What Did You Do In The Garden?

[digitS']

My final task is to rid the garden of frost-killed plants. The tractor guy is supposed to be back to the big veggie garden to take care of that job there. He either gets to it or the neighbors have to view plants, flat against the ground, thru the winter! I'm not gonna till it in with Rogue the Rototiller; it would be a monumental task.

In the little veggie garden, I had 3 beds dug out, filled with plant debris and re-covered. I struggled to lift the shovel!!! If the soil there wasn't 50% gravel, it would probably be a very bad idea to touch it. However, I've done this work on that ground for over 20 years now and it's as soft as compost in those beds ... soft and wet.

The wet soil is the result of record October rain.

I'm gonna bring Rogue the Rototiller out for one bed and one path, today. Then, I'll hose down Rogue and little Tilly and allow them to dry in the afternoon sun ... at least, I hope there is afternoon sun.

Steve

 

[ducks4you]

I've been busy with loan signings so my garden work has been few and far between. I WILL get pictures of my DD's place. The perennials did well and the annuals did spread out, just not as well as my small bed by my garage, where they cover all of the soil. Fortunately their trees have dropped lots of leaves in between, so I won't have to mulch. I successfully transplanted several plants either potted or left in their original pots for MONTHS to their permanent beds: lavendar (grew 4x in the pot), 2 lilies, and 2 clematis. I pulled the yellow calla lily for one of the clematis and found seed pods!!! If I don't misplace them I'll try to grow from seed in 2017. We have had an unusually warm Fall. Only TWO frosts and NO hard freezes even predicted for the next 10 days. Suddenly I am getting red tomatoes, and even harvesting a few okra--go figure! So, I guess I'll can some more. Harvested the rest of my basil, but a lot was stuck under the tomatoes in their bed and had rotted off many leaves. I'm still sitting at 9 quarts of dried basil, so I'm not complaining.

 

[digitS']

I'm gonna bring Rogue the Rototiller out for one bed and one path, today. Then, I'll hose down Rogue and little Tilly and allow them to dry in the afternoon sun ...

I'm done ..!

Frost again this morning after a sunny afternoon yesterday and 63°f.

My baby bok choy is in a flat and home from the garden. It is well past the time for me (with help) to get the benches outta the greenhouse, go over the ground with a spading fork, and transplant that bok choy indoors. I can sprinkle a little more seed for Asian greens while I'm at it.

Steve

 

[Gardening with Rabbits]

Spreading cow manure, rabbit manure and chopped leaves.

 

[Beekissed]

Spread 11 bags of mulched leaves on the garden and around the apple saplings. Won't go hog wild with it this year like I did last year...maybe just a few inches of leaves will be placed on the garden but more around the fruit trees.

Tis the season for as many free bags of leaves anyone could want out there. I'm hoping to find many that are premulched, as they work better for my purposes with the soil. I have two sources that put out about 90 bags a year each, one mulches and one does not, so that makes plenty for the soil and plenty for the coop.

 

[ducks4you]

In the last week I pulled all viable tomatoes, yanked the tomato plants out and piled up to compost/burn, pulled all of the okra "trees", and brought all all tender flowers that I wanted to overwinter, like the tropical hibiscus and several geraniums.
NEXT week I will start indoor herbs in my south facing, 2nd story home/office...with the "suicide windows".

 

[thistlebloom]

Yay for me!
I finally finished my garden cleanup, winterized my work trailer and gas tools, and have all the animal water heaters set up.

The garden looks almost cheerful now with all the dead sunflower stalks gone, and the kids limp scarecrows taken down.

 

[ninnymary]

I sprayed my peach and nectarine trees for peach leaf curl. Glad that was done since I almost missed my window of opportunity.

Mary

 

[Smart Red]

Ha! Worked outside today mowing/mulching the leaves in front of the house and on the East side of the driveway where the garden tractor always got plugged up. Not only did I get a lot of leaves mulched and some tall grass mowed, but I ran the push mower out of gas for the winter.

JOB WELL DONE! Never did anything like that the day before December before.

 

[Gardening with Rabbits]

I raked walnut leaves and put more straw on the garlic.