Urooj, whatever you received today is not from me You already received the envelope I sent....correct??? And you have not received the KOHLS package. I did not send anything else.

Surprise is fun.....open it up and share the surprise with us. Maybe they are noisy coins that are worth lost of $$$$$$....tomorrow is St. Patrick's Day....Good Luck!! LOL!!

It was my free covid tests from USPS!!!

Enjoy Annie! Lol. Yes I got the envelope and will not open it til I receive the rest!!

Urooj, I was so hoping that there were gold coins that made a lucrative sound...

So excited to see all the packages being sent and received. It's time for an update:

Melinda sends to Jeanne - sent/received

Jeanne sends to Ruth

Ruth sends to Annie - sent/received

Annie sends to Urooj - sent

Urooj sends to Shirley

Shirley sends to Susan

Susan sends to Melinda - sent

I hope everyone is having a great Thursday. Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Thanks to everyone who participated in the first two participation questions. Here is the third participation question. Please post your answers by end of day Saturday. Our final participation question will be posted on Sunday.

Participation Question #3 - Please share a couple of tips you use for spring sowing. I am always fighting the wildlife here so I do as much winter sowing as possible and i spring sow other more tender annuals in mid to late March and they do just fine.

Now it's time to catch up again on Bingo words.

Words for 3/16

Tulips

Fertilize

Words for 3/17

Worms

Hyacinths

Jeanne, thank you so much for the prize from Jan/Feb Fotess. I love the scented sachets. They smell divine!

Got my beautiful new flag from Jeanne today. I love it. Thank you so much.

Now, I'm going to put it outside.

Love the card and seeds.

My pretty flag from Melinda. The rest of the swap was lovely, too. I especially liked the card. Thanks so much, Melinda. (I took the picture late in the day --- should have gotten out there in the sunshine!)

My Pkg to Susan went out today and should arrive Monday!

PARTICIPATION Q #3........

I dont do much direct sowing......gophers, voles, moles and birds cause havoc. Verbena, Calendula, Nasturium and Love In A Mist are fantastic reseeders here, so I let them do there thing all by themselves. Gaillardia can be a pretty good reseeder as well. I will throw Verbena, Calendula and Love In A Mist in areas that need something but do that in the Fall. Pretty much everything else, including vegetables and herbs, I Wintersow in January......In March, I do petunia, vincas etc in flats but I do not have great success....hit and miss. I think I would do much better if I had a true greenhouse. This post reminds me to do Basil soon. I read about people who direct sow flowers and vegetables in the Spring and all is well....haha....not for me!!

Happy Saturday!!

Annie

Participation question 3

I try to plant seedlings but end up not getting around to it most years. Like this year... so then I just throw the seeds down into my little garden bed... which by the way is blending in with the grass at this point... I usually direct show zucchini, carrots, those types of things.

I think I have some things in my mailbox so I have to go out and grab them.

I mailed Shirley's package yesterday. I knew it had to go out by the 18th!

I may be getting sick... I have a runny nose that won't stop... I am taking vitamin c, echinacea and zinc. Have to go to a wedding tonight!

Participation Question #3

In the spring I take seeds outside and put in any unused containers. Label and wait. Also toss a lot of seeds directly on the ground. I actually do this year round. I love reseeders.

For years I've been meaning to cut back on planting everything. We've had two rough winters for Texas so this may be the year. My allergies seem worse than ever this year and I've been limiting time I spend outside.

Our dogs like playing with gallon jugs so I don't winter sow much anymore.

Received my swap gift and it was very very creative. So my eldest daughter wanted to help and said, mom is this the person who always puts confetti in everything... I said yes! Yes it is! Lol.

Super excited about the Rajasthani Melon. Thank you Annie.

I hope everyone is having a good weekend so far. I worked a 12-hour shift yesterday and then today I have been helping my son prepare to move into his apartment. I don't know if I mentioned, but early last year my son had a terrible car accident and sustained multple physical injuries and a very bad traumatic brain injury. He has been staying with us for many months now and is still suffering from some short term memory loss that may be permanent. He will be moving very soon into an apartment closer to my daughter. It has been a really busy month with multiple appointments for him.

