Sometimes gardening isn’t about growing more—it’s about slowing down. Today’s DIY is a gentle one 💚 🌿 Calming Herb Sachets Perfect for drawers, pillows, or a quiet moment of mindfulness. You’ll need: - Small fabric squares or old socks - Dried herbs (lavender, mint, chamomile, rosemary) - String or ribbon How to make it: 1. Take a few deep breaths before you start 🌬️ 2. Mix your dried herbs together (follow your nose!) 3. Place herbs in the fabric 4. Tie it closed with intention 5. Pause. Smell. Ground yourself. Tip: Lavender = calm, Mint = clarity, Rosemary = focus This tiny project is a reminder that healing can be handmade 🌱What herb would you use? #GardenTherapy #DIYWellness #GardenGatherers #MindfulGardening #GatherGrowFlourish 🌼

Budget-Friendly DIY - Tin Can Planters - Broken Pot Fairy Gardens - Old Drawers → Mini Raised Beds - Glass Jars → Propagation Stations - Egg Carton Seed Starters

This month's winning phrase is "I Would Rather Talk To My Plants.... They Listen". This month was the closest voting contest we have ever had. With that I may just make the #2 favorite our Tshirt phrase for next month.... but more on that later. Today we need to decide on a design for our January T-shirt. Vote quickly as we only have a couple of days to pick our fav!

National Squirrel Appreciation Day is January 21, created to encourage learning about squirrels and their role in nature… even if they’ve personally declared war on our pots. 😅 So today, we’re doing this the container gardener way: * Appreciate their athleticism and determination… * while also politely declining their help with our soil, bulbs, and seedlings. 𝐖𝐡𝐲 𝐬𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐫𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐬 𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐫 𝐠𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐬 (𝐢𝐭’𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥… 𝐦𝐨𝐬𝐭𝐥𝐲) Containers are basically a squirrel playground because: * loose potting mix = perfect digging material * fresh soil smells interesting * bulbs and seeds = snack treasure hunt * mulch looks like a place to bury “future snacks” 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐫 𝐆𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐫’𝐬 “𝐇𝐮𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐞 𝐃𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐭” 𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐲𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤 If you only do one thing, do a physical barrier. It’s the most reliable and the least “constant reapplying stuff.” Extension resources generally group deterrents into barriers, scare tactics, and repellents. Of these, barriers tend to be the most dependable for small areas like containers. 𝟏) 𝐌𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐨𝐭 “𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐠𝐠𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞” 𝐁𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐨𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬: * Chicken wire / hardware cloth cut to fit the top of the pot (leave space for the plant stem) * Decorative rocks or heavier mulch layers to reduce digging 𝐏𝐆𝐒 𝐭𝐢𝐩: For seed-started pots, cover just until plants are established, then remove or widen the opening. 𝟐) 𝐌𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐚 “𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐡 𝐢𝐭” * Move pots temporarily to break the squirrel habit (they’re persistent once they pick a spot) * Hang baskets / raise containers where possible (harder access) 𝟑) 𝐀𝐝𝐝 𝐚 “𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐥𝐞 𝐟𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐫” (𝐞𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐝𝐨𝐨𝐫𝐬) * Motion-activated sprinklers/lights can safely scare off nuisance wildlife 𝟒) 𝐑𝐞𝐩𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 (𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐩𝐟𝐮𝐥… 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲’𝐫𝐞 𝐡𝐢𝐠𝐡-𝐦𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 * Commercial repellents can work, but they typically need reapplication (especially after rain) * DIY “spicy” sprays are commonly suggested, but always test a small spot first and reapply regularly. (And keep anything spicy away from eyes/pets/kids.) 𝐀𝐩𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐦𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 (𝐲𝐞𝐬, 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲) Squirrels are clever, busy, and excellent at surviving winter, which is honestly… relatable. So we can appreciate the species while still setting firm boundaries with Steve who keeps digging up the lettuce pot.

(𝐵𝑒𝑐𝑎𝑢𝑠𝑒 𝑤𝑖𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑟 𝑝𝑟𝑢𝑛𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑐𝑎𝑛 𝑏𝑒 𝑒𝑖𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑟 𝑎 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑓𝑖𝑑𝑒𝑛𝑐𝑒 𝑏𝑜𝑜𝑠𝑡… 𝑜𝑟 𝑎 “𝑤ℎ𝑦 𝑑𝑖𝑑 𝐼 𝑑𝑜 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡?” 𝑚𝑜𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡.) January is a great time to tidy and shape many plants. Especially indoor plants and overwintering container plants, because growth is slower and you can actually see what’s going on. But not everything should be cut back right now. Some plants need that winter pause, and some store their future blooms in buds you can accidentally snip off. Here’s a friendly, no-drama guide to what to prune in January… and what to leave alone. ✅ 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐂𝐀𝐍 𝐩𝐫𝐮𝐧𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐉𝐚𝐧𝐮𝐚𝐫𝐲 (𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐞 + 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐡) 𝟏) 𝐇𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐞𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐠𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐥𝐞𝐠𝐠𝐲 If your pothos, philodendron, tradescantia, or spider plant is looking stretched and sparse, January is perfect for a trim. 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐜𝐮𝐭: * long, bare stems * stems that are reaching toward the window * any growth that looks thin or weak 𝐖𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐜𝐮𝐭: Trim just above a leaf node (a little bump or point where leaves come out). That’s where new growth will branch. 𝐁𝐨𝐧𝐮𝐬: Most of these cuttings root easily in water—free plants! 😄 𝟐) 𝐇𝐞𝐫𝐛𝐬 𝐠𝐫𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐨𝐨𝐫𝐬 (𝐭𝐨 𝐤𝐞𝐞𝐩 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦 𝐛𝐮𝐬𝐡𝐲) Indoor herbs love a “haircut.” 𝐁𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐉𝐚𝐧𝐮𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝐩𝐫𝐮𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐬: * basil (pinch the top above leaf sets) * mint (trim often) * oregano (pinch tips) * thyme (light trims) * rosemary (very light shaping only) 𝐑𝐮𝐥𝐞:​ Don’t remove more than about ⅓ of the plant at once if growth is slow. 𝟑) 𝐃𝐞𝐚𝐝, 𝐝𝐚𝐦𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐝, 𝐨𝐫 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐠𝐫𝐨𝐰𝐭𝐡 (𝐚𝐥𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐟𝐚𝐢𝐫 𝐠𝐚𝐦𝐞) This is the easiest “yes.” Prune off: * yellowing leaves that won’t recover * crispy brown leaves * mushy stems * anything moldy * anything with obvious pest damage 𝐓𝐢𝐩: Use clean scissors/snips, especially if you’re removing questionable leaves. 𝟒) 𝐎𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐫 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐨𝐨𝐫𝐬 (𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐠) If you brought in things like geraniums, herbs, or patio plants, you can tidy them gently. 𝐆𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐉𝐚𝐧𝐮𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝐦𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐬: * remove dead stems/leaves * cut back long scraggly growth * shape for a fuller form Just keep it modest as most overwintering plants aren’t growing fast right now.