Autumn fun with children

It may be difficult to say good-bye to those lazy summer days, but the arrival of September brings with it the stir of excitement as school buses roll again and holiday displays begin to appear in department stores. As much fun as it is for children to prepare for Halloween dress-up, parades and trick-or-treating, autumn can be so much more.

Get them outside, open their world to the glory of the fall season. Introduce children to the beauty of autumn's color palette and notice things like the smell of dry leaves, the thrill of jumping on hay bales, and the taste of an apple cider slushie. Give them opportunities for hands-on experience at fall festivals with their corn mazes, hay bales, pumpkin patches and leaf piles.

With a little imagination there is also a lot of fun you can create right at home.  These pictures were taken years ago when my kids were small, but we just loved creating stuff like this:

                                                   
Homemade scarecrows are easily made by stuffing hay or straw into an old shirt and a pair of bluejeans. Here we used a big sunflower head and plucked out the seeds to form a face. In its hands it is holding a bouquet of seed pods from the Chinese Lantern plants. Add a bundle of cornstalks, a few pumpkins and potted mums, and you and your kids can be proud of your front door display.

                                                
This one is our pumpkin man. I don't remember how I held them together, probably a stick is stuck from pumpkin to pumpkin. The hair looks like I used a little bunch of Cockscomb flower, the arms are Cockscomb as well. The mouth looks like a green bean, the eyes are an everlasting type of flower called Strawflowers, and the buttons are Globe Amaranth. Most likely, the flowers were held on with toothpicks. Use whatever you have on hand to decorate. The important thing is to encourage your child to be hands-on and use his or her imagination.

 A fun fall activity to do with children is to make these cute bird seed hangers. Not only is it a fun craft to do together, but children learn the importance of helping our wild birds survive the upcoming cold weather.

This book, Green Fun, by Maryanne Gjersvik is from the 1970's but is the cutest little book of ideas to have fun with natural plant material such as flowers, weeds, seeds and leaves.

Enjoy and create memories!

Go Natural in Bird Housing with Gourds

Returning birds are scoping out the areas for ideal nesting sites.
If you planted birdhouse gourds last year and have them drying somewhere, March (we are in zone 6)
is the time to clean them up and get them hung.

Gourd houses for wild birds are the oldest bird houses used by man. They make excellent bird homes. Native North Americans were the first to craft gourds into bird houses to attract wild birds. - See more at: http://www.the-scoop-on-wild-birds-and-feeders.com/gourdhouses.html#sthash.qF3iepda.dpuf

Gourd houses for wild birds are the oldest bird houses used by man. They make excellent bird homes. Native North Americans were the first to craft gourds into bird houses to attract wild birds. - See more at: http://www.the-scoop-on-wild-birds-and-feeders.com/gourdhouses.html#sthash.qF3iepda.dpuf

Gourd houses for wild birds are the oldest bird houses used by man. They make excellent bird homes. Native North Americans were the first to craft gourds into bird houses to attract wild birds. - See more at: http://www.the-scoop-on-wild-birds-and-feeders.com/gourdhouses.html#sthash.qF3iepda.dpuf

Gourd houses for birds are the oldest bird houses used by man, and it is said that Native Americans were the first to provide such a craft to attract the wild birds.

Birds that are cavity nesters are the types who are most likely to use gourds for their nesting sites. Swallows, wrens, chickadees, woodpeckers finches and bluebirds are all types who will  take up residents.
Wrens, in particular, like a swaying birdhouse and most likely will check out several of these gourds before choosing one.

Tree Swallows

Purple Martin

Purple Martins prefer gourds over most other nesting materials. Being social creatures, swallows prefer to nest within close proximity to one another of their own species, so it will work to hang the gourds along a line or around a pole system.  Other cavity nesters are often territorial and will chase away other birds of their own kind while being tolerant of a different species nesting nearby.