I love your direct sowing methods Urooj and Ruth, and I understand completely how the birds devour all the seed you try to sow Annie. I have that same issue here. Thank you all for sharing. If anyone else wants to participate in question 3 you have until tomorrow afternoon. I will be posting the final participation question tomorrow evening.

Now, to catch up again on bingo.

Friday 3/18 words:

Trees

Compost

Saturday 3/19 words:

Pollen

Seeds

Tomorrow we welcome spring and I hope everyone has a lovely day. I will be out of town until the evening so I won't be able to post earlier in the day.

It is so nice to see so many wonderful packages. I will be doing an update soon.

Susan so sorry to hear about your Son. Your life can be changed in a split second and it is so nice to have loved ones to care for you. Hope he enjoys his new apartment and being close to family is awesome.

I planted some seeds and have them in the greenhouse but will probably sell them at market. I am really getting tired of weeding and planting more flowers. Just way too much for this 70 year old lady to take care of any more. I have found I like to get out and do fun stuff that doesn't require work.

Thank you Shirley. It has been a long road and a tough time for sure but with God all things are possilbe.

I understand how you feel weeding and planting. I find myself wanting to expand my flower beds each year and then when I do I find I spend so much time taking care of them, weeding, feeding, mulching etc. that it takes up most of my free time. I have decided I should concentrate on perennials and choose a top list of my favorites and then give away the other ones that don't make as much impact. We still have a large section of yard that we were going to fence in and make additional beds in but have decided to leave it the way it is. The deer enjoy that area and always have and we love to watch them. I am making a bed for my peonies though since I have so many and since they flower for such a short time, I will space them so I can add annuals between them for a nice summer and fall display.

Well I got back from out of town last evening very late so needless to say, I got behind on what I intended to do last evening. I hope everyone had a great Sunday and has a Happy Monday in store.

The bingo words for yesterday March 20th are:

Garden

Shovel

And for today March 21st:

Lilac

Camellia

Also, we have the last participation question #4 below.

Participation Question #4

Please share a special recipe you use on your garden or lawn during the spring time. It can be to green up or to get rid or prevent insects./varmints. Here is one of my favorite. I use lots of ideas from Jerry Baker. I find his books to be a wealth of knowledge. You will have until end of day this Wednesday to post your recipe.

All-Purpose Green-Up Tonic

1 can beer

1 cup ammonia

1/2 cup liquid dish soap

1/2 cup liquid lawn food

1/2 cup clear corn syrup

Mix all above igredients in a large bucket. Pour into a 20 gallon hose-end sprayer. Spray everything, lawn, shrubs, trees, flowers, vegetables. You should apply this tonic every three weeks up through the first hard frost. You will be amazed by the results.

Participation Question #4

The one I use the most is for homemade insecticidal soap.

Dawn dish soap, vegetable oil and soft water.

Mix 2.5 tablespoons of the Dawn dish soap and 2.5 tablespoons of vegetable oil with 1 gallon of warm soft water.

Spray on plants for various bugs and insects.

Susan... went to post on the other chat that my prizes were here and i realized you never told us who your mug was from!

PQ4 - My home remedy for bugs is cinnamon. I've just kept a bottle on hand and dropped the powder on plants and ant piles.

I never knew that about the cinnamon Urooj. Ruth I also love the recipe for the natural bug repellent/insecticide. Simple ingredients ladies and great information. Thank you both!

Urooj, I am sorry I thought I posted that I did find out about the mug. It was from my coworker who sent it because I helped with a huge project when other team members were out I’ll. We met our deadline thanks to working overtime and for 13 days in a row. She wanted to send flowers but with delivery and prices being so high she sent me a mug with flowers instead so I can enjoy them always.

