Posted on May 9, 2018 by Nancy — Leave a comment

Mother’s Day 2018

2018

Mother’s Day is this Sunday

Give Mom a Container Gardening Kit or Seeds

Help Mom celebrate Mother’s Day by giving her a Sydney’s Green Garden (SGG) container gardening kit, or some seeds.

SGG seeds and container gardening kits are now available online, and at the Bookstore at Fitger’s, and Engwalls in Hermantown. When you shop at our online store, your purchases are conveniently delivered to your door!

Posted by Sydneys Green Garden on Monday, May 14, 2012

Artwork by Kevin CannonAvailable at www.kevincannon.org

Posted by Bookstore At Fitger's on Thursday, March 29, 2018

Posted by Engwall Florist, Greenhouse and Garden Centers on Thursday, May 3, 2018

SGG Containers

SGG containers are made of plastic that is designed to hold up for many years, so it is a gift that is useful and long-lasting. Mom will love a Mother’s Day gift of planting containers.

SGG 2018 seeds

Beans

We offer Blue Lake, Kentucky Blue, Kentucky Wonder Pole. If you prefer bush bean plants, try our Purple Queen Bush – they’re fun to grow and easy to see on the plants – and yes, they turn green when you cook them. You’ll love the pretty bluish color on the Kentucky Blues, too.

Beets

This year we have Cylindra Long Red and Chioggia Beets. The growth habit of these root vegetables make them ideal for container gardening.

Carrots

Containers are a great place to grow carrots as well. This year we offer Danver, Nantes Scarlet, Rainbow Blend and Tendersweet. Since carrots can vary in taste, try a few varieties – you’re sure to find one or two family favorites! Carrots make a tasty snack while you’re puttering in the garden – kids love ’em, too!

Swiss Chard

Sydney’s Swiss Chard Blend is easy to grow and adds some nice color to your container garden. These colorful leaves will spruce up your salad and other dishes.

Cucumbers

Cucumbers are so delicious when they’re fresh – try our Bush Pickle, Bristol, and Speedway. The Bush Pickle makes great pickles, and Bristol are delicious when eaten fresh from the garden.

Herbs

Sweet Basil, Cilantro and Dill are staple herbs every gardener should grow. Grow enough basil to add to fresh salads throughout the summer and to make pesto – nothing beats fresh pesto!! Cilantro is a great addition to salads and salsa – you can actually add it to many dishes. At the end of its growing season you may get seed pods – now you have coriander – it’s the plant that keeps on giving and what a great time to give it – for Mother’s Day!

Lettuce

Our lettuces are picked with care, and therefore grow very well in containers in the Northland. Black-seeded Simpson is a great heirloom variety. We also have Salad Bowl Red, Parris Island Romaine, Super Red Romaine, and Sydney’s Loose Leaf Gourmet Salad Blend. Sydney’s Loose Leaf Gourmet Salad Blend is a delightful combinations of flavors and colors.

Peas

We have found that these peas do well in containers: Mammoth Melting Snow, Oregon Giant Snow, Sugar Ann, Super Sugar Snap, Sugar Sprint peas. Mammoth Melting and Oregon Giant are great in stir-fry. Our snap peas are delicious eaten fresh or cooked – when you choose Sugar Sprint you are enjoying a pea that has almost no strings.

Pumpkin

Baby Pam are fun pumpkins to grow with the kids – how delicious is your fresh pumpkin straight out of the garden? Do you love pumpkin seeds? So do we! What a wonderful treat that is nutritious, too!!

Spinach

Olympia and Unipack 12 hybrid are the newest additions to our spinach lineup – we think you will enjoy them. Bolero is one of our all-time favorites, and we’re happy to say all of these spinach varieties grow well.

Over the years you may have noticed that we no longer offer certain seed varieties – perhaps it was a favorite of yours. Some years commercial growers experience crop failure of a certain variety and it is no longer available.

Squash

Two favorites, Sebring Yellow and Spineless Beauty Summer squashes are a great addition to your container gardening fun. Did you know squash blossoms are edible? They are – but if you eat a blossom that’s one less squash you’ll have at harvest (oh, it’s so worth it, though). Besides, don’t many people struggle to give away summer squash because the plants produce so many?

Mom is sure to love her Mother’s Day gifts of SGG container garden kits and seeds 🙂

Happy Planting!

Posted on April 24, 2018 by Nancy — Leave a comment

Vegetable Container Gardening Workshops

Sydney’s Green Garden Workshops

Hi everyone, vegetable growing season is almost here!

