Wednesday, May 19, 2010

Native American Three Sisters Garden

Here's a project that will appeal to kids (or the kid in you): a Three Sisters Garden!

I've read about this for some time, but this year I've got myself a packet of these seeds and this weekend I'm going to plant my own Three Sisters Garden. From the seed pack,
According to Iroquois legend, corn, beans and squash/pumpkins are inseparable sisters, precious gifts from the Great Spirit. The tradition of interplanting them in the same mounds is actually a sophisticated, sustainable system providing long-term soil fertility and healthy harvests.
Earth-Tones Indian Dent Corn provides natural poles for bean vines to climb and the beautiful dried ears make tasty cornmeal and/or decorations.
Rattlesnake Bean Vines support the corn stalks and fix nitrogen on their roots to improve soil fertility. Blossoms attract pollinators and high-protein dried beans are great for chili.
Shallow-rooted Sugar Pie Pumpkin Vines make a living mulch, shading out weeds and preventing moisture loss. Use Sugar Pie Pumpkins for tasty pies and holiday celebrations.
All three of these seeds can be planted now. Renee's Garden has put together the seeds in a special pack, but you don't have to use her seeds. You will want to take advantage of the detailed instructions on her website, however, and browse around a bit ... there are some great annual seeds that will also grow if planted now ... just sayin...

Wednesday, May 05, 2010

Happy Mother's Day

What do you think the top gift for Mother's Day would be? Close your eyes...guess...what's that? A day at a gorgeous spa being pampered beyond your wildest dreams? Check out Sacramento's finest spa, the Arden Hills Resort Club Spa.

Thursday, April 01, 2010

Kid Fun at the California State Flower & Garden Show

kid eating cornflakes
flickr photo by noam.armonn

The upcoming show has lots of daily activities for kids (12 and under get in to the show for free!). Learn about bats, make flower arrangements, get wiggly with worms, plus on Saturday, a special cooking school. Check out this Kid's Cooking Convention.

The show runs from April 8 - 11th at Cal Expo. To find out more about the vendors, the speakers, visit the California Flower & Garden website, or the Facebook Fan Page, or both!

Friday, March 12, 2010

Fairytale Town Goes Green! - March 13th

Green Fun at Sacramento's William Land Park

Mr. McGregor's Garden
Enjoy a day filled with educational displays focusing on the environment, displays will vary in areas such as responsible conservation, pollution and tips on how to go green. Visit with several Sacramento area organizations and learn about different ways you can go green and help create a healthy environment. Puppet Art Theater will be performing The Three Little Pigs with a green twist in the Children's Theater. Puppet show tickets are $1 for members $2 for nonmembers, showtimes are 12:30PM, 1:30PM and 2:30PM.

shhh...the Spanish Bluebells are just waking up...
And, says Geno's Garden, for a lovely gardening surprise, take a stroll thru the WPA Rock Garden across the street from Fairytale Town on 15th. Parents sometimes wonder how to get their kids interested in gardening. One answer is help them have fun gardening times, these will become treasured memories. Another answer is discover things together, you'll love it as much as they do. The paths at the WPA garden are delightful for kids...they can almost get lost. Exciting!

Tuesday, March 02, 2010

Sacramento's Trailmix.Net, a Family Store for Outdoor Adventure

Outdoor Fun for the Whole Family!

Trailmix's free e-book

I think whatever we can do to get kids outside is really valuable. It breaks that perma-link with video games and connects them up with the world we live in. Trailmix.Net seems like a perfect resource...the owners are avid hikers, they've practiced what they preach with their own brood. Plus, what better lure for tech-age kids than activities like GPS-guided Geocaching?

Here's a great video about this new store in Old Sacramento (brought to you by Maria Marriott, Mortgage Advisor in Roseville, CA),  Scavenger Hunting and Geocaching in Sacramento.

You and your kids can get to know them first-hand at next Saturday's free flower seed planting workshop. March 6th at 1 o'clock, flowers and materials donated by Green Acres Nursery.
some newly germinated seeds ready to start their journey
Extend the fun with an Old Sac Scavenger Hunt. Pick up the free map at the store.