Garden - fall and winter Prep

Gardening and Household tips. Good food. The Lighter side...

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Cherry Kelly
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Post by Cherry Kelly » 11-05-2014 09:22 AM

Fan -- ahhh hope your garlic did good too!

Am looking forward to resting from all the gardening, but will be picking peppers (few) from plants brought indoors.

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Post by Cherry Kelly » 12-04-2014 11:36 AM

Time of gardening still goes on with plants brought indoors for the winter (in sun-room) that need trimming and and care - beyond just watering and turning them around in so sunlight gets to all sides when indoors.

Soon as the holidays are over will be time to think about next years gardening.

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LeslieV
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Post by LeslieV » 12-04-2014 11:44 AM

I'm already thinking about next years while tending the plants in the house window garden boxes and greenhouse.

That minus 13 we had last month pretty much sealed the garden activities although now the ground can be worked a little to get some more organic matter in and then some mulch on top so it stays warm enough the worms can munch on the goodies I put in.

One thing I tried small scale last winter was to dig a trench and then drop the kitchen scraps in, no meats of course, and then cover with soil. Those areas had the best growing this past season so I have many of the beds dug now and take the kitchen scraps out and then cover that area with the hilled dirt.

I had worms that were starting to make me want to call Burt Gummer . .:crazyjump :)

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Diogenes
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Post by Diogenes » 12-04-2014 11:17 PM

Leslie,

I’ve been doing this for years - direct composting and so much easier than waiting for it to break down and then spread it around. It is amazing the amount of worms created by this method and quickly as well.
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LeslieV
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Post by LeslieV » 12-05-2014 09:37 AM

The worms do seem to do a fast and good job on the direct compost and make lots of worms and good quality soil, nothing like worm poop for good fertilizer.

We're fairly warm now in the 50's so this weekend I intend to get more done in the beds. Like I mentioned, that quick hard freeze sort of stopped everything so I need to make up for that lost time putting beds to bed for winter and getting ready for spring.

I'm putting in more hoops with tall ones over an entire bed and then inner ones over new crops when they come up early spring. I use scrap 2x4 and 2x2 to frame the beds, then the hoops are made with 3/4-inch black irrigation pipe. The beds I tried this on produced excellent and the one bed I kept peppers and eggplant going up to just a couple days before the minus 13 temperatures hit.

At this high altitude on the CO plains you have to think hard to work less to keep things growing.

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Post by Doka » 12-05-2014 11:17 AM

I have a compost area that throw every thing in except, tomatoe plants, they tend to re-seed to much. I have negelicted adding much to the compost as we have been having freezing rain for days now and I'm afraid to go down my back steps. Supposed to get above freezing any day now.
I finally did get my garlic planted about mid-November, any bodies guess if it will come up. We had such really hard dry, freezes. Ah, such is a farmers life, they where the 1st gamblers, I think. :)
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LeslieV
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Post by LeslieV » 12-05-2014 11:26 AM

Doka, sorry to hear about the freezing rain; a reason I left the NE decades ago for the semi-desert. ;)

If the garlic is in and you have some mulch over it should do just fine. It seems to like abuse, at least here it does, and will come up just fine.

I have been planting over and over the bulbs from an original organic stock I got years ago and they do just great. It is the task of getting them adapted to the soil and growing conditions in your area.

On the really cold and bad winter days when I can't get out without the snowshoes I put my kitchen scraps in a large sealed 5-gallon bucket in the garage. At the next warm up I take it out and let it thaw as the garage is not heated then dump into the then compost but now the trenches I have in the beds.

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Post by Cherry Kelly » 12-06-2014 11:10 AM

Compost ayup! Egg-shells get crunched up and added to my one compost pile along with other items and yes no meat!

My Christmas cactus (two plants) blooming already. I forgot to move them - too busy with the remodel project in the master bathroom. (oops)

Got plenty of worms 'night-crawlers' around here so I do not worry about them. (Yes even in some of the plants that were dug up and are in the house.) Geraniums are blooming and so pretty they brighten up the dull gray days.

So good to hear about others composting now too! :)

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Diogenes
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Post by Diogenes » 12-06-2014 02:37 PM

Have posted this before but the Ruth Stout method of composting so interested me and actually her entire story - what a gal she was. Her brother was the mystery writer Rex Stout.

Anyway for those who love gardening if you have a chance to pick up any of her books, they are wonderful.

In the last six month I’ve probably planted about 100 Asclepias. The weather is cooler now but still I have Caterpillars and Monarchs.

I planted many more Parsley plants this year and so have Swallowtails as well - they are exquisite also.
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Post by Cherry Kelly » 12-08-2014 01:46 PM

In our outside cold frame - have spinach growing - will pick leaves when its big enough...

Nothing like fresh home-grown veggies!

Will be doing a few indoor ones in the larger planters -- few little radishes along with the the other greens that are growing.

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Post by Cherry Kelly » 01-01-2015 12:54 PM

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Inundated with seed catalogs already and will be interesting to note many selling the same seeds at higher prices and fewer per package. While that goes on and trying to sort if they truly ARE the same brands, types could prove fascinating and give a few hours away from looking at cold weather outside.

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Post by LeslieV » 01-01-2015 03:40 PM

We got down to minus 19 Tuesday night into Wednesday morning. Wednesday it got to 31 but New Year Day it is overcast and snow again and 21 last I looked.

Seed catalogs came yesterday and I am sure many are in the mail. I have noticed that they are higher in price and quantity is less than previous years. :(

I have been using heirloom for a lot of my garden and have adapted them to this area and garden so do have some saved from year to year of the best of my crop.

We should have a early January thaw next week so maybe some of this snow will be gone but then it will be mud season.

Growing some inside in the window boxes when sun or on planter shelves made kitty proof and more in the greenhouse. All cool weather mostly salad greens.

I do have my sprouter going and get a good bit of sprouts every few days to supplement the food supply.

Happy New Year everyone !

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Post by Cherry Kelly » 01-05-2015 02:25 PM

After new Year's and regular weeks beginning - am sitting here and comparing seed prices and wondering...(as noted before).

Checking to see what is needed this year for canned goods - especially in the line of tomatoes. Definitely more whole tomatoes are needed but other groups - some salsa of two types (one will depend on how peppers produce).

Some things to add this year that -- oops - was going to do last year, but somehow they were forgotten ... actually did not get seeds either.

So much going on after the end of the year, will work on my lists and examine prices (seeds per package) and getting all my starter boxes ready.

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Post by Raggedyann » 01-11-2015 04:55 PM

Some friends are telling me that stuff is growing in their gardens and blooming here on North Vancouver Island. Sweet Peas, Carrots, Rodos, Herbs etc. This is unheard of January.
“For evil to flourish, it only requires good men to do nothing.” Simon Wiesenthal

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Post by Cherry Kelly » 01-17-2015 10:33 AM

hmm know I posted a reply..

dunno where it went.....

Anyway - configuring the garden layout for the coming season and attempting to locate where someone stored my seed starter containers...

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