Make me clean up my garden please

[Rhodie Ranch]

I'm sooooo unmotivated. Its down there, down the hill, all dark and horrible looking. I haven't been down there in several weeks. I need to work on it, but don't have the gumption. Our next rainy weather is arriving Thursday after a long dry spell. Temps have been high 20's at night and almost 50 during the day.

Please give me reasons why I need to clean up the beds (and look for any sweet potatoes and Jerusalem artichokes too). Thank you.

 

[Alasgun]

During the “season” i figuratively run from April till freeze-up and am never without something going like a little indoor garden thru the winter.

However; at this time of year i enjoy a break from it and mostly ignore anything to do with gardening. Next years seeds have arrived, which is the only garden chore i take on in the winter and it’s easy for my sub conscious to be at rest for another couple months. Once the snow melts im sure i’ll find all the little things i could have done last fall but none of them will be monumental. Enjoy you’re break it’ll be fine. Im afraid a steady 24-7 diet of garden would burn me out. Break is good.

 

[digitS']

Rhodie,

• Be thankful
  
  that you have a good pair of gloves -- you do, right?
• Be thankful that it is just down the hill.
• Be thankful that you are having daytime temperatures well above freezing.
• Be thankful that the rain is a few days away.
• Be thankful that the wind over the next few days is forecast to be "light and variable."
• Be thankful
  
  that it will be sunny. (I checked the WS for your location .)

Steve

 

[Branching Out]

I too am feeling unmotivated to clean up the garden during the few daylight hours, so you are in good company Rhodie Ranch. It is cold and damp out there; everything that used to be green and fresh is now brown and rotting. Each day I try to accomplish at least one garden task, even if it is a small one like washing out some pots or trimming some dahlia stalks-- but some days it is difficult to even do that. I am glad to know that I am not alone in feeling like that.

Occasionally it is a wish for perfection that holds me back, and I have to remind myself that there are times when completed is better than perfect. A friend urged me to make lists, and I have found that making a very short and attainable list of outdoor tasks for the day can be helpful for prioritizing what needs to be done. The weird thing is that once I get out there I often have quite a good time, and I get a wonderful feeling of accomplishment when I am able to cross something off my list. Setting a timer for an hour and seeing how much can be accomplished in that time frame can sometimes motivate me if I am having a hard time getting started. But I think it's important to remember that whether we clean up our gardens in the fall- or not- they will still be there come spring, waiting for us with open arms.

 

[ducks4you]

Compost and pile up everything that is now dead. It will start breaking down this winter. You can pile it right next to a fence.
This is NOT the time to till, so cover any exposed soil so it doesn't run off or get blown away on a windy winter day.
If you don't have a lot of time, prune or cut any waterspouts that you missed this season. I use my reciprocating saw, but I also bought a larger lopper that I might use if it's a cold day, or wet, since my saw is electric.
Pile them up all together and deal with them next season. The yard will look better bc you did it.
I have a bag mower and I like to use it to mow were there are weeds with seeds. I pile up and burn these.
If I leave it long enough the ashes will become soil and can be encorporated back into my garden beds.
Cover up any outdoor furniture. I have a wooden picnic table and I didn't do the repairs or water sealing, so I picked up a 9' x 11' tarp and covered it for the winter. It sits on cement and the tarp is under the table's feet.
MOST IMPORTANT--set a reward for your efforts. Something like a cup of hot chocolate to thank yourself for your hard work!

 

[baymule]

Ok you want motivation……. Hit down that hill and have a glorious time pulling up the dead plants, pile them up or whatever you do with them. Get the garden put to sleep for the winter. It’s going to rain Thursday and after that, you are done until next spring. This is your last fling in the garden, so get out there and enjoy it. Do what you are gonna do by Wednesday afternoon so you can be done for the year. Thursday while it’s raining, watch old movies and have hot tea. Stay in your PJ’s all day.

 

[Phaedra]

Im afraid a steady 24-7 diet of garden would burn me out. Break is good.

+1000000000 agree!

 

[Phaedra]

I usually set a 20-mins mini task each day, as I also need some break from always-thinking-of-gardening. For example, I cut back perennials and sent them to the compost, area by area; and picked up some tools/trash left in the garden, and done. Usually, within 4 songs from Spotify I will go back to the house.

Today is the first day I stayed in the greenhouse for hours to clean and transplant. Otherwise, my greenhouse looks like a mess after making those doors for the chicken runs.

 

[flowerbug]

+1000000000 agree!

yes! IMO it is why there are four seasons... i like the winter break where i can read and putter on computer projects. though i must admit this past few days i've gone back to bed for a nap in the morning instead. i'm like a cat that ways or as my one old friend used to say one nap short of a coma. if there's a sunny spot on the floor i will claim it with a pillow and a blanket.

and remember that it is only downhill one way.

 

[baymule]

FOUR seasons???? When did THAT happen??? I only get TWO!!

HOT and LESS HOT!