Tidbits of Inspo #5 (Potting Shed, Fall Planters, Apple Desserts)

Well, hello! Happy sunny Sunday. Here on the prairies, we are having amazing sunny, warm weather. For another few days, at least. Then it is supposed to go back to seasonal temps. 

I have finally felt able enough to go down the stairs and hang out on the patio, so hubby and I go out and sit out there daily, while the sun is shining. I sit there (contentedly, with a smile on my face) and watch all the birds, bees, hoverflies, and even wasps, buzzing about the flowers. It is perfect! 

Here are some inspirational links I found for you, this week. Fall gardens, potting sheds, baked donuts, and apple recipes. 

Garden Inspo

While they last, Rainbow Seeds from New Brunswick is selling off their 2026 seeds at 40% off. Some really great seeds! 

Building our Potting Shed (Part 2)  - love both the windows that open outwards and the flooring. 

Design a Beautiful Fall Garden Pollinators Will Love - stunning gardens and great inspo. 

Fill Patio Pots with Plants that Last from Fall into Winter  - some plant ideas you can use, but really, think outside the box and plant it up! 

Here are some planters I made in the past, using the thriller, filler, spiller method. 

I have always done up pots, baskets, or planters for every season. It gives me such joy to plant things up. These are just three of the many I have made over the years. I also do up smaller planters, of course, but these give you so many ideas. 

I must admit, this was a lot easier on the west coast, as the pots with perennials could just be put under the eaves (for rain protection) in winter and then pulled out again in spring. However, we can also do this here on the prairies. 

Think plants that normally bloom in fall - annual or perennial. Salvias, rudbeckia, daisies of all sorts, sedums, heuchera, pansies, ornamental kale/cabbage, lysimachia, mums, heather, grasses of all sorts. Walk around the garden center and pick out things with colour. Go wild!  

Vegetable Garden Clean Up: 12 Must-Do Tasks Before Winter - some ideas, in case you are wondering what order to do them in. For us no-dig gardeners, fall is the best time to top dress the beds with more compost. Ready to go in spring, no waiting. And no, the compost will not leach out in the rains or snows. 

She Turned 3 Weedy Allotments Into the UK's Best Garden! - this is an amazing garden. Well worth the watch. 

Recipes

Inspired by the baked donuts in the list below, I though I would try making my mom's Finnish spice cake recipe into baked donuts. It was so easy and they turned out perfectly! I was thinking along the lines of a cake donut from the bakery, but wish I had added a wee bit of applesauce to the mix to make them a bit more moist. These were a little bit on the dry side, but still yummy. 

•  Old Fashioned Apple Cake 
• The Best Baked Apple Cider Donuts Recipe 
• Spice Cake Donuts with Cream Cheese Frosting
• Homemade Hot Fudge (and How to Turn It Into a Holiday Gift Kit) 

To make the 2 different baked donuts mentioned above, you need a donut pan. This double pack will allow you to do up the whole box of spice cake at one time and it is at a decent price point. You will use it a lot as oven bakes donuts are quicker and easier to make than fiddling with oil.  

• Kale Pesto Pasta Recipe - make a pesto out of kale and edamame! Great sounding recipe that I have to try. Edamame is (are?) a lot less expensive than pine nuts. 

Happy Sunday ~ Tanja