It's Not Too Early for Fall and Winter planting!

It may seem like Summer just got started, but it's time to start thinking about what to plant for your Fall and Winter Garden!! Come into the shop, and 'lettuce' help you choose what will be going in your garden this season!!

Hidden Treasure Tuesdays

Tired of plain solar lights in your garden, or along your walk way? Need some light outdoors, and want something different from your neighbors? Don't want to hassle with putting electric lines out to your flower beds?

Commonwealth Garden Shoppe has you lit! We have solar lights in all shapes and sizes, ready to brighten your yard. They are ready to light your garden the moment you put them in! No electrical needs, and not the same old thing as the guy next door! Come on in, and check them out. Remember to mention Facebook or the blog when you come into the shoppe, and we'll give you 20% off of the purchase on the treasure item of this week!

More Tomato Tips and Tricks

So you've got your tomatoes planted, and you're waiting for your harvest to come! Did you know, that you can pick your tomatoes at the end of the year, and save them? Pick any of the tomatoes that aren't ripe at the end of fall before frost and rain. Store them in a dry place, and they will ripen! Be sure to leave their tops on, and a stem too, if you can. Tomatoes don't need sun to ripen. They need warmth. Which means you can get them just the way you'd like them, with just a warm, dry place.

In the peak of the season, you might find you have more tomatoes than you can eat fresh! What are some of your favorite ways to eat your extras?
One of our favorite ways is DRIED! This is especially good with cherry tomatoes, but any kind will work. Cut cherry tomatoes in half, and sprinkle them with garlic, salt and basil. Put a little Slap Ya Mama salt on them to spice them up. There are also the traditional ways of preserving, like canning, and making tomato sauces. Another is to PICKLE them!

Introducing Hidden Treasure Tuesday!!

During the month of January, we'll be sharing a weekly deal for you! We have noticed that often, our customers come to the shop and find "new" things on the shelves they have never noticed before! It seems that it's easy to overlook all of the goodies we have in the shoppe, and so we thought we'd share those treasures with YOU!

Bee on the lookout! More treasures coming your way every Tuesday this month! PLUS, if you mention Facebook or the blog when you come in to purchase, we'll give you 10% off of the purchase on the treasure item of that week!

2013 Workshop Schedule

We add extra help during workshops so, please pre register.
If there are not at least 3 students, the class will be cancelled.

Create a Fairy Garden using Indoor Plants 
January 26, 1:00 p.m.

Starting Seeds & Rooting Cuttings 
Feb. 2, 10:30 a.m.

Make a Valentine Wreath of Eucalyptus 
Feb. 5, 1:00 p.m.

Fruit Tree Pruning & Maintenance
Feb. 9, 10:00  a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

Plant a Pot of Sunshine
Feb. 19, 1:00 p.m.

Using Beneficial Insects (IPM) 
March 2, 10:30 a.m.

Introduction to Vegetable Gardening 
March 9, 10:30 a.m.

Using Organic Fertilizers 
March 16, 10:30 a.m.

Plant a Container Salad Garden 
March 23, 1:00 p.m.

Plant a Living Easter Basket 
March 26, 1:00 p.m.

Create a Terrarium 
April 13, 1:00 p.m.

Basic Culinary & Healing Herbs with Liz 
March 30

Plant a Mixed Container
April 27, 1:00 p.m.

How to Plant a Fall/Winter Garden 
July 13, 10:30 a.m.

Saving Seeds from the Garden 
July, TBA

Growing Garlic 
Fall, TBA

Greenhouse Gardening 
October, TBA

Find a class you like? Bring a friend or family member and create some memories. We welcome children also! To Register, call the number below!

click the image above to view it larger.

Christmas SALE!

 Sunday, December 23rd, ALL Poinsettias and Christmas decor will be HALF PRICE!!

 Gift Shoppe clearance items include 25% off Chickens and Farm Animals!

Angels are also on sale!

Kitchen accessories, not including pottery, are for sale at discounted prices as well! Come in and get your deal!

Stocking Stuffers and More!

