There are winter mornings
when the cold without
only adds to the warm within,
and the more it snows
and the harder it blows,
brighter the fires blaze.
~Emily Dickinson~

We northern kitties are very fortunate to enjoy a nap
in wintertime. Gardening is just memories to us in the
north. Dreaming of beautiful gardens begin this month
for us. Everything outside is covered in snow. It is
time to check our garden journals to see what was
successful in our last gardening season. Looking at
gardening internet sites help us to pick up some ideas
and see pictures of beautiful flowers.

You southern kitties with moderate temperatures cannot
rest like us northern kitties. There is still plenty
of gardening chores for you to do before you can enjoy
napping in a sunspot.

Our Meowmie likes to start herb seeds in indoor cell
packs in January. She uses a soiless mixture in her
shallow seed packs. She soaks the seeds to start
germination. Seeds should be planted 2 to 3 times
the depth of their diameter. Keep seedlings wet until
they emerge. Give them plenty of light. Seedlings
will emerge in about 7 to 14 days, then feed with
diluted fertiler...Fish emulsion works great. When
seedlings have outgrown their small containers, transplant
to a larger one.
Our human sisfur Nancy starts her herbs in a container
on her windowsill. She then transplants them to her
garden in spring after all dangers of frost have gone
by. The herb that we would like to see Meowmie start
from seed is our favorite herb-catnip. You moderate
temperate zone kitties can plant this outside from seed
into your herb garden.

Catnip-Nepata cataria-Mint Family

Family: Labiatae
Native of the Middle East
Zones: 4-8
Appearance: Catnip has opposite gray leaves and handsome
long-blooming spikes of white flowers on stems which tend
to get leggy and shaggy to the end of the growing season.
It self-sows with abandon unless you dead-head. Sometimes,
it dies after a year or so..

How to Grow: Plant catnip in well-drained soil in full sun
or light shade.
Propogation: Sow seed indoors in spring or late summer
in northern zones 4-6. Or, you can start seedlings
indoors six weeks before the last frost date. You can
also divide existing plants like our Meowmie does and
transplant self-sown seedlings.

Harvest: You can harvest the leave sprigs for your cat :)
or tea :(.

There are severl catnips in the herb family. Please
send in your graphics and research for the January
garden assignment. You can also send in what you grow
for indoor herbs on your windowsill or outdoor herbs
in your herb gardens. Purr to us, Sophie and Shirley
by clicking on the e-mail button below. Feel free to
add anything to the other previous gardens offered.

Please send in your biographies for our "Getting to
Know You" page.

http://www.tendermoon.com/TenderMoon.htm

 

 

 

The painting above is by the wonderful artist Charles Wysocki and

is used with permission.  To see more of his work, you can visit here...

Christ Centered Art

http://www.777art.com

 

The midi playing is Sleeping by Bruce DeBoer