What did you do in the garden today?

[Peep_Show]

Meeps --
I've got two fig trees, but no expertise on them.... well, at least a little more than the previous owners of the property. Their gardener (?) thought they had died when they went dormant and chopped them down to the a level-with-the-ground stump. One send out shoots from the stump which produce figs every year. The other tree has sprouts coming up off the root as the stump is just dead wood, but that first year growth has figs, too. Makes for a nice bush, but I would've preferred the trees.

Once established they're pretty hardy and don't require much water. They like sunlight. Mine are doing well on a diet of careful neglect, but I trim out about half the stalks in the winter. They all stick straight up and it looks like Spirit Poles.

Keep trying!

 

[Arielle]

Been in low 40's up here probably get frost warning next week. Kinda torn between pulling up producing plants or plant winter wheat before it freezes.

try cover like old sheets on the nights frosts are expected. My mom did this in Maine to extend the season up til the hard frosts hit. Then we harvested EVERYTHING as fast as we could to strip the gardens in one evening.

 

[politicalcenter]

I made a DIY hoop house today in my raised box as the weather is getting cooler. Sort of a first-time experiment. Probably a late start but we'll see what happens! My chickens got in and kicked around in the box and I'm sure some seeds flew and I lost some seedlings. Oops!

I would invest in a thermometer and a humidity gauge. You will find that in sunlight ...even when it very cold outside...the temps will go real high and you have no moisture in the air.

You have to monitor it to keep it from being way too hot during the day and too cold at night.

 

[Bugseye]

Haven't had any problem with my PVC pipes shattering. They were up all last winter.

 

[MeepMeeps]

Thanks for the tips...my 2 hoop "houses" are really small, about 4' x 4' each. They are not in full sun all day especially now that the sun is a bit lower. I've been checking on progress and so far so good. Today I planted bulbs in the grassy patch along my driveway - daffodils because I have lots of deer. Will try some parrot tulips in my fenced vegetable garden area.

 

[politicalcenter]

Thanks for the tips...my 2 hoop "houses" are really small, about 4' x 4' each. They are not in full sun all day especially now that the sun is a bit lower. I've been checking on progress and so far so good. Today I planted bulbs in the grassy patch along my driveway - daffodils because I have lots of deer. Will try some parrot tulips in my fenced vegetable garden area.

I envy the fact that you can have tulips year after year. If we don't dig them up and freeze them they quit blooming after the first year.

So it is daffodils and lilies mostly.

But we have some of the prettiest wildflowers down here in Alabama. I am going to collect some cardinal flower seeds on the morrow.

 

[Peep_Show]

Took the last of the yard apples that didn't qualify for applesauce or weren't pretty enough to go to Harvest Festival and they met the press today. Put nearly 3 gallons of cider into the fermenter, awaiting the champagne yeast.

Rounded up another 2 gallons of tomatoes which are in storage with the 3+ gallons gathered two days ago. The yard is waning, so this might be the last of the sauce harvest. More pepper picking is tomorrow. Tuesday will be a bizzy day in the kitchen canning.

 

[Arielle]

Still picking kale. ANd a few tomatos. NOt a good year for hte tomatos. Lots of big green plants, but few fruits. Not sure what I did wrong. Too much nitrogen from dumping manure all winter? If anyone has ideas please let me know.

Winter squashes are still growing wildly. THey have invaded all areas of the garden. THe buggers!

 

[Stuffedcritter]

You might have 100 hundred day tomatoes which I find don't produce for me in Nys, 80-90 day plants produce at 100 day stage for me. Much as I enjoy trying out new var-ties Rutgers and Brandywine plants / seeds produce the best. ( yellow pear is like a weed). Need to tell us more about how you prepare your beds straight manure, leaf mulch, liming, how old is the bed?

I use to have Tulips then squirrel came along !

 

[lazy gardener]

From your description, I'd say that your N was too high. Lush green beautiful plants with minimal fruit = too high N. YOur prolific squash also points to a good N load.