Gourds have many advantages over a typical box type bird house.
Being this type of gourd us usually 8 to 10 inches across, this provides a very roomy area for the young, avoiding any crowding.
There is more depth from the entrance hole to the bottom, so it is much safer from predators. Sparrows are known to invade the nesting areas of other birds, much to the aggravation of people trying to encourage Bluebirds and Purple Martins to take up residence. Sparrows can be a problem with Bluebird boxes but don't seem to like swinging gourds.
Metal Purple Martin houses are often made of metal. Though lightweight and easier to hoist up on the pole, metal is a poor insulator from heat and cold. Natural materials such as wood and gourds are much better at protecting the young from temperatures that could prove fatal, such as a cold snap in June or unusual heat.
Last, the natural color of gourds seems to be preferred by wild birds than those houses that are brightly decorated.

Gourd houses for wild birds are the oldest bird houses used by man. They make excellent bird homes. Native North Americans were the first to craft gourds into bird houses to attract wild birds. - See more at: http://www.the-scoop-on-wild-birds-and-feeders.com/gourdhouses.html#sthash.qF3iepda.dpuf

Gourd houses for wild birds are the oldest bird houses used by man. They make excellent bird homes. Native North Americans were the first to craft gourds into bird houses to attract wild birds. - See more at: http://www.the-scoop-on-wild-birds-and-feeders.com/gourdhouses.html#sthash.qF3iepda.dpuf

Gourd houses for wild birds are the oldest bird houses used by man. They make excellent bird homes. Native North Americans were the first to craft gourds into bird houses to attract wild birds. - See more at: http://www.the-scoop-on-wild-birds-and-feeders.com/gourdhouses.html#sthash.qF3iepda.dpuf

wallows, Purple Martins and other social species of birds. These species like to raise their young in close proximity to one another of the same species. To accommodate these types of birds, gourds can be strung up on a line or a pole system with arms that provide a place to hang the gourds. Hanging the gourds in clusters like this will support the setting these social birds thrive on.
Wrens, Chickadees, Woodpeckers, House Sparrows, Bluebirds, and some Finches are all cavity nesters who will use a gourd house. (Don't be surprised if some birds use your gourd for a place to roost and not bother to build a nest in it.
- See more at: http://www.the-scoop-on-wild-birds-and-feeders.com/gourdhouses.html#sthash.qF3iepda.dpuf

By early spring, your gourds have been drying for about 5 - 6 months and if they made it through without rotting they should look like the picture on the left.

They will be very light in weight, the seeds inside will rattle, and the outside appearance will look like dried, flaky mold spots.
Just take a wire brush or sandpaper and brush this off till it is nice and smooth.

With a serrated knife cut out a hole about midway from the bottom with a diameter hole size of about 3/4 - 1 inch. If you want to attract Purple Martins in particular, make the hole about 2 inches and in the shape of a crescent. This shape is easy for the Martins to get in and out, but deters Blackbirds and Starlings. Poke additional little holes or small slits into the bottom of the gourd for drainage.

Using an ice pick poke holes through the top near the stem so that you have two holes, one on each side. Now take a crochet hook and poke through both of these holes. Loop a length of about 12 inches of weatherproof cord rope around the hook and pull back through these holes. Now your cord rope is through the birdhouse and it is ready to hang.

Be sure to hang these bird house gourds at least five feet off of the ground to be out of the reach of nosy predators, such as cats. They can be hung in groups to attract the social types or spaced out around your area to attract those species who are more territorial.

It is difficult to clean these types of birdhouses after the season is over, so I don't even bother. Usually by winter's end, they either have fallen, have woodpecker holes in them, or they become a home to a mouse or a bees nest. I never cared since I try to have a fresh batch of gourds each spring.



Need to know how to grow birdhouse gourds?

Homes for the Birds..Growing Birdhouse Gourds

 

 Gourds are perfect for a children's garden. Kids love to watch how fast the vines grow and crawl around, and once the little gourds start to grow, their progress can become a daily watch. It has been years since I had success like the above picture. I still don't know what was so different about that year but my son certainly wasn't complaining. That following spring it seemed we had birdhouses and scolding wrens at every turn.

Early autumn is that time of the growing season when heat loving garden plants start winding down. If you had planted gourds, most likely they were of the following types: Gourds of the Lagenaria family are hard shelled and very fleshy (about 90% water), Cucurbita gourds are the smaller ornamental types and Luffa gourds are sponge gourds. If your goal was to make birdhouses out of the gourds, then the type you want are from the Lagenaria family, averaging 9" to 12" in diameter.

