What did you do in the garden today?

Morning all. Supposedly we got a frost last night, but my Dahlias beg to differ!

I have never done a tumbler compost, always just the pile. We do have critters like bear, but the turkeys keep them under control. :gig Really I just put a layer of leaves over the kitchen scrap that I dump & I haven't had a problem. It's all coffee grounds, egg shells & veggie scraps, that's it tho.
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Mine are so confused by the squirrels, I know they want to kill them, they chase them every time they get the chance but are sooo puzzled when they disappear up a tree!


Boy do I hear that! Last week I gave my 30+ year old grapefruit & my 10 year old lime trees to my niece, they were just too big & heavy to keep, I don't have the room & my back can't handle moving them around. She was thrilled, her boyfriend not so much. :gig

I got so much done yesterday, the semi annual coop cleaning, sanitized all the feeders & waterers, got out all the winter waterers, put the filters in the windows of the coops, got the little coop ready for the pullets coming next sat, got the shed all cleaned out & organized, made some repairs to the little garden shed (DH is putting a roof on it today). Phew, it was a long day.

I'm going to put the garlic in the ground today, I think. I wish I had left a 2nd bed cover crop free for more garlic, I don't think 1 bed is enough for what I have. :rant Speaking of cover crops, the hairy vetch is like 3 inches tall, it sprouted overnight! :wee

Ok everyone, have a great day!
Whooo Whee, you have been a busy bee.
The other night, I went out at 11:30pm and got the chickens one by one, clipped their wing, sprayed them for mites and checked them over. I discovered two of my hens have fowl pox- a new development for me, I have never had this before. Sooo, I too get to clean and sanitize everything in the coop and run area once a week for at least a month. Today I will clean the run and scoop up the top layer of sand and replace with fresh. I can put the sand in the holes the dog digs in the dog yard- the chickens never go there. And clean and wash down the coop with Oxine and clean and bleach the waterer and feeder. Also adding SeaBuck 7 to their feed daily to help their immune system.
The 5 wk old chicks are in another enclosure, but when they get a couple of weeks older, I will vaccinate them and the unaffected hens. So far, just looks like dry pox, so no respiratory issues. Here is fingers crossed.
 
We worked like crazy people all morning yesterday to finish winterizing everything and doing chores. Snow was a possibility. We hit 71 yesterday afternoon and we finished chores and showers by 1pm. So we took a 2 and a half hour round trip for bagels, to stock the freezer.

Freezing rain last night, but snow stayed to our south.

Still no frost or freeze. We plug on.
 
Winter Garden update: I took notes of temps inside and outside of the greenhouse, Sun does not fully hit the greenhouse until 1 pm due to neighbors long needle pine. Temps go up about 30 degrees in direct sunlight, just a few degrees in shade or during a cloudy day. With the 400 Watt HPS light (which causes my roosters to crow lol) temps go up 10 degrees and the entire backyard lights up. It is likely for about 2 weeks temps may go below 20 and the HPS light might not generate enough heat so I may have to add a supplemental heater for a week or 2 in winter. I am considering a propane heater so I have a back up with electricity goes out and a supplemental heater on that week (sometimes 2) we go below 20. Some years we do not even go below 20 but trends are showing colder winters for the next 50 years (Grand Solar Minimum) I am taking pictures inside the greenhouse today I may share later.
 
I got so much done yesterday, the semi annual coop cleaning, sanitized all the feeders & waterers, got out all the winter waterers, put the filters in the windows of the coops, got the little coop ready for the pullets coming next sat, got the shed all cleaned out & organized, made some repairs to the little garden shed (DH is putting a roof on it today). Phew, it was a long day.
I bet a long day. Tiring but those days are so satisfying! That pic of the turkey is beautiful. And your fence looks all new and lovely!
My bay laurel plant is still small. I will be transplanting it to a bigger pot with fresh dirt and a little compost to give it a boost.
I need to do the same. We had one in the ground at the old place but for so many herbs I think leaving them in a pot so they get a little stress makes the flavor stronger.
="Thaney Design, post: 23409182, member: 535378"]
Sorry Thaney, I can't see the attachment.

No frost here and the potted tomatoes don't look thrilled but they are still plugging away with ripening fruit. The lawn is already looking shaggy, it burst into fast growth as soon as the rains hit, so I'm going to have to mow it soon. The cabbage, kale, broccoli, and garlic are coming right along. I still want to get some mustard greens going and a metric butt-ton of garlic and shallots for planting have arrived. It's about time to pull the leftover chard and beets, so I can plant some of my insane purchase of garlic and shallots there. I shoveled compost over the asparagus but there's still a good amount in the bin. I need an empty compost bin (for the finished tomato plants I pulled up) so I might put the rest of the (more or less) finished compost in a covered plastic trash can to save for later. My compost isn't pretty (would never go through a sieve) but it sure smells nice and earthy. I was just out forking and shoveling the compost and I had that somethingiscrawlingupmyleg feeling. It felt big so I didn't smack it, I just shook the heck out of my pant leg and a big praying mantis fell out. Scared the soup out of me! I've got to dig the boots out of the garage. I put the mantis in one of the vine maples.
 
The Winter Garden is slowing transforming from construction site to an actual garden.
Some pictures may be old and I posted here already, I just randomly picked them for my giant collection of pictures the past couple of weeks.

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90 degrees inside the greenhouse, 73 degrees next to the greenhouse in the shade. It has gotten as warm as 32 degrees above the outside temperature during between 1 pm and 4 pm. At night with the HPS grow light I only get a 10 degree boost in temperature.
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