Weekly Gardening Thread
Weekly Gardening Thread
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Huh?
I’m going to try lasagna gardening over the winter. I have everything but the newspapers. I hope to get it all done this weekend so that everything can decompose over the winter. My soil is mostly clay and to purchase all the peat and topsoil would be very expensive. Lasagna gardening seems easy because I can get everything for free and I don’t have to use chemical fertilizers. I’m not a greenie-weenie, but I sure do like free! Any FReepers have success with this method?
I respectfully request that we ban all pictures of ‘Michelle Antoinette’ from these gardening posts! We may as well post Anna Nicole Smith photos for what EITHER of them know about, or have contributed to, the world of gardening! :)
My gardening attire is very old sweatpants cut off at the knees, a stained old shirt that belonged to my husband (I stole it), Ked slip on sneakers without laces, and a bandana for my hair. I am frightful! Please tell me you are not advising me to wear pumps!!! Just a thought.
The Fall weather here has been simply amazing! I still have Nasturtium blooming away, and marigolds and a few other things that should be spent by now. Today's the end of the line, though. Rain all weekend, then temps dipping. I have been covering things (above) when we have nights in the 30's, but so far, no problems with any of the cool-weather crops; lettuces and spinach are doing great, brussels sprouts and leeks and onions are doing great...I can't KILL the swiss chard, LOL!
It’s finally about to get wet here so I’m cleaning out the garden shed and getting stuff put back up for winter. Last week I had the log splitter dragged out to resplit 3 cords of firewood, which is all stacked and tarped now.
In the garden, my sweet potatoes are going like gangbusters, with the vines almost a foot long and lots of leaves. Same with my red potatoes that have really been soaking up the rays for the past couple of weeks. Once the frost takes the plant, we’ll start digging, and I have high hopes for those sweet potatoes at Thanksgiving.
My compost pile is located directly opposite the cleanout door for the henhouse. I’m cleaning the roost right into the pile now, and mixing it in with my small rototiller. I changed out the litter in the coop last week, and added a bunch of straw and grass clippings, so it’s cooking pretty hot right now. I’ll be removing it in stages, adding leaves and then layering the hot stuff back in to heat up the pile.
I shoveled chicken poop into a trash can all summer, and kept it dessicated with ashes from the grill and the occasional scoop of cat litter. Now that the leaves are getting ready to fall, I’ll be adding them in layers to the compost pile, layered in with dessicated chicken poop. Once it’s all rehydrated it will be cooking out there all winter. By next May I should have a good 2 1/2 yards of finished compost, about half of which will go into the raspberry bed, and the rest to the other flower and veggy beds.
My garden’s still going ... no freeze just yet. Some years, it has already by this time. My second planting of dragon tongue beans is ready to pick, and I have been harvesting dwarf pak choi. My alma paprika peppers are going strong. My tomato plants are still going, but very slow, and not producing much. I wonder how long my luck can hold ... been enjoying beautiful weather.
Not much of a garden here this year for me, but some advice for everyone.
I was out in the yard cleaning up before the snow and tripped over the tines of a rake. Stepped on a nail and it went in to the joint. By the time I was able to get to the Dr. it was swollen, red and hot. They sent me to the “big city” to have emergency surgery and spent 4 days in the hospital on IV antibiotics. Could have been a lot worse and could have lost my foot.
Be careful out in the yard, snakes and spiders are not the only things you have to watch out for.
BTW love seeing the pics of everyones harvest.
Mornin’. When you’ve had an adequate amount of coffee and can function ... would you please tell me what I need to do to use donkey poo in the compost pile? Now that I have a good compost heap that has been going for a couple of months, I figure I should be using the stuff when I muck out their house. Do I need to let the poo break down in a separate pile before adding to the compost heap?
Oh dear RD, I fear you have a severe case of the vapors...
Good grief- I was totally blindsided on that one. I have to clear my mind of that image before I can go work on cleaning up the garden if I don’t want it contaminated for next season.
This NY gardener grows 45 different roses and asked me if there are any Rosarians in our diverse crew?
Things are wrapping up around here, except for a chipmunk invasion - my traps are going off twice a day. The semi-feral cat that was taking care of pests was murdered by the local coyote pack and that was sad. We had an excellent green bean harvest, along with spuds and root veggies - lots of green tomatoes due to the cold spring.
Breaking News RD. I just heard a Mom of a 232 Red Devil call RUSH and asked him to do a shout out to the 232rd in Afghanistan...
bump for later
Still getting a few beans, cukes,tomatoes, and waiting on cantaloupes to ripen. Carrots and onions we are pulling as needed. Hubby's white winter wheat is up about 3 inches and he has been busy hulling butternuts.
I planted bed #1 with some carrots, lettuce, onions, and garlic. When the weather gets cold, I'll cover them. I planted bed #3 in Red winter wheat. Bed #4 will be the same this weekend. Bed #2 is the one that is still producing.
We are enjoying the benefits of an extended season so far this year. Our average date for 1st frost is October 15, we got close to this, but so far have not actually reached it yet. We are supposed to get rain this weekend, which we really need.
I have some persimmons to work up, but am not sure what the best thing to do is. I am thinking about just washing them, letting them set a few days, and then freezing them whole or dehydrating them. Then I can use them for persimmon bread this winter.
If anyone has some experiences that might help me, I would appreciate greatly hearing from you. Thanks.
Have a great weekend everyone. God Bless.