Tag: Garden

April — a month of alternating rain and sun and generally warming weather in the United States. This is also the month when many gardens are planned and planted.

The garden shops open with sturdy plants fresh from the greenhouse. Be careful — are all the frosty (or near freezing) nights at an end? Have you read the back of the seed packet? Should you plant in sun, partial sun, or shade? Will you need to water? Can the plant tolerate dry after established?

Gadgets and tools abound. How many do you need? Which ones?

Shall we begin with the basics? These tools, relatively new, are closely related to garden tools used for decades and generations. A shovel to turn the earth in regular or raised bed garden. A rake to do some smoothing. A hoe to keep the weeds from taking over from the desired plants. And a hand trowel for transplanting and other fine work.

In fictional Elm Ridge, Illinois, during the 1850’s, many of the households kept a garden. The bakery was no exception. Fresh vegetables made for fine eating. And cabbages turned into sauerkraut and potatoes stored in the root cellar kept hunger away during a long winter. Can you name a common garden item today they did not plant?

Check out the sweet historical romance, New Dreams, for an introduction to Louisa and her eventful first year in America. https://amzn.to/3vWydWE

Soon — or perhaps already — depending upon the climate where you live, gardening season will be in full swing.

Do you have your clothes ready? Head, hair, and eye protection in one garment for the ladies.

Is last year’s bonnet in good repair? Are the ties secure to the body? No holes to allow dirt and sun where they do not belong? Brim stiff and functional?

A well-dressed gardener in the mid-19 century would wear an apron over her dress while she worked. Sturdy shoes or perhaps wooden clogs (depending on her ethnicity) would protect her feet. In warmer climates, and on poorer gardeners, the feet may be bare and exposed to hazards both seen and unseen. She often wore gloves to protect her hands — perhaps those worn or patched and no longer suitable for church or a day of shopping.

Louisa Mueller, a young baker, in the sweet romance, New Dreams, begins her work at the bakery as a chore girl, including keeping the garden. She grabs the calico sunbonnet from the peg and slips into her wooden clogs before she opens the garden gate. Check out her story, center on her journey and first year in America by following the link. https://amzn.to/3vWydWE

A number of common plants serve two or more purposes to humans. Fruit trees, for example, supply fruit, shade, and a varying amount of erosion prevention. Clover and alfalfa furnish animal food (hay) and replace nitrogen into the soil in addition to having a root system to hold the soil in place. The list is long.

Today, let’s consider one usually done on a small scale.

A grape arbor provides a pleasant, shady place to sit after a hard day’s work. Either in the vineyard where the vines are trained in lower rows, or in other activities.

And then you have the grapes. Table grapes? Raisins? Juice? Wine? Which one is your favorite?

Picture yourself on a nice little bench inside the arbor. You reach up and pluck one round, ripe grape from a bunch and pop it into your mouth. YUM!!!

Deutsch immigrants to America brought their grape growing and wine-making skills along and put them to use in their new home. In the sweet historical romance, New Dreams, Louisa brings the family knowledge of baking to fictional Elm Ridge, Illinois. Follow the link to learn more about the book. https://amzn.to/3vWydWE