Gourds are heat and sun loving plants, so don't plant the seeds until nighttime temperatures don't go below 55 degrees. Here in zone 6 it is best to wait until after Memorial Day to plant. 
Either plant the seeds around poles as pictured, or plant in hills, 4 - 5 feet apart, with about 5 seeds per hill. Once the seeds are established, thin the plants to 2 - 3 plants per hill.

If you have the space, gourd vines will be happy to crawl and climb wherever they please. If you have limited space, give them a hand by gently training the vines to climb some kind of support such as a fence, trellis or as in the picture, an old ladder.

Wait for the vines to wither and turn brown before cutting off the gourds. If your area is hit by frost before you get your gourds harvested, the hard shell types will be alright but getting them in before a frost is best. The thinner skinned types and even the thick skinned gourds, if not fully mature, will begin to rot after exposed to even a light freeze.

Cut the gourd off the vine leaving a 2 to 3 inch stem. If the stem breaks off, the chances of spoilage are greater. Be gentle so as not to bruise them.

Make a weak bleach and water solution and wipe down the gourds to clean off the dirt and kill bacteria. A 5% dilution would be to figure 5 parts bleach to 95 parts water. An example would be to mix 5 TBSP bleach with 95 TBSP water (about 6 cups).

Place the gourds in a well-ventilated area. This is where you will need patience. Small gourds can dry in about a month, but the large ones need up to six months to fully dry out. Don't store them in a cellar or basement where it may be damp or insufficient air flow. An outdoor shed, barn or attic is ideal.
You'll know when they are fully dry by shaking them. If you hear the seeds rattling around inside, you'll know it is dry.
Don't try to hurry things along by thinking that if you cut a hole in the gourd and scoop out the insides, it'll help. This will most likely just cause it to rot.
As the gourds dry, you'll notice the outside layer will begin to change color and peel. Don't be in a hurry to scrape this off. Just leave them alone. You can turn them once in a while but as long as there is good air flow it's not that important. 

If you had planned on saving some of the seeds for next year's planting, cut off the bottom of one or two with a serrated knife. Shake out the seeds, pick off the messy parts the best you can, and spread them out on newspaper, racks or trays. Ideally the seed should be spread out on a screen or something with a mesh bottom. You want good air flow and ventilation. Be patient with the drying process as it'll take several weeks. You don't want to store them before completely dry as moisture will result in mold and the death of your seeds. Periodically check on the seeds and stir them around. As they dry you'll be able to remove more of the bits and pieces still clinging to the seeds. 

Bear in mind the location you plan on using to store your dried seeds. There are two methods you can use:  

Put them into a paper bag or envelope and store in a dark, cool, dry location away from heat and moisture. The bag needs to breathe so don't use plastic. If stored in a sealed plastic bag there is the risk of condensation from moisture and heat. Seeds stored properly have a good germination rate that will decrease at about 10% per year.

The other method of storage is refrigeration or freezer. This eliminates the three risks to seeds which are heat, air and the problem of condensation. The deterioration process is halted and seed can last for years with little drop in germination rates. Put the seeds in ziploc plastic bags or tightly sealed containers and store in your refrigerator or freezer till needed. In the late spring when you pull out those seeds, don't take more than you plan to plant at the time. You don't want the seeds defrosting and then putting those you don't need back into the cold. 

Keep in mind that only seeds from non-hybrid gourd varieties will produce plants true to the originals. Also, gourds cross-pollinate between different varieties of squash, so only plant one type if you are planning to save seeds.


In the early spring months the returning birds are scoping out areas for ideal nesting sites. By that time it is time to clean up and hang up the now dry gourds that hopefully weren't forgotten. Wrens, in particular, like a swaying birdhouse and most likely will check out several of these gourds before making a choice.

Your gourds have been drying for 5 - 6 months and if they made it through the winter without rotting they should look like this picture. They will be very light in weight, the seeds will rattle, and the outside appearance will look like dried, flaky mold spots. Just take a wire brush or sandpaper and brush this off until it is nice and smooth.



