What did you do in the garden today?

[Fishychix]

just toss on the ground, rake it around to get it loosely mixed in. Should sprout still.

Ive written a to do list.
Now i just have to do it

 

[BReeder!]

hi from western Ohio!

right now you would be putting the garden “to bed”. So cleaning out the old plants to toss, burn or add to compost pile. Avoid putting diseased plants in compost. During late Sept-Oct plant any cover crops in your beds. I planted winter peas and rye for the winter in 4 of my raised beds. Some people choose to put partially finished compost in/on the beds at this point, or fallen leaves on top of their garden beds to decompose over the winter. You would cover any crops still in/on the ground...carrots stay pretty good in the ground, pick as needed (cover with straw to protect), or send positive vibes to your brassicas (cabbage/Brussel sprouts) to finish up growing. Some people cover the beds with still growing produce to help keep in warm air from the day.


raised beds... don’t have to be in a structure, as it can just be mounded dirt. But often made simply with wood sides (placed on the ground, not attached), or some make taller beds with metal panels. I think @BReeder! made this style. I have 11 wooden raised beds plus a large garden plot.

another fall task is to collect tomato cages and stack and store, Fix welds if needed. Add mulch to walkways, if using.

get any potted plants removed (if annuals), move sensitive plants indoors or in a protected area.

Seed shopping!! A fun winter task!

good luck!

I did name metal panel raised beds. I have 4 off them and 2 short wooden ones that I want to upgrade. Here's a pic from this Spring. The 4th metal bed was not constructed just yet. It now sits where the tiny red wheel barrow is at in the picture.

Speaking of those raised beds, I need to finish clearing them and turn the dirt a bit before winter. I don't have any finished compost let to add to them though. I'll likely just to them or with dirt and add the compost in the Spring if it's not still "hot".

 

[wyoDreamer]

Nice set-up.

 

[Sueby]

Morning all, have to go back & read...

But took some pics to share yesterday.


@Acre4Me your cover crop is so far ahead of mine! I'm just happy mine's growing tho:

The green beans left to dry for next years crop:

Ripe figs everywhere:

You know I can't resist a Dahlia pic, lol:

Took a walk in the back woods, covered in fallen leaves - I so love the smell of fall:

More sassafras, the color is just insane this year:

Mother nature getting ready to spread Butterfly Weed:

 

[wyoDreamer]

That Dahlia picture is so vibrant, it almost looks painted.

I love milkweed. When was a kid, we would gather the pods in the fall and make Christmas decorations out of them to hang on the tree.

 

[Sueby]

@BReeder! - my back begs for your raised beds!

@Acre4Me, I'm sorry but your poor, chubby, little meatie is adorable sitting there like that. It made me giggle.

@igorsMistress, excited for you to be on a duck adventure! You know we'll need pics when they hatch!

Anyway, kind of chilling today. Had some stuff to take care of at my house that's on the market, got home & am going to watch a movie for a bit then I need to get some chores done. 3 new pullets coming tomorrow so I need to get water in their coop & put the flock block in with the current girls, they are going to be really mad to be locked up in the small run while quarantining but hopefully the flock block will help a bit. I decided I can't do a full on 30 days of 100% quarantine but I can keep them all separated by about 70 feet for a while. I'm not sure it's worth it, but I figure I'll give it a shot & see how it goes.

Debating on throwing the newbs right in to nipple training as I put them in the coop from their travel box, or if I should be nice & give them a bowl of water for the first few days. Decisions, decisions...

Have a wonderful day all - TGIF!!

 

[WthrLady]

So I cut the tomato plants off near the ground a couple weeks ago, let the vines dry, tossed them over the garden fence and mulched them with the mower into the lawn. The stumps in the garden all have 6 inch plants shooting off of them with FLOWERS. LOL

Still haven't frost or frozen, but will tonight.

Considering building an outdoor starting shed over the winter. If I did having trouble figuring out where to put it.

Dog is a riot.

Etsy shop going gangbusters.

Got second shingles shot yesterday. Feel like I've been hit by a semi truck today. Can hardly move arm and OMG the headache I had this morning.

Snow coming Sat night/ Sunday.

Heading off to catch up reading.

