potatoes, garlic, carrots and the like.