What Did You Do In The Garden?

[digitS']

The dahlias are dead down to about one foot above the ground. I feel that I can start digging them out, soon.

@Nyboy , it seems important that the frost damage occurs to set the tubers into dormancy.

What cannot occur is that the roots freeze. The tops can be cut and laid directly over the roots and I usually do that. It's quick insulation but probably won't be much help as the foliage dries out and shrinks and the weather becomes colder.

Steve

 

[LocoYokel]

Grandma always waited until all the plant was frosted and then she (read as: us kids) dug 'em up. Let 'em dry a few days in the barn and stored 'em under the house in straw packed boxes. She/we also dug her glads up every year. I sure miss Gramma's flowers. I don't miss Gramma's chores.

 

[ducks4you]

I stuffed a gallon storage bag of jalepanos for my friend. It was from only one plant. I will take pictures in the next few days and plan to pull all stripped hot and sweet pepper plants before a frost toasts them. I have harvested a few tomatoes and a roma that was tasteless. A volunteer cherry growing into my chicken run has some tasty fruit. Weather Channel has no predicted frost through October 25th, which is LATE, so I will leave the squashes alone, for now. Any suggestions for my pumpkins? Should I leave them out until a frost, or can I harvest early. Bear in mind I started them in July to avoid the SVB's. Advice?

 

[digitS']

The first couple of years that I grew pumpkins, they were left on the vines until after frost. I think that I was influenced by 2 things: they were varieties that barely had time to turn a pumpkin or 2 orange by Halloween and that saying about "frost on the pumpkin."

Then I read advice on pumpkins, pretty sure that it was on the North Carolina State U website. Their advice to people trying to make $ was to NOT allow pumpkins (or squash) to freeze. Makes sense.

About the dahlias: It may not reach 50° f today and we didn't head out in the 15mph winds to work in the garden. DW says, "as soon as we get all the plants cut down, we will be done with the hard work."

Easy for her to say, she doesn't dig them ... but in this soil/gravel it is easy to turn up a dahlia. The effort pales by comparison to me getting them down the basement stairs (and up again in the spring)!

Steve

 

[ducks4you]

I pulled the biggest pumpkin. DD's are going to decorate it like Cinderella's coach. Funny, the photo with instructions has the same color pumpkin as the ones I grew this year! I think it was about 8 pounds, and has a little yellow spot where it was laying. The other two are about 2/3 that size and one is resting on the fence where the vine grew, so no spots. I will bring them in tomorrow and put them on the porch for "Halloween-ween (one ween)"--Fans of "The Neighbors" know what this means.
http://www.tvguide.com/tvshows/the-neighbors/episode-5-season-1/halloween-ween/375725/
I wanted to add this:
https://www.pinterest.com/explore/cinderella-pumpkin/

 

[ducks4you]

I am dehydrating sweet peppers. DD's helped me bag up about 2 paint buckets full and the two dehydrators and working overtime this weekend. I Pulled up all of the sweet pepper plants and found that we missed another paint bucket full. 4 trays= quart super dried. If you don't completely dry out your vegetables they could mold. Great cooking this winter!

 

[flowerbug]

still working on the first strawberry patch redo, but i can see the end in sight, tomorrow should do it for the heavy digging and possibly get the last part replanted before the rains come.

 

[Nyboy]

Watched nephew and his friend transplant 2 weeping maples 2 mulberry trees. Had to try and save new garage going where they were.

 

[catjac1975]

Watched nephew and his friend transplant 2 weeping maples 2 mulberry trees. Had to try and save new garage going where they were.

Haven't heard any rants lately regarding the inept nephew. Matured?

 

[ducks4you]

I pulled up my pumpkin vines this PM and found another pumpkin! Dumped out the sweet potatoes from the horse trough. There are enough for a meal and for a pie, but the amount is disappointing. Pulled up all of the corn and fed it to the horses. Found enough tomatoes to go with the steak for lunch. Cleaned more burdock and other weeds from the pine trees on the south side of the property. Starting drizzling, then raining, then pouring...then...I was done for the day!