Let's Get this (Garden) Party Started!

We are coming to the end of a long, cold Winter, I hope. I do so fervently hope! We had the first really warm, dry weekend of the year...as in, two whole days in a row of beautiful weather when both of us could work in the garden. And work we did!

►First up: pruning the roses. All 60 bushes! Yes, you may notice a reduction in the total number because the extremely harsh Winter we have just survived was quite unkind to 3 of the newest: two First Prize (pink) and one New Day (yellow), all  hybrid teas. And, most...if not all...of the remaining ones suffered damage in some way or other. Sigh.

Unpruned roses in
The Way Back Rose Garden

Still, that gave me a good excuse (like I really needed one) to order three new Grandifloras: Sweetness, Lagerfeld, and Wild Blue Yonder (AARS-winner)...all purple er, lavender, since the Rose World doesn't really recognize "purple" as a proper color for roses. Right. Plus, I will be ordering a Midas Touch, an AARS-winning hybrid tea which is my fave yellow rose of all time, and two The Alnwick® Rose, a beautiful pink David Austin "English shrub" rose.

I prepared for the chore by reading up on →rose pruning basics and by purchasing a →new pair of pruning shears. Both steps helped to make this the EASIEST year yet for pruning all our Rose Garden beauties.

→Basics: I have been researching Rose Pruning for a Master Gardening program I will be presenting in early March. I've used many sources, but I'll give a shout-out to the easiest to read, although it is an ancient publication by internet standards (1994): Roses for North Carolina. Here's what the NC State author had to say about pruning:

Pruning: Pruning could be one of the most important and necessary steps in growing roses. Correct pruning will improve the overall shape, promote new, healthier growth, and eliminate dead, (damaged), or diseased canes. Most of the annual pruning in North Carolina should be done in the spring, just as the buds break dormancy. [This is usually quoted as 'when the forsythia blooms'.] The most important thing is to look at the buds. The gardener who prunes too early will gamble future growth to frost, and one who prunes too late will have a plant weakened by loss of sap. So watch for the buds, when they begin to swell, go ahead and prune. Spring pruning also allows for removal of wood which was damaged by the winter. This is helpful in the overall shaping of the rose. The height of the plant can be controlled by pruning, and even after a severe pruning new canes will usually grow to the desired height.

Sharp pruning shears are necessary. Pruning cuts should be clean and at a (45-degree)slant. The wood should be removed about 1/4 inch above an outside bud. Be sure to cut a cane down to a point where the cross-section shows no sign of discoloration. Periodically dip the pruning shears in a 70% alcohol solution to decrease spread of disease organisms. Tree roses are pruned primarily for shape, thus requiring severe pruning cuts. Climbers are pruned according to class. The spring flowering ramblers are pruned immediately after blooming. The old wood is removed to stimulate new growth which will flower the next year. Many climbers are pruned to be kept within a basic boundary with the older canes pruned. Corrective pruning and pruning diseased canes should be done as soon as necessary.

Pruning, like thinning, is hard for me. Really, really hard. As I said to Mr. T while we were wielding our shears and whacking branches left and right, "I feel like Morticia." (Any Addams Family fans out there?) But, I have learned that the better job I do at pruning the roses in the late Winter, the fewer pests (critters and diseases) I will have to deal with come Summer. And the better quality of blooms I get! Win-win, as they say!!

Of course, a "better job" of pruning really depends on a "better class" of pruners. For years, I have used a pair of Fiskars general purpose pruners...mainly because they were inexpensive and readily available locally (I tend to loose them). But for the past few years, the arthritis in my hands has progressively worsened...leaving me in pain after a weekend of pruning our roses. Not this year. I was determined to find something different...something better. Let the research begin!

→Pruning Shears: The gold standard for rose professionals has long been Felco bypass pruning shears. Ask any Rosarian and you will most certainly hear the virtues of the brand extolled. Not my personal choice, though.  You see, I have these short, pudgy, arthritic hands, and I just haven't had much luck with getting pruners, including the top-of-the-line, to fit comfortably...until now, that is.

First, I found an interactive comparison guide to pruning shears online, which is great but does NOT include all models (as I was to learn later in my research). It did give me some guidance...and introduce me to the concept of shears for small hands, as well as some new names (at least for me) in the biz. It also helped me narrow down what I was seeking in my new pruners: shorter length, lighter weight, and ergonomic design. As always, I wanted to find the best...but my economical self was still in the room.

Since local offerings of the names on the list are slim-to-none (and Slim left town...pah-dum-pum!), I ordered several varieties from Amazon.com, including Fiskars, Corona, and Bahco, and gave them the squeeze test. It was immediately apparent which one would be the one I'd choose to whack my way through 60+ rose bushes: the Bahco. Surprise!

