Fall Gardening Updates

[jania]

I've spent the last few days creating wire covers for my garden beds to try and keep the feral cats from doing damage. Once that was done I planted several types of spinach, several lettuces, swiss chard, kale and two types of beets and as strawberry starts were in the nurseries I have those in the beds now too. Finished just in time to have yet another huge dust storm pass through.

I found the type of pomegranate tree I was looking for and was able to get that in the ground as well.

Now my legs are all cut and bruised and my hands have a few cuts and are a little sore from cutting so much wire fencing and chicken wire but at least everything is ready now and I have 2 days to heal before going back to work.

Anyone else gardening this time of year? What are you doing?

[Merski]

Bought some plastic covered hooping that is on the small side to cover baby chard and beets and maybe lettuce to try to keep them going. If successful will work next year ion a bigger scale. Quite gardened out for the year but will dig up giant lemon balm in my herb garden (big mistake) and cut thyme and harvest other herbs for drying and cooking.

[razz]

It is too cold to do much gardening but I must get my leeks out and dried and plant the garlic.
I have a cold frame that I had high hopes for. Unfortunately the voles loved whatever was green and chewed it all to bits so the cold frame is a no-go.

[Kevin]

I've planted out Chinese broccoli and spring cabbage, sowed winter hardy peas to grow up chicken wire that is supported on canes, sowed more winter radish, then in the greenhouse I've sowed more winter lettuce, land cress and Mizuna greens. At the end of October I'll plant some garlic (or is it sow, I can never decide with garlic). Meanwhile I've got some Russian kale which is looking about ready to start cutting, more Mizuna, and more Chinese broccoli which is flowering and getting all thin and tough before we can eat it.

At the weekend we had the warmest October day ever recorded (30 degrees or 86 fahrenheit in some places), but Autumn arrived today with wind and rain. Hopefully it isn't too much of a shock for the plants!

Kevin

[margerymermaid]

Jania, what pat of the world do you live in? I'm in the Pacific NW... can I plant the things you mention now? I have kale already growing out there and collard greens. I know that usually they weather it right thru... until it gets really cold, but then they come back in the Spring.

[Mrs.B]

I cleaned out the last of the summer crops; changed out the compost bin and started some garlic. Also purchased some bulbs I need to get in the ground for spring!
Would like to try some winter crops, like what was mentioned above. I too live in the PNW, my other issue is shade, my home sits on a very shady lot. In fact this past summer my husband installed some high shelving on the side of the shed to get the tomatoes in the sun, it worked!!

[jania]

Hi margerymermaid, I'm in metro Phoenix right now. I use to live in the Columbia River Gorge area and pretty much put my garden to bed once the pumpkins had been harvested....it was just much too cold, wet and windy for me to garden (and in my area freezing rain and the "week of snow" was to be counted on). I was up in the area a few weeks ago and everyone seemed to be letting their gardens run down and start clean up, awaiting spring. Now certainly pay attention to your own conditions, see what's possible. I know a few people that make good use of cold frames or green houses to take them further into and through winter.

[CathyA]

I picked all the butternut squash a couple weeks ago and its curing on the porch. Every once in awhile, I get a tomato, but everything is pretty well gone. I'm just waiting for a few good hard freezes before pulling everything up. I was thinking about burning the garden, since I had so many squash bugs this year, but decided not to, since someone reminded it it kills the good guys and also makes the soil too alkaline (if its already alkaline...which mine is).
I put away some of the tomato cages and stakes. I'm having big time GI issues, and I can't lean over or it makes it worse. Too bad......a garden requires lots of leaning over!
I have a couple Rubbermaid containers filled with soil out by the chicken coop that I grow collards and kale in, for the chickens. The bugs totally eat them every year, by the end of summer, and they are just stalks left. I've learned to leave them alone and they start growing back in the Fall! So I'll get another crop of them. The chickens will be happy! They also love rotten tomatoes!
I will miss the tomatoes and cucs......but we have the butternut squash to look forward to. That stuff is sooooooooo good! And anything that orange just has to be good for you!