Shirley, special thanks for the wonderful Spring card, the cute floral spring flag with watering can, too cute, and the 3 packs of flower seeds. I can’t wait to grow them. Scarlet O’Hara is one of my favorite morning glories and I love the sunflowers and bachelor button mix.

I forgot to post pictures. Here they are.

Big Thank You to Susan for my wonderful flag, seeds, and card!! Was raining yesterday so didn't put it out! Going to after awhile! Love it!!

It looks like we are almost wrapped up for the exchange. Great job everyone, and I love all the beautiful flags and seed selections.

Melinda sends to Jeanne - sent/received

Jeanne sends to Ruth - sent/received

Ruth sends to Annie - sent/received

Annie sends to Urooj - sent/received

Urooj sends to Shirley

Shirley sends to Susan - sent/received

Susan sends to Melinda - sent/received

Here are the Bingo words for today:

Frog

Birds

Thank you Urooj for the wondeful pkg I received, Can surely use the cards and love my flag and seeds: Calla Lily, Clemson Okra, Black Eye Peas, Strawberry Corn and Heirloom Beauty Sunflowers. I picked up another bag of potting soil so ready to plant. Thank you so very much.

I use Ruth's recipe for bugs and insects on plants.....pretty darn good. From what I understand DAWN liquid soap is the key.

Ant Spray

During the Summer, I get lots of ants, primarily near the kitchen sink. But there are lots of ants outside the kitchen as well....so I use this recipe and spray outside the house.

Equal portions of apple cider vinegar or distilled white vinegar and water in a spray bottle. It does work for me but I must reapply several times. I just spray the entire back of my house every couple of days....YAH, I have nothing better to do....LOL! But it does work!!

Interesting about cinnamon Urooj......

Thanks for sharing your simple ant recipe Annie. We usually have some ant trouble in the summer around some parts of the house. I will try your vinegar and water mix. Always glad to try organic remedies that work rather than chemicals that can harm our pets.

Shirley thanks for posting that you received your package from Urooj. It looks like everyone has sent and received. Great job ladies.

Now for today’s bingo words

Wind

Green

I hope you all have a wonderful Wednesday.

Every time i try to post it disappears. Once today and once yesterday. Here we go again...

Here's as far as I've gotten with my seedlings... I picked the greenhouse off the ground...

Happy Thursday everyone, hope you are having a great day. Urooj I am glad to see you are using your greenhouse again. Is it a different one or the same one as last year? I gave up on mine because the wind would blow it all around so I need something more permanent but I don't think that will happen.

Here are today's bingo words:

Tree

Flowers

Bingo!

Susan it's the same crazy one that keeps falling over. Hoping for better luck this year.

In other news... I went to the dentist for a cleaning and checkup and they said my teeth didn't look too good. Cleaned me up and sent me home. Came home and had some caramel popcorn and cracked my tooth down the side. A whole chunk came off and I was right back at the dentists. How embarrassing. Ended up with a crown for now and will decide on whether or not I need a root canal once all the anesthesia wares off. Gotta lay off the popcorn for now.

Grabbed some orchids on clearance this morning but one had total crown rot when i unpacked it. Why do these big box stores sell plants they can't take care of... I always wonder. Totally wasted my money there.

Urooj, congratulations on winning bingo!!!! I will get your prize out soon. I also need to tally up the participation prizes and will also get those mailed out. Thanks to everyone that shared and participated in the games.

I am sorry about your tooth problem there Urooj. I know that can be painful. I hope you will be ok with the crown and not need anything further. Popcorn is a favorite of mine too so I know it is tough when you can’t eat it. Take care of yourself.

I hope you all have a wonderful Friday!!!

Susan, thank you for hosting a fun swap.

Congratulations on bingo, Urooj

Congats, Urooj!

Urooj....BINGO congratulations!!

Susan, fantastic month of cleaning up and greening up!! Great participation Q's!!

Happy weekend to all!!

#3 Spring Sowing

I just continue to use the winter sowing jugs well into the Spring. I keep them a bit more out of the sun. Also since they sprout faster, the little plants might be out of the winter sowing jugs much more quickly. If nothing else, it keeps the new seedlings away from the birds and other critters who might eat the tender new plants.

