What did you do in the garden today?

[Sequel]

Got the dahlias all dug up. Did nick a couple on one that turned out to be huge. The ones in pots were definitely a little frozen on the top but look fine, they should all make it. I'll let them sit in the box for a few days to dry a bit then pack them up in vermeculite.

Question for you that compost in freezing climates, what do you do in the winter? I saved some leaves thinking I could keep adding kitchen compost then layer it with leaves. It will freeze so I won't be able to turn it - is this a good plan? This is my first year composting & I'm excited because my current pile is doing great. Its full so time to switch to the 2nd bin. View attachment 1955971

Yes to the leaves! I hoard them and use them exactly like you said. It rarely gets cold enough to freeze my compost and With all the poo and kitchen scraps it stays pretty warm.
I use pallets, it’s ugly but I love how they work!

 

[karenerwin]

Yes to the leaves! I hoard them and use them exactly like you said. It rarely gets cold enough to freeze my compost and With all the poo and kitchen scraps it stays pretty warm.
I use pallets, it’s ugly but I love how they work!

My compost pile is made from 3 pallets ( back and 2 sides) the front has a slot where you can add or remove pallet slates as needed. I agree with @Sequel , nothing pretty but very functional.
I worked more on burning out stump # 3. Had to quit when it got too dark to pull downed branches and other dead wood out of the woods.

 

[pennyJo1960]

Our aint pretty four pallets plywood keeping dogs out
goodnight all

 

[Wee Farmer Sarah]

Good morning gardeners and Happy Veterans Day to my fellow veterans. Thank you all for your service. I'm enjoying these milder temps for another day and a half. Tomorrow, rainy morning turning to snow then sub-freezing cold for a few days. I dug my dahlia tubers up and planted most of my daffodils yesterday. The remaining daffodils are going on the same slope where I planted the winter heath. I finally remembered to charge my cordless drill so I can add some ventilation holes in the chicken coop. Just when I was sure the backyard leaves were under control, my smaller oak tree is letting loose along with my maple tree holdout. I'm hoping the wind takes care of that. Nothing much else going on except my poinsettias are getting their blooming on track. All of mine are developing blooms now so they should be quite lovely in the next few weeks. Here's a shot of my dahlia tubers. They are pretty small, however I only had what I thought were 6 plants, but I got all these little gems. I hope they make it to planting next Spring. I was curious @chickmom3941, how did your tubers look? Have a great day everyone.

 

[Sueby]

Thanks guys, great to hear about the compost. Mine is made of pallets also, I have 2 bins. Next summer I'd like to add 1 more bin & put doors on it. We probably have 1 more leaf collection that I will horde, lol. DH thinks I'm crazy, but then he doesn't pay for the compost I buy for the garden!

@Wee Farmer Sarah your tubers look good!! Enjoy the snow/cold, I don't think were were getting it.

@penny1960 I did that not too long ago & had bare feet! I had to go all the way down to the shop & dig thru the spiderwebs for a key, still couldn't get in the house so I opened the dog pen & begged the skinny neighbor to crawl thru the dog door. I have now hidden a key.

 

[Wee Farmer Sarah]

Thanks guys, great to hear about the compost. Mine is made of pallets also, I have 2 bins. Next summer I'd like to add 1 more bin & put doors on it. We probably have 1 more leaf collection that I will horde, lol. DH thinks I'm crazy, but then he doesn't pay for the compost I buy for the garden!

@Wee Farmer Sarah your tubers look good!! Enjoy the snow/cold, I don't think were were getting it.

@penny1960 I did that not too long ago & had bare feet! I had to go all the way down to the shop & dig thru the spiderwebs for a key, still couldn't get in the house so I opened the dog pen & begged the skinny neighbor to crawl thru the dog door. I have now hidden a key.
View attachment 1956759

Thanks @Sueby. Being the first time digging them it helps to get feedback from someone more experienced. I'm so excited to see how many actually grow next Spring.
As for the compost, I have a large pile that I let the local wildlife turn. I don't throw food scraps in that one. I don't have the strength to turn a large compost pile so that's why I switched to a tumbler. It's easier for me to maintain.
I've only locked myself out of the house once and had to break a window in the garage to climb inside. I haven't done the spare key thing, although it should be safe in my neighborhood. But I do wiggle the door handle for 30 seconds to make sure it won't lock before stepping outside. Unfortunately I don't have a dog door or skinny neighbors. LOL! On the upside, that experience was informative as the garage window was the only one I was able to break. All the rest are heavy, double pane glass.

 

[pennyJo1960]

Gosh I have two pair of canvas Keds I wear inside and outside in dry weather not winter wear at least rubber based our fog is pretty wet also

 

[Acre4Me]

Compost pile - we add to ours throughout the winter. We hoard our leaves too!

Snow today!! It should look pretty tomorrow as the majority of snow has fallen since the sun set. I tried to take the kid to a scheduled activity, but roads were surprisingly bad, so turned around just a mile from home and returned and lit the pellet stove. Now I’m eating homemade and spicy ginger snap cookies in front of the pellet stove fire reading BYC.

 

[Sequel]

Compost pile - we add to ours throughout the winter. We hoard our leaves too!

Snow today!! It should look pretty tomorrow as the majority of snow has fallen since the sun set. I tried to take the kid to a scheduled activity, but roads were surprisingly bad, so turned around just a mile from home and returned and lit the pellet stove. Now I’m eating homemade and spicy ginger snap cookies in front of the pellet stove fire reading BYC.

Omg! You are eating homemade spicy ginger snaps???? Would you share your recipe? DH and I love those but the last box we got were all broken up. I told him I needed to find a recipe. It’s also a cookie the grandkids won’t eat .
It was funny I thought I was typing in ginger snaps but fingernails is what came up ! I did catch it

 

[Acre4Me]

Omg! You are eating homemade spicy ginger snaps???? Would you share your recipe? DH and I love those but the last box we got were all broken up. I told him I needed to find a recipe. It’s also a cookie the grandkids won’t eat .
It was funny I thought I was typing in ginger snaps but fingernails is what came up ! I did catch it

I had never found a recipe for crisp/crunchy ginger snaps, until I found it in the Cooks Illustrated Nov/Dec 2011 magazine. It contains both fresh and ground ginger, cinnamon, cloves, cayenne (pinch), and black pepper!! The usual brown sugar and molasses too. The prep and bake also contribute to the crisp crunch. They stay crisp for a couple of weeks...a bonus since the recipe makes close to 80 cookies. The kids don’t like them, they prefer the soft and large molasses spice cookies, also good, but I like the crunch of these!