Hi all! We have a winner for our November giveaway. This month we were giving away a cute set of containers with drip saucers. Check out the video to find out who won. Sorry for the quality of this month's winner announcement - lots of technical issues today with my camera. Had to resort to recording with laptop camera. But we still have a winner!🪴

Your container garden has worked hard all season and now it’s time to reap the rewards! As Thanksgiving approaches, there’s no better feeling than walking outside, snipping a few herbs, or pulling a handful of fresh veggies from your pots to use in your holiday dishes. Whether your garden is on the porch, patio, or balcony, there’s still plenty to gather before winter settles in. 🌿 𝐅𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐡 𝐇𝐞𝐫𝐛𝐬 𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐁𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐅𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐋𝐢𝐟𝐞 🌿 𝐒𝐚𝐠𝐞 The star of the stuffing! Sage’s soft, silvery leaves add earthy flavor to turkey, potatoes, and roasted veggies. Clip the top few leaves and leave the rest. It’ll keep producing indoors if you bring it in before frost. 🌿 𝐓𝐡𝐲𝐦𝐞 A Thanksgiving workhorse that pairs beautifully with nearly everything from turkey, gravy, carrots, or even homemade bread. Snip whole sprigs, dry a few for later, and let the plant rest between harvests. 🌿 𝐑𝐨𝐬𝐞𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐲 This hardy herb thrives in cool weather and fills the air with its piney scent. Use fresh sprigs to flavor roasted meats or to garnish your table décor. It transitions easily indoors if you want to keep it going through winter. 🌿 𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐬𝐥𝐞𝐲 Often overlooked as “just a garnish,” parsley adds bright, fresh flavor to stuffing, soups, and sauces. Harvest the outer stems first and let new growth continue in the center. 🥕 𝐕𝐞𝐠𝐠𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐀𝐫𝐞 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐲 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐓𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 🥬 𝐋𝐞𝐚𝐟𝐲 𝐆𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐧𝐬 (𝐒𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐜𝐡, 𝐀𝐫𝐮𝐠𝐮𝐥𝐚, 𝐌𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝐆𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐧𝐬) These quick-growing greens love cool weather. Harvest outer leaves as needed for salads or sautés. The more you pick, the more they grow! 🥕𝐂𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐨𝐭𝐬 If you planted shorter or “mini” varieties in containers, now’s the time to pull them up! Cool soil makes them sweeter — perfect for roasting with a drizzle of honey. 🌶️ 𝐏𝐞𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬 Even if your pepper plants are slowing down, you can still pick the last few ripe ones. Dice them into stuffing or slice for a colorful side dish. 🌿 𝐆𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐎𝐧𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 They add fresh, mild flavor to mashed potatoes or soups. Snip what you need — the bulbs will regrow for a second harvest if the weather stays mild.

As the holidays approach, your container garden may be brimming with the last of autumn’s beauty with herbs, leafy greens, peppers, or even edible flowers. Why let all that goodness fade when you can bring it right to your table? With a little creativity, your porch pots can become the freshest, most flavorful part of your holiday feast. 🪴 𝐒𝐭𝐞𝐩 𝟏: 𝐇𝐚𝐫𝐯𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭’𝐬 𝐒𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐓𝐡𝐫𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 Cool-season crops and herbs are at their flavorful best in late fall. Look for: * 𝐇𝐞𝐫𝐛𝐬: Sage, thyme, rosemary, parsley, and chives — the backbone of holiday cooking. * 𝐋𝐞𝐚𝐟𝐲 𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐧𝐬: Kale, spinach, arugula, and mustard greens — perfect for fresh sides or warm sautés. * 𝐑𝐨𝐨𝐭 𝐯𝐞𝐠𝐠𝐢𝐞𝐬: Carrots, radishes, and beets that have sweetened with the chill. * 𝐄𝐝𝐢𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐟𝐥𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐬: Calendula, nasturtiums, or pansies to decorate your dishes. Harvest gently and leave enough to keep your plants producing into early winter. 🌿 𝐒𝐭𝐞𝐩 𝟐: 𝐂𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐚 “𝐊𝐢𝐭𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐧-𝐭𝐨-𝐏𝐨𝐫𝐜𝐡” 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 If your herbs and greens are thriving outdoors, move a few smaller pots closer to your kitchen door for easy access during the busy holiday season. Keep a “𝐜𝐨𝐨𝐤’𝐬 𝐜𝐨𝐫𝐧𝐞𝐫” near the back door or porch with a few pots of sage, thyme, and parsley within arm’s reach to make last-minute garnishing simple (and impressive). 💡 𝑃𝑟𝑜 𝑇𝑖𝑝: Bring in small pots of herbs before the first hard freeze and you’ll enjoy fresh flavor all winter long. 🍽️ 𝐒𝐭𝐞𝐩 𝟑: 𝐓𝐮𝐫𝐧 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐇𝐚𝐫𝐯𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐨 𝐇𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝐌𝐚𝐠𝐢𝐜 🧈 𝐇𝐞𝐫𝐛 𝐁𝐮𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐁𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐝 Mix softened butter with finely chopped herbs (rosemary, thyme, sage). Spread on rolls, melt over roasted veggies, or use to baste your turkey. 🥗 𝐖𝐚𝐫𝐦 𝐇𝐚𝐫𝐯𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐒𝐚𝐥𝐚𝐝 Combine wilted spinach or kale with roasted carrots and radishes, a drizzle of olive oil, and a sprinkle of sea salt. 🌸 𝐄𝐝𝐢𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐅𝐥𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫 𝐆𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐬𝐡 Top desserts or salads with nasturtiums or pansies for a pop of seasonal color. 🌿 𝐅𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐡 𝐓𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐃𝐞́𝐜𝐨𝐫 Don’t stop at food! Use trimmed herb sprigs and colorful fall leaves to decorate place settings or tie onto napkins with twine for a rustic, garden-inspired touch.