#4 Recipe: I don't have a special recipe to share. I just use very diluted plant food for my seedlings maybe once every two weeks and water them lightly as necessary.

I went to Duke Gardens in Durham during the week with family who have been visiting. So many beautiful tulips in bloom. I thought you might enjoy seeing them.

This is part of a fountain there.

For the most part we've been having beautiful Spring weather. My first lawn mowing of the year today and I trimmed back the boxwoods. They were so tall you couldn't read the house number on my mailbox. I hope everyone had a good week.

Happy weekend ladies. I loved being your host and I appreciate all of the participation. I will be getting the various prizes out by next Saturday.

Congrats Urooj

Thank you Susan for a great month. Without everyone taking a month and joining in we would not get to have a fantastic month.

Hope Eve had a good weekend. We had snow Saturday, Sunday and today but not a lot of accumulation. There was considerable ice and some pileups on the freeways. I always dread driving in March and April due to the weather with the mixed precipitation we get.

I will be mailing our prizes this Saturday. Please post to let me know when you receive.

Take care everyone. I hope you are having better weather than I am and that your spring clean up and green up is going well.

Guess what guys. Somehow some fireants got into the house and I took out the cinnamon and ran after them... I now have cinnamon in all of these random corners and the ants just walk right over it. I then stuck a piece of tape over the area coveted with cinnamon and they still found their way out. I finally had to call the exterminator but it will take some time until they are gone.

Everything blew away from my greenhouse... including the cover! Lol. Back to the drawing board... I may or may not plant this year. I may just be really late to the game.

Having some cousins visiting today and tomorrow and we have been out all day. Walked a local trail, took a trolley car downtown, had pizza and ice cream and are headed home during rush hour traffic...

Thanks for hosting Susan. Had a great month.

I just mailed prizes out. Melinda yours will be in a regular card sizes envelope ETA unknown but probably by end of the week or Saturday. Urooj, Annie, Jeanne and Ruth your packages will arrive by Saturday. Urooj your bingo prize package will arrive by Monday as I sent it separately.

I thank everyone for participating in March and want to tell you how much I enjoyed hosting the month.

Make it a great Tuesday, and enjoy the rest of your week.

Please post here when you receive your prizes.

Susan, I will let you know after I receive....thank you very much!!

Happy Wednesday!!

Thanks Annie. Happy Wednesday!

I was outside planting seeds and checked mailbox before coming in. Wow it must be Christmas. Look what Susan sent. I love all of it. I've never grown Acidanthera before, but will definitely get these planted tomorrow. I love black eyed susan vine but it never makes seeds for me so I don't usually have any. And all the other stuff will really come in handy with my planting. Thank you so much.

Thanks Susan. Wow nice score ruth. Update on my Greenhouse, it fell over...

Susan, oh my goodness...a lovely package. I really do not know what I did to deserve this...thank you so much....Acenthera bulbs, garden gloves, A Sharpie, garden labels and assorted herbal teas...and a very nice participation card. So very generous!!! Thank you...such a joy! Each prize was labeled for specific participation Q's.  I love everything.

So glad you liked your prizes Annie. I appreciate your participation in the questions. I love that we share information and learn from each other.

Susan, thank you so much. My prize envelope was the same. Susan, you certainly spoiled us this month. Lots of handy garden goodies.I'm going to look up Acidanthea. I'm sure I'll love it!

Edited to say, I looked up Acidanthera and I love how it looks. I've never had these before. Hopefully it will enjoy my garden.

I got all my prizes.... thank you Susan!

You’re welcome Urooj! I am glad that you received them.

Jeanne, glad you had a chance to check out the bulbs. I know they will love it in your garden!

Urooj I forgot to mention sorry about your greenhouse. I think you might like to try an alternative. There are small tunnels you can use to cover your plants until nicer weather. They are like mini hoop houses. I had a neighbor that used them very successfully and in a windy area.