Take a serrated knife and cut out a hole about midway from the bottom with a diameter hole size of about 3/4 - 1 inch. Poke additional little holes or small slits into the bottom of the gourds for drainage. Using an ice pick, poke holes through the top near the stem so that you have two holes, one on each side. Now take a crochet hook and poke through both of these holes. Loop a length of about 12 inches of weatherproof cord rope around the hook and pull back through these holes. Now your cord rope is through the birdhouse and it is ready to hang. Be sure to hang these birdhouses at least five feet above the ground to be out of reach of nosy predators, such as cats.

It is difficult to clean these types of birdhouses after the season is over, so I don't even bother. Usually after one or two seasons, they either have fallen, have woodpecker holes in them, or they become a home to a mouse or a bees nest. I never cared since I try to have a fresh batch of gourds each spring.

Have fun!

Willows and Vines Make Great Finds!

March may be too cold and wet to start digging around outside, but there are fun and rewarding projects to accomplish.

Using grapevines lets you use your imagination, they're free, and the trees you pull them off of will breathe a sigh of relief. Just be aware of what you are pulling on, grapevines or poison ivy vines. Both will wrap tightly around tree branches but poison ivy is hairy whereas grapevines have a more peeling look to the vines. Do these projects now before the shrubs or trees bud out and its hard to see what you're doing.

Directions on how to make wreaths usually tell you to gather your materials, soak in warm water till pliable, then wrap around a bucket. If you've ever tried doing battle with these clingy things to get them into a tub of water, you may never do it again. A much easier method is to gather your vines and let them lay outside somewhere until it rains. Let the rain soften them for you. Get outside before the weather clears up and keep the mess outside. A five gallon plastic bucket is an ideal size for a wreath hole diameter of twelve inches. Wrap the vines around and around the bucket until the wreath is the size you desire.
Tuck in the ends as you go. When it is as large as you want, pull the wreath off of the bucket. Take additional pliable vines and wrap through and around all the way around the circle. Your wreath is now complete and can be hung to dry.
The pictured wreath above is two years old and as you can see the circle shape eventually pulls down into an oval. Eventually the vines will become brittle and it'll be time to make a new wreath.

Older, larger vines, cannot be manipulated very easily into a form, but a neat way to utilize them is to accent existing fences. Pictured here is my garden fence to which I just draped the heavy vines along the top, then held them there either by tucking the ends into the fence openings or using cable ties to hold them in place.

Also adding interest to my formally boring fence are the remains of a huge Corkscrew Willow branch that ripped off its tree during one of our winter storms. This type of willow has such fascinating twists and turns to its branches that I hated to just add them to the brush pile.

I cut them into manageable pieces and plugged them into the fence openings to hold them in place. I want to plant my peas and runner beans along the fence and observe how they climb along these art forms.

Returning birds are scoping out the areas for ideal nesting sites.
If you planted birdhouse gourds last year and have them drying somewhere, now is the time to clean them up and get them hung. Need to know how to grow birdhouse gourds? Wrens, in particular, like a swaying birdhouse and most likely will check out several of these gourds before choosing one.

This time of year, your gourds have been drying for about 5 - 6 months and if they made it through without rotting they should look like the picture on the left. They will be very light in weight, the seeds inside will rattle, and the outside appearance will look like dried, flaky mold spots. Just take a wire brush or sandpaper and brush this off till it is nice and smooth. With a serrated knife cut out a hole about midway from the bottom with a diameter hole size of about 3/4 - 1 inch. Poke additional little holes or small slits into the bottom of the gourd for drainage. Using an ice pick poke holes through the top near the stem so that you have two holes, one on each side. Now take a crochet hook and poke through both of these holes. Loop a length of about 12 inches of weatherproof cord rope around the hook and pull back through these holes. Now your cord rope is through the birdhouse and it is ready to hang. Be sure to hang these bird house gourds at least five feet off of the ground to be out of the reach of nosy predators, such as cats.
It is difficult to clean these types of birdhouses after the season is over, so I don't even bother. Usually by winter's end, they either have fallen, have woodpecker holes in them, or they become a home to a mouse or a bees nest. I never cared since I try to have a fresh batch of gourds each spring.

Enjoy such little projects these early springs days before the overwhelming work of lawn mowing and garden planting begins!