[peggy]

Planted some blueberries and am waiting for some Asian pears to be delivered for planting. I also plan to get out in the next week or so and plant daffodils on the hillside I see from my kitchen window.

[razz]

I rototilled the garden. cleaned the tiller and put it away. The garlic is planted but the leeks are waiting pulling until I free the dehydrator which is presently filled with apple slices.

[jania]

So far my raised bed covers had proven sturdy enough to withstand feral cat interest and most of my seeds seem to have germinated. Razz, I'm so jealous of the garlic you are planting. I love growing garlic but just don't have consistent results as sometimes my temps aren't low enough for bulb production and I have finally given in to just not trying....this saddens me.

[razz]

jania, do voles not cause problems in your raised beds? Do the feral cats keep them under control?

[jania]

razz, their are no voles in my area (metro Phoenix). Up where my sister lives her cats leave little headless vole presents by the front door all the time.

[puglogic]

Finally got around to planting my garlic last Friday - much too late for comfort, but better late than not at all. I hope to harvest 40 heads next summer (fingers crossed)

Last night, from mid-day 'til dusk, I took in all of the potatoes growing at my old house (which is still on the market). I had a patch something like 7' x 12', and we took close to 70 pounds in. So wonderful! Also took up the last of the onions, so everything is officially "in" just in time for our first big snowstorm of the year (9" - 20" expected over the next 24 hours)

I guess the growing season is officially over. Better get the growlights hooked up! :)

[herbgeek]

Finally put the winter covers on: swapped out the Agribon fabric for greenhouse plastic over my low tunnels. Mostly to keep the deer away from what's left, I noticed they nibbles a bunch of carrot tops the other day. I had a dreadful bug infestation which ruined all of my fall brassica crops, but left the lettuce alone. So I have a few leeks, some herb still and carrots and greens. Only 2 beds had enough growing to warrant me covering them. The rest have one-sy two-sy plants which I will eat shortly. More herbs potted up in the greenhouse that I hope to keep going until Thanksgiving (other than the lemon verbena which will be history this week when we get frost).

I have my rebar in place on all the beds to hold the plastic tubing that serves as hoops for my low tunnels to get an early start on spring. I started this last year, but got a later start than I wanted because the ground was frozen solid due to all the snow we got over the winter. Now with the anchors in place, I'll just need to add the hoops and plastic, wait for the snow to melt and the ground to warm some, and get lettuce planted in March instead of May.

[jania]

I had an amazing three nights in a row with rain, which is more than I got all monsoon season. I got out yesterday morning and tidied up some things. So far everything I planted from seed is doing well. I planted more seeds last week and they haven't yet emerged, with the next few days being sunny and warmer I hope to see little greens peeking through the soil.

The pomegranate tree I planted a few weeks ago went through a little re-planting shock (lost some lower leaves) but seems to have settled in nicely and I am even seeing some new growth on the tips of leaves. I've needed to replace some old lavenders and of the three I put in one is really struggling, I just never know with the lavender. It's funny how plants can be put in the ground at the same time, under the same conditions and one just won't "take". I'd rather they die sooner than later so I can get on with things though.

[puglogic]

I built a new winter compost pile today, and turned the compost in two stand-up composters we now have (one we brought to our new house; one was left here by the old owners - yay!). Spring will be here before we know it!! :)

[Marianne]

I am waaay behind! I finally got my garlic planted just a few days ago. It rained right after that and we're supposed to have some nicer days for the next week. I'm keeping my fingers crossed.
A friend send me some blackberry plants, greek oregano, a few other things. I have no choice but to put everything in the garden, mulch well, cover with buckets at night and hope for the best. Come spring, I'll transplant whatever survives.

[iris lily]

I've moved 1/3 of the lilies at one property to another. All I've got left to do is to tag and map them.