Catching Up Before Winter

I had been without a computer for a bit so here are the last pics of the garden and yard for the year.

First, the lemon pepper plant being harvested before removal for winter.

And the burning bush peaking.

The garden and yard all prepped for winter.

Finally, the garden as it looks right now. We just came off 10 straight days of below freezing temperatures. Today and tomorrow are supposed to be wet and warmer, temporarily.

Barring anything unforeseen, this blog will be shut down until spring. Let's hope for an easy winter!

Fall Chores, Day 2

Again we took advantage of the nice weather to get the yard and gardens ready for winter, you can read more at the regular site.


Kate planted the garlic in the west garden, in rows above the monster lemon pepper plant (I'm thinking of a pictorial side story on that).  She also spread leaf mulch throughout the flower beds and hay to the garden. 

The first pictures here are of the garden and I will dump a few more pics from today after the break.

Compost Completion

Just pictures from today, blew all the leaves out of the garden and added fresh dirt from the compost bin.

Just Later

All has been the same with the garden, just later in the fall.  The only things producing still are the lemon peppers (prolifically) and maybe a jalapeno or two.  We have had the threat of frost, and some temps close to freezing overnight, but I don't think we've had that 'hard' frost yet.

Sticks with Strings

Last weekend we finished the raspberry support system.

Sticks

These are the posts for Kate's raspberries that I mocked up last weekend.  They will be finished to Kate's satisfaction soon with final screws placed and support line hung.  There is much replanting to do all around the yard today or tomorrow.  In the background is one very bushy lemon pepper plant, with a smaller jalapeno plant swallowed up in front of it here.

Support

Fat Green Bug

Fat Green Bug, dead center facing away.

Kate did some cleaning up of the garden this morning, what is left of it.  In the west garden (top) we have cucumbers growing and two pepper plants on their right, one is doing better than the other.  Then a couple herbs to the right of those.  In the east garden the squirrels still try to get at the strawberry plant through the chicken wire so mothballs are still a must.  She also trimmed up the parsley, bottom right of pic, and gave the raspberry plants some support.

Fall and Spring Garlic

A couple weeks ago my wife pulled the garlic that she had planted earlier this spring.

Today she pulled the garlic that she had planted last fall.

There is a size difference, two different kinds of garlic, I'm sure.

After, or Part 2 - Cleaned Up

The final product after Kate removed the sad tomato plants and a drooping pepper plant.  Just to note: Computer problems have kept me from posting since before the last post.

 

And here's the garlic that was planted this spring.  The garlic that was planted this fall is still robust and not yet ready to be picked.  I haven't seen how big the cloves may be yet, but fall planting is the way to do garlic, I believe!

West garden.  Go garlic, go cucumbers!  Above those are still two pepper plants, thyme and oregano.



















In the east garden we have, from bottom to top, strawberries, sad raspberry plants, better raspberry plants, and parsley at the very top right.

Before, or Part 1 - Bacteria Wilt?

This is the garden a couple days ago.  Since the last post Kate has harvested carrots, onion, maybe radishes, and thinned out the dead raspberry plants.  The ones in the middle of the near garden (above) are alive, but the ones near the right are doing a bit better.  She has tried to grow it all organically, but we're finding some form of pesticide or fertilizer may be necessary if we want to grow some things.

 

The tomato plants have been limp, my wife thinks it is bacterial wilt.  She looks this stuff up, I don't.  But they - and even the cucumber vines somewhat - go limp.  They live but they just look, well, bad and sad.  These are the before pics from two days ago, next post is after Kate cleaned up the gardens this morning.









In the east garden Kate removed the basil plants that were at the very top of this pic due to slugs, we think.  Only parsley remains at the very top right.  At the bottom we have living strawberry plants.  I don't know what else to say about them.  They are protected with the screen above from squirrels but they aren't thriving.  We did start these late, however.  The first plants were destroyed by the bastards, go back a couple posts and see the video!

Giant Tomatoe Plants

Another Stab At Strawberries

Right after the strawberry destruction two weeks ago Kate ordered more plants.  These were the crowns and roots kind from mail order and not the leafy plants we picked up last time.  She planted them Friday evening and was sure to cover them with one of the protective 'lids' I made a few weeks back.  We even put mothballs about to keep the squirrel bastards away - and it all seems to be working, for the last few days anyway.

The west garden is growing very well, but the pea plants seem stunted from being nibbled on early before we got the netting over them.

And now for a view from places around the yard!  I don't expect you to take the time, but it's kinda neat for me to look back and see how things have changed and filled out.

The old gnome's home, above, became a bit too obscured, so he is back along the fence and among the hostas, below.

Oh. My. Gosh.

Squirrels are bastards - and here's the proof.  Kate planted a dozen strawberry plants yesterday.  They destroyed every one.  I'll wait until Kate gets home, maybe she can salvage something.

Strawberries Are In

More Spring Planting

Refer to the chart in the last post to know what is what and where!  One note, the strawberries are still hypothetical at this point.

Garden Graphs

Scroll for the East Garden.

A Good Start

Kate has the garden growing well so far.  Instead of describing what is where all the time, Kate has a little graph made out for each garden.  Now I just have to figure out how to post it.

She also planted ground cover plants around the tree in the back (below).  Hard to see now, but hopefully they grow well.