A Strawberry Jar Garden of Herbs

Set this herb-filled strawberry jar garden beside your kitchen door and you'll have ready access to flavorful leaves all summer long

Mix a time-release fertilizer into the soil when planting your strawberry jar. One dose can last all summer

Savor the delicious flavors of herbs throughout the growing season with this splendid miniature kitchen garden. Use the basil, marjoram, and oregano to spice up soups and sauces. Serve up colorful garnishes with parsley sprigs, chive blossoms, and tricolor sage leaves. Brew tasty teas with the leaves of lemon balm and pineapple mint.

The dainty, daisylike flowers in the jar are Erigeron, a hardy perennial that blooms sporadically from spring through fall. If you prefer, substitute feverfew or chamomile, which have similar flowers.

Plant List:

• 2 2-inch pots of chives
• 1 2-inch pot of tricolor sage
• 1 2-inch pot of pineapple mint
• 1 4-inch pot of fleabane (Erigeron) or, if you prefer, one 4-inch pot of feverfew or chamomile
• 1 4-inch pot of lemon balm
• 1 4-inch pot of marjoram
• 1 4-inch pot of oregano
• 1 4-inch pot of basil

• Related slide show: Six Strawberry Jar Gardens

• Related Feature: A Strawberry Jar Garden of Ivy

• Related feature: How to Plant a Strawberry Jar Garden

Technorati Tags : gardening, strawberry+jar+gardening, herbs, herb+gardening

Powered By Qumana

Kid-Friendly Backyard Projects

Sunlight has lots of fun activities that you and your family can enjoy right in your own backyard. Visit the Sunlight Playtime Zone.

Homemade Sundial

Teach your kids how to tell the time by using a homemade sundial. This is a great activity to do together.

• Cut out a circle that is 12” (30 cm in diameter) from a sheet of Bristol board.
  
• Divide the circle into 12 equal “pie slices”. Write the time at the top of each line so that the number go around your sundial in the standard clock formation (e.g., 12 is at the top and 6 is at the bottom).
  
• Using a separate piece of cardboard, cut out a right-angled triangle that is 3 inches (7.5 cm) wide and 6 inches (15 cm) high. Tape it to the sundial so that the longest side of the triangle extends from the center of the circle to the number 6 at the bottom of your sundial (The short end should be in the center of the circle.)
  
• To calibrate your sundial, place it in a level, sunny spot and move the sundial around until the shadow cast by the sun lands exactly on the correct time of day on your sundial. If you leave your sundial in this exact location and position, you should be able to tell time with it throughout the remainder of the day.

Note: There won’t be any shadow at all at noon because the sun is directly overhead.

Shadow Science

Here's a fun way to teach your kids about the movement of the sun and the changing of the seasons.

Stand outside on a sunny day and have a friend or family member trace your shadow on the sidewalk using sidewalk chalk.

• Measure the length of your shadow.
  
• Repeat the experiment at different times of the day and see what happens to the length of your shadow. (Hint: Your shadow is longest in the morning and the evening when the sun is at its lowest in the sky. Your shadow is shortest at around noon when the sun is at its highest in the sky.)

Note: You can turn the experiment into a lesson about the changing of the seasons by repeating the experiment at different times of the year. (The sun is lower in the sky during the winter months than it is during the summer, so your shadow is longer in the winter than it is during the summer.) copy a link to our online 'Playtime' zone ( http://www.sunlightlaundry.ca/en/playtime.aspx ) or just something like
'for more playtime activities' visit www.sunlightlaundry.ca .

Technorati Tags : Kid-Friendly+Backyard+Projects, gardening, gardening+project, sundial

Powered By Qumana

A Child's First Garden

Remember how much you loved digging in the garden back when you were a kid? Sunlight can help your kids plant their first garden. http://www.homebasics.ca/

What you’ll need:

A child-sized garden plot for your child

Some child-sized gardening tools

An assortment of seeds or plants (vegetables, flowers, or a mix of both)

What to do:

Get your kids involved in deciding what they’d like to plant in their garden. Some kids get really excited about the idea of growing their own vegetables, including their Halloween pumpkin. Others prefer to stick to flowers. (Note: If your child chooses to plant a flower garden, don’t be surprised if he asks if he can plant a sunflower or two. Sunflowers are always a huge hit with kids because of their mammoth size and their spectacular appearance.)

Decide whether you want to start the garden with seeds or plants. Remember to factor in both the growing conditions in your area and your kids’ patience level. The beauty of starting with plants is that you end up with an “instant garden.”

Don’t expect your kids to do all the garden maintenance work themselves. If you pile too many gardening chores on them, you’ll risk turning them off gardening. It’ll seem too much like “work.”

Encourage your kids to keep a gardening journal so that they can keep records of how their garden does from year to year: which plants tend to thrive and which ones are complete non-starters (literally!)

Technorati Tags : gardening, kids+garden, child-sized+garden

 

Powered By Qumana

Mailbox Garden

Plan a garden around your mailbox for an inviting and cheerful look

Free Garden Plan Our free Planting Guide for this garden includes a larger version of the illustration, a detailed layout diagram, a list of plants for the garden as shown, a list of alternatives for each plant, and complete instructions for installing the garden. (Free, one-time registration allows unlimited access to Planting Guides for all garden plans.) • Click here for a detailed Planting Guide for this garden >>

Technorati Tags : mailbox+garden, garden+plan, gardening

Powered By Qumana

Crushed Stone Path

Crushed stone makes a handsome walkway that is easy on the feet

The Walkway


Your crushed stone path should be at least 36 inches
Relatively inexpensive and easy to install, a crushed stone walkway blends into almost any landscape. The addition of flexible edging allows for gentle curves and keeps the material in place. With replenishing every few years, this path will serve for decades.

Use a garden hose to lay out the curving sides of your path. It can be as
free-form as you like -- these materials lend themselves to flexibility.
Plan on making your path at least 36 inches wide so two people can walk
comfortably side by side.
Purchase precut, pressure-treated log sections. Determine the quantity
needed by measuring the total linear feet of edging you'll require and dividing
it by the diameter of a log section.

What You Need:

• 6x24-inch log sections
  
• Weed barrier: PVC sheeting or weed-block fabric
  
• Coarse sand
  
• Crushed stone
  
• Gravel for setting log section

Instructions:
1.Prepare the base. Excavate for the path at least 4 inches below
grade. On each side of the path dig a 12-inch-deep trench for the log sections,
making each trench at least 2 inches wider than the logs. Add 2 inches of gravel
to the bottom of the trench to slow the deterioration of the wood. Tap the log
sections in place with a mallet. The tops of the logs needn't be even, but the
sides should be plumb. Use a level to check occasionally.

2.Add the fill. Roll out the weed barrier and add a 1-inch layer of coarse sand, packing it around the log sections. Tamp the sand firmly.
Add the stone, first raking it and then tamping it level.
Backfill along the outside of the logs, first with sand, then with moistened topsoil.

Technorati Tags: stone+path,gardening,pathways