What did you do in the garden today?

[Liz Birdlover]

Artichokes will not overwinter. I suggest either cutting them back and putting down some extra mulch to keep the roots from freezing, or letting them die back naturally leaving the dead leaves for mulch and they should shoot up again in Spring.

Ooo, look at this, you might be able to overwinter them! Learn something new every day.

https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/vegetables/artichoke/artichoke-winter-care.htm

I have a Lavender plant, not positive what type, but I have trimmed dead ends off a bit with July drought & it bloomed again in Sept, I didn't even know it could do that. Before winter sets in, I do prune a lot of dead parts, will prune down the Hydrangeas to mere inches, but the Lavender I only pruned down letting about 6 inches remain. In Spring, it grew in really nice & full. If you know the variety of Lavender you can Google how to care for it, but if you're not sure & guessing like me, just do a light pruning. I did want to make sure roots were protected, as when we do get snow it's usually a few feet, so I did do a winter mulch around Lavender & Crepe Myrtles, they were young plants & I'd never had them before. They all did well.

 

[Liz Birdlover]

Dang green tomato jam didn't set up. I'll do like they say online and give it more time, I'm not keen on opening 10 half pints and reprocessing but this stuff is green so I don't see it looking right as a syrup.
Well maybe for a Halloween party.

I'll bet it didn't get hot enough, it needs to hit 220 but I didn't check and just used the cooking time in the recipe. We'll use one jar and let the rest sit for another day then recook if it still hasn't set. Dang stuff is really delicious, you can taste the cinnamon, allspice, ginger root, and something fruity and that has to be the green tomato. I like to imagine my grandmother making this stuff, I can see her being unwilling to let any tomatoes go to waste. It makes me wish once again that I could talk to her now and learn from her, she was a great cook I was told but I only saw her maybe 5 times as a kid and that was all before I was 10 years old. I know she canned, I can remember seeing the old style jars. I can't even imagine what she could have taught me.


Huh, they practically grow wild here (zone 9) and I just assumed everyone didn't do anything to over-winter. I've got some in a wine barrel and one in a raised bed. I'll mulch mine and see how they go.

Ditto that, wish I could've gotten to know my grandparents, too, & learn so much. My dad told some great stories of his growing up, though. He taught me to cook a few things, still favorites of mine today. His stories are still so vivid in mind, almost as if I was there & they're my memories.

 

[Wee Farmer Sarah]

I’m in zone 5 and the English lavender I have growing in the herb beds overwinters well with just some leaves covering it. The French lavender I have in large containers overwinters on my covered porch. Apparently English lavender is more cold hardy than the other.

 

[pennyJo1960]

I used slurry of juice to corn starch to thicken the Jam. @NewBoots
Did pour 10 small jars to quart jars of our pasta, pizza sauce into 4 quart jars .
Used 6 ounce tomato paste to thicken on it.;

 

[karenerwin]

I can’t believe that this is the first tomato horn worm I found this garden season! Found him while I was pulling the rest of the dead plants out to burn.
I chipped up a huge bag of wood chips and put the around the lavender plant, the cut back sage plants and the base of the artichoke plant. I have more wood chips I’ll add to the garden in the next few days.
I can’t tell/ remember if this next picture is of thyme or rosemary. I started both from seed but I don’t remember which one made it this far.

Anybody know their herbs well enough? The last 2 pictures are of the same plant.

 

[Happy Novogens]

Exhausting day today. We planted 9 fruit trees (well ...one is an almond tree, so guess not a fruit).
Orange, Pluerry, Aprium, Plum, Apple, Peach, Nectarine, Blood Orange, & Almond.

 

[NewBoots]

I can’t tell/ remember if this next picture is of thyme or rosemary. I started both from seed but I don’t remember which one made it this far.

That's thyme, I love it.

 

[littledog]

I can't believe here it is almost November, and I'm still picking, canning and freezing like crazy!
Pole beans: I figured they were done and left some on the vines to dry for next year's seeds and to shell and dry for winter soups, but here they are growing more new green ones.
Tomatoes: This year is so unusual to still have no blight, every couple days I fill a grocery bag, chop and fill the crock pot, and fill the canner with sauce.
Cukes and yellow squash: still producing like crazy.
Butternut is forming a lot of squashes, here's hoping they mature before rain/frost kills the plants.
My lone cabbage is heading, eggplants are still alive though no flowers yet, basil is thin but ready to harvest - I might take cuttings and try to propagate them under a grow light during winter.
Leeks: They were so pitiful as seedlings, but after planting them outside, they look better and better.
The one new plant I grew as an experiment that was successful, is Prescott melons. I picked the first one yesterday, but after cutting into it, it wasn't as ripe as it seemed. Still tasty though, so I'll let the others mature a bit more.
Usually by this time of the year, I'm pulling up plants and deciding whether to compost or dispose of them. Better get my butt in gear, since daylight time is changing soon!

 

[Ascholten]

Well Kiss my cracker ass. it never ends.
Girls are acting strange today, real quiet. 3 OG's are hanging real close by the pen. The 2 new ones, I have no clue where they are, they are hidden somewhere REAL good and I have no time to try to track them down, they'll be back around come night time.

I go out front today, in front of the house, hear an odd but familiar sound in the bough of pine trees about a block?? away from my house. I can't see that far so go in and get the super dooper digital midgital, awesome widgetal magnification thingamabobby and take a closer look.

Yep, 2 Bald Eagles in the tall pine tree, it looks like they are building a nest and the 'sounds' are them courting. Yep,just like at work, where we have a nest near by.

Just #%#n great.
You absolutely can NOT touch those. Americans have this stupid fetish about them, they'll throw you under the jail for messing with a stupid eagle. Also, an Eagle is absolutely big enough to take a full sized chicken without any fight or problems, unlike a hawk where they can run and get away. Not gonna happen with a Bald Eagle.

Girls absolutely can NOT free range anymore now with this. It looks like I am going to have to get a real and sturdy coop built here. Oh well, Ive been wanting to for a while but just kind of kicking it around. I need a work shop / storage for garden stuff ish place anyways, so maybe I can combine the two.

Looks like this decision was made for me.

Now I know why they are acting all goofy. It just never ends.
up your's jo boo'''

Aaron

 

[jerryse]

Gave in and went to the chiropractor . Taking it easy . Rain coming tomorrow and cooler temps . Leaves are mostly down on my maples .