 

[WthrLady]

there are a million suggestions you can receive because there is no right or wrong way to garden. I started with composting, yep I am the guy who loves poop.

You can use Rabbit poo straight in the garden but most everything else you have to compost for 6 months or it burns the plants.

I am currently working on a raised bed where I keep and constantly fill it with carbon and other things for chickens to scratch through, next spring I will move the coop, fencing and chickens to a new raised bed and start gardening the old one.

Alpaca here goes straight from the animal to the trees and garden, sometimes still warm! LOL

 

[pennyJo1960]

Morning Gardeners brought my poblano in yesterday have frost wanted to protect it .. ordered meds this morning

 

[NewBoots]

@Acre4Me, I'm envious of how well your peas are still doing! The late pickle cucumbers are still hanging in there and they do have teeny cucumbers but I'm not thinking I'll get anything from them. I am so tired of the cabbage loopers! I finally gave in and sprayed all my brassicas with safer's soap and it did help, got rid of the freaking aphids too. I'd be really curious for a live and processed weight for a couple of your meaties. I intend to raise a couple groups of 6 or so next spring. Yours look healthy enough for their expected life span.

Runner duck eggs, should be here next week.

I love runner ducks! They're so cute! And they're supposed to be great layers, the blurb I read said 300 to 350 eggs a year but that has to be an exaggeration doesn't it?

Can anyone tell me what I should be doing right now?

See if you can get your hands on some scrap wood for raised beds. We built 15 beds last fall using free scrap lumber. I only had to buy the 4x4's and 2x4's and we could have just used the 2x4s doubled up for the corners. We also got a huge load of horse manure mixed with pine shavings for free as well. @Compost King is right, try and get your compost pile started now, if you have the room, pallets (free!) make a good frame. Make 2 or 3 sections if you have the room, then you can have more than one pile and not have to keep adding to a finished or nearly finished pile.

One of my seedling trays had a crack/leak so I filled it with soil and spread these seeds over it. when the plants come in I will drop it off in a chicken run as fodder.

This is a great idea and I will steal it!

Seed shopping!! A fun winter task!

And one of my favorites!

I did name metal panel raised beds. I have 4 off them and 2 short wooden ones that I want to upgrade. Here's a pic from this Spring.

Those metal beds are crazy cool! Are they full of soil or did you fill the bottoms with something else?

Mother nature getting ready to spread Butterfly Weed:

That always makes me think of animated movie Fantasia.

Still haven't frost or frozen, but will tonight.

It was 35 degrees this morning at 8am but since I didn't see any frost on my first walkabout I don't think it got to freezing last night.

The guys raised the greenhouse and reset it on a bed of gravel the has heavy duty landscape fabric under it so the greenhouse is ready to be tidied (read: spiderwebs removed) and more winter crops started. Plus the root that @Birdielee -thanks!- sent me arrived and it'll be going into a pot today and put in the greenhouse. I can also put the peppers I'm going to try and winter-over. I need to get them into bigger pots first though. Still have to water once in a while since we've had a week of no rain. Got a few more garlic cloves to get in the ground and the last of the compost to put on the raised beds. But it's a beautiful day again today, got in the low 30's last night so that's a good reminder to put a new battery in the greenhouse thermometer.

Do you think I could dig a big hole and put a 15 gallon or so pot in the ground filled with good soil and grow a hubbard or some other winter squash? Winter squash need more room than I can give them and about the only space I have left is the bluff and it's all sand and rock. We've eaten all the delicatas already and even if I'd grown more of them they don't really keep well. I'm rambling.

Dotty the grey sfh is trying to go broody. I plucked her off the nest box last night after dark and put her on a roost. She's pancaking and growling and behaving like a lunatic. The rest of the pullets seem to be slowing their egg production, except for the amberlinks and the bo, those girls are egg machines. Plus the sussex haven't laid yet even though their butts are about as broad as the girls that are laying. If we lose any of the girls I'll be getting more bos or amberlinks, beauty is fine but eggs are nice too. I am pondering putting a light in the coop on a timer, we were just getting used to getting a dozen eggs every couple of days. We'll see.

Oh and I got notice from Eden Bros, they'll be shipping my peony roots soon! Yippy!