Protecting young seedlings and other stuff

Weather-wise, it's been crazy! Last night, we had snow! It's not completely out of the ordinary, but it is unusual.

We had to do some creative engineering to protect some of our tender young plants in the garden.

One way is to make a mini-greenhouse out of a milk jug.

Just cut the top off of a gallon milk jug, turn it upside-down, and place it over your little plants. It will protect them from a freeze. This is another reason to save those milk jugs instead of just throwing them away. You can use them year after year as mini-greenhouses.

You can also wrap a piece of plastic, a tarp, or even a fabric sheet or blanket over your plants to keep them safe. You can find them for sale commercially as a "planket" - a plant blanket.

Of course, you can always just move your container plants indoors. My hallway is now full of herbs and strawberry pots. And the garden looks like I'm growing milk jugs.

I'd also like to announce the GRAND OPENING of my new business: TennZen Marketplace. Hey, consider it my contribution to "stimulating" the economy. I have a business license and a tax ID and everything, so I'm official. Even got my invite to join the Chamber of Commerce.

I even have an online store: TennZen Merchandise Online. You can find eco-friendly and garden related things there (everything in the store has my own exclusive art design), as well as ways to show your Victory Garden pride.

Here's a sampling:Reusable canvas shopping bag - durable and washable. (Like the tree? Notice that the trunk and branches are also a hand...)

A gardening journal with customizable pages. (That's a picture of a row of pea seedlings on the cover.)

Anyway, feel free to look around the store. It's brand new, so I'll be putting more new things in there frequently.

And for the gardeners and canners out there, check out TennZen Marketplace - an online store chock full of the things you need to get your garden underway - herb seeds, tomato and veggie seeds (lots of heirlooms), gardening books, canning books and canning tools.