What did you do in the garden today?

[Wee Farmer Sarah]

There are rats and mice, but that’s pretty much normal around here. Just keep them out of the house and the chicken coop.

 

[pennyJo1960]

I found I have rats and or mice in the main coop .. We do intend to build a new main coop.. My dome has stood all the storms mother nature has thrown for 5 years now.. I can see the hubs showing strain now bowing a bit ...
By spring we will start the main coop in the chickens yard..

 

[oldhen2345]

Great looking peeps Oldhen they are so much fun my hatch of three all cockerel will go by the mexicans let them know there are birds for sale no auction anymore

Thanks. I know they are still too young to sex, but the chick in the middle of the perch does look like it has a larger comb starting to grow. Not worried yet, just a little concerned. Live in town and can't have roosters. I do love watching eggs hatch and little chicks running around- can become a sickness, so I have to be careful. LOL. Usually, I get day olds from a reputable hatchery, and even that is not completely foolproff.

 

[sourland]

Brought 3 more tomatoes inside. It will frost within the next week or so, and I will have to pick everything.

 

[Acre4Me]

Frost last night!

Gourd plants are DONE. no tolerance for cold! There are 9 birdhouse gourds.

Here are the luffa gourds. Still green, but I did plant them late and they were slow to start. But, got some pretty good sized ones! Now to see If I can actually dry them or process them into something useable.

 

[WthrLady]

My pile houses some impressive spiders!! I went to turn it when it was still warm, and there were some impressive spiders that scattered- these are the ones that are more lateral movers, rather than climbers, dark in color, easy to spot due to their size. My kid calls them wolf spiders - might be, not sure. All I know is that I wear my tall boots when I've got to mess with the pile. But, spiders are pretty ubiquitous, so it isn't surprising. Warm weather produces some flies, but we try to keep them at bay by covering new additions and the flies haven't been too bad.

We call them kitties, cause they're big enough to be. They are indeed wolf spiders.

 

[sourland]

First frost. I'll probably have to pick all remaining tomatoes today and bring them into the cellar to ripen.

 

[Sueby]

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. 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.

@Wee Farmer Sarah Our chipmunks and squirrels have been making more noise hunting & gathering than I believed possible. There is one squirrel that likes to visit the chickens in the morning (from the other side of the run fence, mind you). It's cute. He'll sit and look at them, big fluffy tail twitching, and a clump of the chickens will stand at full alert, watching him. Well...cute, or they're all plotting something.

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!

Tonight we are expecting our first freeze—no frost yet. We'll see. I covered the plants I could and had Hubby help me bring the citrus trees in from the porch. They're nearly fifteen years old and unwieldy, to say nothing of heavy, now—we can't get them up the stairs any more into the living area of our carriage house. It sounds awful but I am tempted to give them away. If the big house were built moving them inside—from porch to a main floor room—wouldn't be such a big deal but...they're gigantic! And the key lime has 3/4" thorns. Not one to tangle with. Of course, both are (inexplicably, considering the time of year) laden with fruit. THAT stays with us regardless!

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.

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. Speaking of cover crops, the hairy vetch is like 3 inches tall, it sprouted overnight!

Ok everyone, have a great day!

 

[Wee Farmer Sarah]

Good frosty morning all. Not our first frost but it was much heavier than the previous ones. I picked my last green tomato yesterday. No outside work planned for the day, just cleaning. laundry and baking. The forecast is for clear skies and highs in the low 60's for the week so lot's of time to get yard work and garden clean up done. The fall colors here are just breath taking right now. My impatiens are adjusting well to indoor life. 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 just have to say how much I love the picture of the wild turkey in front of the compost piles @Sueby. I think they are my favorite wild thing. Love the gourds @Acre4Me. I may try to grow the birdhouse gourds again next year. I did learn they do not do well in pots so I'll have to find a spot in ground for them. But yours all look great. Congratulations on your harvest. Have a great day everyone.

 

[Thaney Design]

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