Garden - fall and winter Prep

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Garden - fall and winter Prep

Post by Cherry Kelly » 10-05-2014 03:49 PM

Garden season coming to a close and time to think about the fall and winter preparations for the next season.

As we have a sun-room, I chose some of the hot pepper plants and dig them to put in large planter pots to be taken indoors for the winter. This year will do two of each type - hopefully. Amazing how many will continue to produce even a few peppers during the winter indoors.

We start by removing all old dead plants making sure we have picked any produce still hanging. Some might not be ripe, but will ripen indoors in a sunny location.

Once the dead plants are removed, we remove any bricks or wood holding down our weed/water paper. Then it is a matter of rolling up the paper and tying each row with a small tie twisty that I put a number on so I can reuse the paper for the row the next season. When done the rolls are stored in one of the outside shed areas.

Depending on how the weather is doing outside, will let me know if we have time to till or just add compost to the top of the soil. Sometimes can do both. IF time permits will till and then put on compost to sit over winter. Not all areas need compost every year and I keep track of which areas are done each year as well as how plants produced.

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Post by LeslieV » 10-15-2014 11:38 AM

We're in garden wrap up here on the ranch. We have had a couple cold nights into the 20's but the producing plants were kept covered so still going.

Getting tomatoes like mad due to all the rain we have had, just wish it would have come earlier in the season.

Peppers are doing well and so are the egg plants.

Have harvested many pounds of winter squash of various types so they are cured and going to the cool room in the basement for storage.

Still getting a few summer squash so have those yet to eat fresh.

Potatoes are being dug a little at a time as time permits. They all will need to be out before a hard freeze but right now storage in the ground is working. I've got some that weight a good 2-pounds so am getting nice big ones.

Once things are cleaned up the beds will have any compost dug in then I will make trenches for winter bury of kitchen veggie scraps. I have been doing this the past couple years put the scraps in then cover. By spring planting they are mostly gone and the worms really are growing big and producing good fertilizer. Of course those are also the best growing beds now so I will keep doing this to the others.

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Post by Fan » 10-15-2014 06:05 PM

Most of my roses are cut down (numerous scars to show for that haha) and still SO MUCH WORK TO DO!
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Dude111
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Post by Dude111 » 10-15-2014 06:06 PM

Good luck with your gardens everyone..... Another COLD one for most of the east US coming I have heard :(

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LeslieV
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Post by LeslieV » 10-16-2014 08:25 AM

You got that Dude, our trusted WX guys are talking about one for next week and a big one for around Halloween. The Halloween one will be what is left of the typhoon that battered Japan and they are saying the kiddies will need to have overcoats under the costumes. :(

Not looking forward to the cold the Farmers Almanac is saying we will have this winter but if we get the amount in snow we got in water this late summer and early fall, I better make sure all the snow moving equipment is ready to go.

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Post by Cherry Kelly » 10-16-2014 09:43 AM

Yes, always seems to be a lot to do in the fall to get things done before winter arrives. Thought some of the garden plants were done producing as nothing was showing in the way of produce on some plants. Then went out to pick more of the hot peppers after a storm with high winds came through.

oops - more sweet peppers producing as well as hot ones. One large bell pepper plant lost a branch of the plant with three nice small fist size peppers. Will cut them for freezing to use on pizzas later.

This is the time of year when the hot peppers do their thing so those will be protected if the weather turns colder.

Good to hear others working on their garden end of the year projects.

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LeslieV
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Post by LeslieV » 10-16-2014 10:01 AM

This morning I had a nasty surprise. I had picked all the winter squash and had left them in the garden to 'harden' a few days. This AM I saw the biggest and best butternut squash was half eaten and a couple more had bites taken out of them.

When I was out about an hour before sunrise feeding the outside kitties on the deck, I noticed the garden motion light came on. I thought it was another kitty. Now I think it was whatever was eating the squash.

I have a lot of hauling to bring them all in so that will be the job today.

Got to get the beds ready for winter and then start planning what to plant where for next year.

Also am behind in greenhouse plants so need to get to work there so I have some growing this winter.

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Post by Cherry Kelly » 10-17-2014 09:32 AM

critters!!

I do not leave mine out to ripen, I bring them in and put them on a small table in the window of the sun-room. Though I have missed a few at times in the past and yes critters attacked.

Right now its mainly getting the rest of the room ready for the remaining plants to be brought in later.

Also need to bring in my little garden gnomes and repaint them.

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Post by Cherry Kelly » 11-01-2014 11:53 AM

Picked all but the thai dragon (yatzy) and tobasco peppers and covered them with special covers, then covered the mums last night as temps dipped to egads 27°F -- they say next week will not get that low again at nights. Recalling some past years of one severe frost and about two weeks of no frosty night temps-- here's hoping!

Pepper plants indoors with peppers ripening will be picked this week - some to go to the dehydrator - some made into powder, seeds saved - all the early pre-winter things we do....

When plants die off in the garden it will be time to dump compost on the soil for next year.

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Post by LeslieV » 11-01-2014 01:39 PM

Garden mostly picked now, green tomatoes are in the house letting some ripen, some will be pickled and some fried green tomatoes.

I have a hoop arrangement over the one bed where peppers and egg plant are. It was temporary with older plastic and the winds have tore that apart.

I got newer plastic so will head out shortly and put up new plastic. I only let the south side clear and open to the sun, the north and west sides get extra heavy tarps and old carpet over them as thermal protection. No sun from the north so no need to loose heat there. I also have that reflective bubble insulation, actually old car windshield covers I put on the north to reflect heat and light back from the dark north side. Worked int he greenhouse last year so am trying it in this hoop bed this year.

Off to lunch then out to garden and get things wrapped up before the storms move in.

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Post by Cherry Kelly » 11-03-2014 10:14 AM

Leslie - yup just a few pepper plants out in the garden - covered at night -- well when its cold (frost) type...hoping to get at least another week of them ripening...


Picking peppers from plants brought in the house and off to the dehydrator for many of them.

Flowering plants brought in and doing their thing and love the colors!!

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Post by Doka » 11-04-2014 09:22 PM

I had a wonderful growing season this year. The heat was horrible, but I have a small, but growing tree, that is starting to shade the garden spot. I thought it was going to be a problem, but turned into a real asset! The things growing in the full sun suffered.
My Sister and her husband came a couple weeks ago, with their roto-tiller and horse poo, what beautiful soil I have. I did get my garlic planted, I really had a great garlic harvest this summer. Hope it happens again. I had a couple of pepper plants, but nothing like what you guys do. You are "Pepper Royalty"! :)
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Post by Fan » 11-05-2014 08:31 AM

I just realized I forgot to harvest my garlic. Will have to go see if it is still there haha. Only 2 plants and they will sprout again next year otherwise.
The heartbreaking necessity of lying about reality and the heartbreaking impossibility of lying about it.

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Post by Doka » 11-05-2014 08:52 AM

I wonder what you will find, Fan? Makes me curious.
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Post by Cherry Kelly » 11-05-2014 09:21 AM

Doka -- ya that composted horse manure will really work well ... might throw some egg shells out there too.. crushed and scattered -- for tilling in spring. :)

I posted pepper pix on my fb pages - ones that went to dehydrator. Needless to say - got a lot of peppers. But also had a great garden for green beans, sweet corn, peas and other veggies. Tomatoes oh ya! (Few green ones left at the end of the season.)

Garlic - only tried a couple and ya they did fine. :)

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