Gloves and Trowels for getting dirty in the soil $2.95 to $14.95

If you're looking for some goodies to stuff some stockings with this Christmas Season, we have a great selection! Come in and see the affordable unique gifts that your loved ones could find in their stockings!

The Naked Bee Lip Balm and Lotions $2.95 to $14.95

Nutmeg grater with Free Nutmeg included! $1.95

Even the Fairies can have Christmas and Winter fun! Snowmen, Sleds, Wreaths, and Sleighs to name just a few of the 'cool' goodies we have in stock! $1.99 to $5.99

We look forward to helping you find just the right gift for your special people.

Have a Holly Jolly LOCAL Christmas!

Need a last minute gift? Hostess thank you for those Holiday Parties? Need to treat yourself to a warm cup of tea, and settle in for a rest from your shopping? Don't forget to check the Shoppe!

Perfect for the hunter, fisherman, or dreamer you know...

Advice T-Shirts and Mugs! With advice like "Build your own Dreams" ~Beaver, "Be at home in the woods" ~Elk, "Don't give up without a Fight!" ~Trout and "Be as bright as you can be" ~Firefly. Many more options to choose from, all with advice you really CAN live by.

 Figurines are in for the fairy garden in your home! Perfect for the imaginations of young and old alike! Fairy Gardens aren't only for Fairies! Grasshopper and frog enjoy these spaces too.

Need a timeless piece? Try our Made in Oregon cement statues! Sturdy, and ready to look better with age, we have a variety or style for just about anyone.

Hop on in and see what we have to suit YOUR needs! We're also happy to ship, or create custom orders for just the right personal touch to your holidays and gift giving.

Christmas Time is Near

 Christmas is near! Commonwealth has LIVE Christmas trees! Hate to buy a cut tree? Dislike the choices you have in artificial trees? Looking for a new tradition this Christmas? No need to worry about your tree drying out! Enjoy the smells of the live trees in your home, and plant your Christmas when the Holidays are past!

 Full sized trees, all the way down to small table top choices are available!

Poinsettias!!

 Available in the shop for the December Holidays! We have a choices to suit any Holiday decorating need. Choose from a variety of colors and styles, along with the Classic Red. Customers tell us the Poinsettias they purchased from us have lasted for many years

What's on Your Thankful List?

 Walking through the gates at Commonwealth, it's easy to over look the signs that fall and winter are upon us! There is still color bursting everywhere!! So this Thanks Giving week, we're thankful for the beautiful color that still lives in our garden...

Fall colors and faded leaves are just a beautiful backdrop for the color on the garden shelves!

Ornamental Kale and Petunias!

There are even "everlasting" flowers in the Shoppe! Beautiful Metal Garden art!! Complete with flowers that never stop blooming.

So what's on YOUR Thankful list?

Edible Winter Gardening?

You BET!!
Did you know that you can have fresh salad even in the winter? Not simply because we live in Oregon, and the climate is mild. The fact is, there are a lot of hardy plants that will survive the winter. Even with a late start, many of the common fall and winter crops can still be started indoors or planted in covered rows.
Crops like Kale!

Lettuce is a superstar cold weather grower, and can be harvested all season by simply picking the outer leaves of a plant, and letting the core keep growing. Mustard Greens are another cold loving plant! Still worried about some plants not withstanding the wet and cold? Get even more out of winter growing by making simple row covers called Row Tunnels. The cousin of the more commonly known Cold Frames, Row Tunnels need less wood working skills to build yourself. By using flexible piping and plastic cover, you can create a low green house over individual rows in your garden.
Remember too, that while the winter may not be warm enough to get vegetables to produce, many cold hardy plant greens are also commonly consumed. Experiment with the variety and ways you harvest what you plant! In many cases, you don't have to wait for a plant to bear a crop. You can eat while it grows! Plant beets and harvest the greens! Experiment with Peas! Their greens are edible and taste delicious in salad. The possibilities are endless! Check out OSU'S tips specific to Winter gardening in Oregon! Keep in mind, that for some crops like Broccoli, it may be too late for a plant to produce a florette, but plant leaves are tasty in a salad too!

For more information and ideas about what you might try planting this Fall, visit the shop and talk with Granny Organic!