Workshops Now Available

Because I am passionate about helping others and teaching them how to improve their lives, I have two vegetable container gardening workshops coming up:

1st Workshop

When & Where:

On Thursday, at 6 pm, Apr 26, at Ordean East Middle School, located at 2900 E 4^th Street, Duluth, MN

2nd Workshop

When & Where:

On Tuesday, at 6 pm, May 8, at Whole Foods Coop, located at 610 E 4^th Street, Duluth, MN

Why Attend?

In these hour-long presentations, we’ll go over the benefits of growing your own vegetables. I’ll also provide you with instructions for planting in containers. Many of you may have questions – I am always happy to answer questions!

What Do You Get?

You will receive:

1 Durable plastic planting container

1 Packet of seeds

1 Planting guide

Grow a Vegetable for a Healthier You

We are much healthier when we eat enough vegetables. Eating fresh vegetables from your own garden is even healthier because you know what’s been growing in your pot, and what is not. Growing plants in containers is far easier than maintaining large, or even small garden plots. Why? You really don’t get weeds in your containers the way you do in a regular garden. Containers are also easier to water because it’s a much smaller space than a row in a garden plot. There’s much less water waste, too!

Who Should Attend?

Just about anybody can grow vegetables. What if I live in an apartment or don’t have a big yard, you ask? My container gardening system is designed especially with small spaces in mind. As long as you can place your planted containers in a sunny location every day, you can grow your own vegetables.

Good Steward

I’m a good steward of the earth and believe in giving back to my community. I donate all the course fees to Second Harvest Northern Lakes Food Bank. It’s a great organization that works to collect food for hungry people in our own neighborhoods.

These sessions are fun and informational and I hope to see you there!

Posted on October 24, 2017 by Nancy — Leave a comment

Cylindra Beets and Greens

Cylindra Beets

We planted Cylindra beets this summer. Cylindra beets are a Sydney’s Green Garden specialty seed.

They grew beautifully this year. As you can see, they grew big and juicy!

Did you know you can cook the greens too? Beet greens are delicious and taste like spinach when sautéed.

Here’s a basic recipe:

Ingredients

1 pound beet greens (2 large or 3 small bunches)

1 to 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, to taste

2 garlic cloves, minced

Freshly ground pepper

Salt, dash

Preparation

Bring a large pot of water to a boil while you stem the greens and wash the leaves in 2 rinses of water. When the water comes to a boil, add 1 tablespoon of salt and the greens. Blanch for 2 minutes, until tender. Transfer immediately to a bowl of ice water, then drain and squeeze the water out. Chop coarsely.

Heat the oil over medium heat in a large, heavy nonstick skillet. Add the garlic – stir until the garlic is translucent for 30 to 60 seconds. Stir in the greens. Stir until the greens are seasoned with garlic and oil for 1 to 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, remove from the heat, and serve.

Optional

Instead of blanching the beet greens, rinse well and add them to the olive oil, salt and garlic. They will cook down. It may be tasty enough you won’t need the garlic.

Add:

Lemon wedges for fresh lemon juice

Parmesan cheese

Onion

What a great added treat above and beyond the beets themselves!

2018

We hope you plan to grow some beets next summer – they’re easy to grow in containers from seed.

Sydney’s Green Garden seeds will be available around mid-March 2018.

Oftentimes we experiment with new seed varieties. This way we can offer our customers the best seed options for growing conditions in the Duluth and Superior area.

Check our website early in 2018 to see which seeds we are offering!

Email us with questions: grow@sydneysgreengarden.com

Posted on May 26, 2016May 27, 2016 by Nancy — Leave a comment

Memorial Day Good Time to Plant

Hello Friends/Fellow Gardeners,

Memorial Day weekend is here. Be sure to stock up on SGG container garden kits and seeds. After a hectic day at work, what better way to wind down than to do some gardening? Besides, warmer and longer days make us want to be outdoors.

As you know, ease and convenience are key components of Sydney’s Green Garden products. After the initial work prepping for planting, container gardens are relatively maintenance free, with the exception of regular feeding and watering during dry spells.

Our seeds and kits are available online and at three Duluth locations: Mount Royal Market, Engwall’s Greenhouse in Hermantown, and at the Bookstore at Fitger’s. If you attended any of Scott’s vegetable container gardening workshops you can redeem your percent off coupon at the Bookstore at Fitger’s. Do consider taking a workshop next spring to get a percent off coupon, if you didn’t get to one this year.

After Memorial Day, Scott will plant the vegetable containers just outside of Midi Restaurant right here at Fitger’s – be sure to check it out if you shop or dine here. We’re just a short climb up the stairs from the Lakewalk if you’re out and about and have a few minutes to stop by.

As always, we welcome your questions and comments either here on the blog, or at: grow@sydneysgreengarden.com

Happy Memorial Day!

Your Friends at SGG