Summer gardening  tip

If Japanese beetles are making a buffet out of your once gorgeous roses or other treasured plants, remove them with a gloved hand then drop them into a bucket of soapy water.  You'll have to be vigilant and remove new beetles daily.  Don't bother with  pheromone traps (which only work to attract more beetles). Although it may seem an annoying daily task,  at least you'll get a feeling of revenge for the destruction they caused and you'll prevent further damage.

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10 steps to start seeds:

Also check out my list of articles for seed starting tips.

1. Add moistened soil to tray
2. Add seeds-not too many
3. Cover with clear lid to promote humidity
4. Heat bottom
5. When seeds germinate, remove heat and lid.
6. Add light
7. Thin to strongest seedling
8. Repot and fertilize at 1/2 strength
9. Acclimate to outdoors 
10. Plant outdoors​

​​Easy fresh from the garden recipes :

Crunchy kid-tested Kale chips:

Kale chips:
1 bunch fresh picked kale (any kind)
3 Tablespoons  good quality olive oil
1 generous pinch salt (I use Kosher salt)

Method:
Rinse kale and dry thoroughly (no pesticide residues since they are home-grown)
Tear kale leaves away from main rib, which can be tough tough to chew
Sprinkle olive oil and salt and blend with your hands until well-coated
Spread on baking sheet and cook at 300℃ for 20 minutes, mixing a little once during cooking time.
Kale should be crispy when done.
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 Easy Golden Beet Salad

Ingredients:
1 bunch cooked golden beets, halved and sliced
2 garlic cloves, sliced very thin
Juice of half an orange
1 Tbsp good quality olive oil
1 Tbsp white vinegar
Salt and fresh cracked pepper

Method:
Boil or roast cleaned beets in until softened (approximately 40minutes).
Cool and remove skin. Slice.
Add orange juice, olive oil and vinegar to a bowl with sliced garlic and beets and gently mix.
Salt and pepper to taste. 
Enjoy as a  delicious,nutritious side-dish.

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Ten Garden-related things to do now and over the winter. 

1. Update autumn displays by your entranceway with holiday arrangements made up of evergreen boughs, decorative branches, pomegranates and pine cones- or anything appealing that you can find in your landscape and customize yourself.
2. Plant Amaryllis bulbs now for a burst of colour when it is needed most over winter (not sure how to? Read my article on planting Amaryllis)
3. Plan your landscape and garden for next year. Take notes on spaces needing improvement in your yard, especially now when it is easy to see your landscape’s bones. If necessary call in a designer for a landscape consultation.
4. Pot up and clean your houseplants.  Take advantage of your time inside the home to care for your indoor plants by cleaning dust off their leaves and replacing their pots with larger ones (only one size up) if they are potbound. Your houseplants will reward you with fresher air and lush growth, come springtime.
5. Don’t stop composting.  Composting still occurs over the colder winter months, just at a much slower pace.  Keep your compost bin in a location close to your kitchen door so you won’t be likely to forgo composting on frigid winter days. Another alternative is to compost indoors with a vermi-composter. It's easier and cleaner than you think. (click here to read my article on vermi-composting)
6. There is still time  to plant  trees and spring bulbs, if you can still find them, until ground is frozen and not workable. 
7. Water new plants and especially young evergreens deeply in the absence of rain.  This will help prevent tips from browning (remember last winter?) from moisture loss due to winter’s desiccating winds.
8. Grow easy-care plants in terrariums.
9. It won’t be long before spring is near once again so start seeds indoors this winter.  Prepare by obtaining grow lights, seed starting soil, and purchasing seeds ahead of time. Read my article on seed starting.
10. Catch up on reading  about gardening.  And plan to join your local horticultural society or enroll in a gardening class next spring.