I have a Meyers Lemon tree that I purchased about 11/2 years ago. I keep it on the house during the winter and put on the deck late Spring to lare Fall. I brought it into the house several weeks ago when we started seeing frost. It is not happy at this time and has been dropping leaves like crazy. All the while blooming like it never has before. I've attached some pics of leaves that fell this morning. I also took it out on the deck and gave it a good spray with diluted Neem oil. I thought I saw evidence of spider mites yesterday and thought this maybe why it's dropping leaves like crazy. Last winter it did great inside. It doubled in size, so I reported it when I moved it outside. It even gad a couple of blooms and some tiny lemons that didn't last. But it tried. Anyone else here growing Meyers Lemon trees? Or have in the past? If so, have you had an issue like this with yours? If so, did you figure out what was happening? Did you find a solution? Any advice is appreciated. This is my first time growing one and I am still learning about it. Thanks for your thoughts and ideas!

Every fall, container gardeners face the big question: When should I start bringing my plants indoors? Wait too long, and frost damage can sneak up overnight. Move them too early, and your house becomes a jungle before it needs to. Timing and observation are everything. 🌡️ 𝐒𝐭𝐞𝐩 𝟏: 𝐖𝐚𝐭𝐜𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐍𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞 𝐓𝐞𝐦𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞𝐬 Keep an eye on your local forecast. * Tropical and houseplants (like ferns, philodendrons, and spider plants) should come inside when night temps drop below 50°F (10°C). * Tender annuals (like begonias, impatiens, and coleus) can get nipped by frost even at 40°F (4°C). * Hardier herbs and veggies (like rosemary, parsley, and kale) can tolerate cooler nights, but it’s still smart to protect them when frost warnings appear. A simple rule of thumb: if you’re grabbing a jacket at night, your plants might need one too! 🕵️ 𝐒𝐭𝐞𝐩 𝟐: 𝐂𝐡𝐞𝐜𝐤 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐖𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐏𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐬, 𝐍𝐨𝐭 𝐉𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐎𝐧𝐞 𝐍𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 It’s not just about a single cold evening, it’s the trend. If temperatures are consistently dropping and daylight is getting shorter, that’s your cue to prepare your indoor transition plan. 🧴 𝐒𝐭𝐞𝐩 𝟑: 𝐈𝐧𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐁𝐞𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐌𝐨𝐯𝐞 Before bringing plants indoors: * 𝐂𝐡𝐞𝐜𝐤 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐩𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐬 — Look under leaves and around the soil for hitchhikers like aphids, spider mites, or fungus gnats. * 𝐑𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦 𝐨𝐟𝐟 — A gentle shower with the garden hose removes dust and bugs. * 𝐓𝐫𝐢𝐦 𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐨𝐫 𝐲𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐯𝐞s — It encourages new growth and keeps things tidy. 𝐎𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥: Give them a few days in a shaded, sheltered spot (like a porch) before moving inside — this “acclimation” helps them adjust to lower light and humidity. 🌞 𝐒𝐭𝐞𝐩 𝟒: 𝐂𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐈𝐧𝐝𝐨𝐨𝐫 𝐒𝐩𝐨𝐭𝐬 𝐖𝐢𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐲 Once inside, plants still need: * 𝐋𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭: South- or west-facing windows are prime real estate. * 𝐇𝐮𝐦𝐢𝐝𝐢𝐭𝐲: Group plants together or use a humidifier to combat dry indoor air. * 𝐃𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐠𝐞: Protect surfaces with saucers or trays to catch overflow. Avoid placing plants near heat vents or cold drafts — the temperature swings can stress them out. 🌿 𝐒𝐭𝐞𝐩 𝟓: 𝐊𝐞𝐞𝐩 𝐚𝐧 𝐄𝐲𝐞 𝐨𝐧 𝐖𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