Posts Tagged ‘make it do’

This time of year, the last thing most of us are thinking about is next year’s garden.  This is the time to savor the fruit (and vegetables) of our labor and Spring seems a long way away.

But, this is the perfect time to do a little planning for next year.

Since I am cooking, eating and canning from my garden, I took some time today to decide on a few changes for next year’s garden while the ideas are fresh in my mind.  I have a spiral notebook that I use as a garden journal.  I have also seen lovely ones like P. Allen Smith’s Garden Home Journal.  But whether you have a special book, or something simple, a garden journal is a great way to keep track of your ideas.

For instance, I definitely didn’t plant enough Roma tomatoes this year.  I planted 12 tomato plants in all, and among them are 2 Roma’s.  But with homemade salsa, marinara, bruschetta, Eggplant Parmesan and canning… I’ve been running out of Roma tomatoes all year.  “Plant 4 Roma tomatoes next year” is written in my journal.

I also wish I had planted more hot peppers and more basil.

And I didn’t like the cucumber I planted this year… it was an English cucumber, but it has had a tendency to go bitter.  Next year I need to do more checking on the variety.

Next year I need less zucchini!

I also want to make sure I plant one grape tomato plant.  This year I planted a Super Sweet One Hundred, which I thought was a grape tomato, but was a cherry.  I just like the Grape tomatoes better.

And I really want to plant a red currant shrub this next year in my own garden, because it is my new favorite jelly.

I have cedar garden boxes.  So I am writing down which boxes I planted with what, so I can make sure to rotate my crops.  In the Spring, I will be scratching my head trying to remember which boxes had tomatoes in them last year.  Well actually I won’t be scratching my head, because I am taking the time to write it down now…

I am also making plans for how to build better trellis’ for my peas next Spring.  Right now I have concrete mesh held up with the large green metal stakes.  I would love to build something more permanent and good looking.

So you see, September is not too early to start thinking about next year.  And keeping a garden journal is a great way to keep track of all your ideas.

I have really hard water, and it can make life difficult in the cleaning department.  I get hard water plugging up my kitchen faucet, leaving deposits in my tea kettle, and on the walls of my shower.  It’s not fun.

I could use all kinds of harsh chemicals to deal with it… but I don’t.  Because, like a lot of good cleaning solutions, the simplest one is often the best.

It’s white vinegar to the rescue.

This morning when I turned on the kitchen sink… I noticed the water was spraying a bit awry.  It happens when the little holes get all plugged up with hard water deposits.

So, I filled a little container with white vinegar and let it soak for a few minutes.

Then I pulled it out of the water, wiped it once with a sponge and that was it.  No scrubbing required.

Then because I had white vinegar in the container, I used it to soaked the tray of my water dispenser from the refrigerator, and the base of my faucet in the bathroom… waste not.

When my tea kettle gets bad, I just pour in some white vinegar and swirl it around.  Then I let it sit overnight.  The next morning I give it a rinse and it is back to being black.

I use diluted white vinegar in a spray bottle for spot cleaning carpets… and undiluted vinegar for spraying the walls of my shower and as a rinse after scrubbing my tile with baking soda.

It is pretty much my  indispensable cleaning friend.  I buy white vinegar in bulk, because there aren’t many things handier for cleaning (or making great salad dressings.)

Did I mention that it is very cheap?  Especially when you buy it in bulk at a store like Costco.

You might also enjoy reading Pioneer Woman’s account of how white vinegar saved her hair.