I'd never heard of Bahco before this, but after a weekend of heavy pruning, I will never be without Bahco Ergonomic Pruner for Small Hands PX-S2 again. I'm returning the others, considering the return shipping cost to be a small price to pay for being able to compare the different models in my kitchen (I couldn't actually use them to prune outdoors, since I knew I'd be returning them; so, I was limited in my "test" to holding and pretend-pruning).

So, here you have a picture of the Rose Garden as it looked on Monday morning. If you compare this to the one above, you will notice that you can see the containers around the bird bath...something that was hidden before.  The eagle-eyed among you might even spot Mr. T (upper left corner of the shot...:-).

Pruned roses
in The Way Back Rose Garden

►Second: preparing for planting potatoes. I prepped 6 bags (three black, three blue), as shown in the picture below. I plan on using the blue bags to grow the purple-skinned potatoes called Midnight Moon, that I have ordered from Burpee. Yes, I said purple potatoes! Cannot wait to see how they turn out this year!

Potato Grow Bags...
All ready for St. Patrick's Day!

I have had such good success with Grow Bags in the past, especially when I get the planting mix right. I use 1/3 top soil (bagged), 1/3 compost (bagged, mushroom), and 1/3 shredded leaves, with about 1/4 cup bone meal mixed into the bottom layer. Makes a perfect light, lofty soil for potatoes. Then, when it comes time to "hill up" as the green part of the plants grow bigger, I add more leaves and compost to create an easy, light medium for harvesting the potatoes. Heck, you can just stick your hand into the bag and grab a few early potatoes if you want!

►Last: cleaning up. While I concentrated on the roses and the potato prep, Mr. T worked like two men possessed on cleaning up the whole 1/4 acre we call the Way Back. It's surprising how much mess a hard Winter plus two Pound Puppies can generate in 4 months. If you look closely at the photo above, you can see where Winston likes to play King of the Hill!  On top of the bags of leaves, next to the fence. Whew...what an energetic puppy!

We did have a bit of excitement this weekend. Mr. T received a FitBit Flex wristband for Valentine's Day from moi. [For those of you who haven't read about our foray into fitness, check out the posts on our family blog, The Adsit Adventure.] Sunday night, after a day spent almost entirely in the garden, he noticed that the wristband was no longer on his arm. Uh oh. He took the flashlight out to the Way Back, but you can imagine how much luck he had with that. And, no luck by the light of Monday morning either. So, Monday afternoon after he'd finished work, he dumped both yard-waste toters...filled with prickly rose branches and other prunings...out; no luck there either.

He started making the round of "where I was at different times of the day," when he went to the compost bin where he'd dumped the remains of the prunings of the 4 pampas grass clumps. He pulled the front side forward and there it was...just hanging there, like it was waiting for him to find it. Relief!

BTW, about that foray into fitness? You might have read about my (pretend) bike ride across the USA to Disneyland in order to get/keep me in shape for gardening this year. Well, folks...it must be working! I challenged my body by working in the garden for 10-12 hours over the weekend...lots of reaching, pulling, lifting, twisting, stretching, kneeling, etc.; and I am here to report that, other than sore arm muscles, I felt fine on Monday morning! Hurrah!!

Now, we have snow in the forecast for tomorrow (!), but it should be a non-event. And we should be heading into warmer days as we flip the calendar over on Saturday. This gardener, for one, cannot wait!

Happy hoeing!

Get in Shape to Garden in 2014

We live in the Land of Three-Season Gardening, meaning we are able to have something producing for about 10 months out of the year. With row covers, we can stretch that through the worst winter weather, down to about 24-26 degrees. I haven't checked yet, but I imagine the single-digit temps of the past two days probably nipped most, if not all, the remaining vegetables in the Box Garden. Ah well. It's time for a little rest.

Or, is it? If we gardeners take the months of January and February off while our gardens rest, we run the risk of sore muscles, aching backs, and/or strains, sprains, tears, and other assorted injuries once we return to playing in the dirt. Been there...done most of those...got the Bio-Freeze to prove it.

So, this year things will be different. I am implementing an exercise plan that will focus on keeping me limber and flexible, along with strengthening my upper arms (needed for lifting) and my abdominable and gluteal muscles (which give the support needed for a stronger lower back). 

I took a look at (1) what muscles are used for what tasks and (2) what muscles have given me the most trouble in the past. I also took a hard look at my own relationship with exercising in general. 

1. What muscles are needed for what tasks:

Gluteals: Weeding and planting or seeding while squatting and bending.

Abdominals: Weeding on hands and knees; hoeing and raking; manual cultivating or tilling; harvesting; turning and adding compost; digging; and starting a tiller or mower.

Thighs and calves: Pushing a wheelbarrow, pulling a wagon; weeding while squatting and bending; lifting heavy bags of compost, soil, and soil additives; and digging.

Back: Weeding on hands and knees; raking or hoeing; bending to plant seeds; carrying watering cans, 2-gallon sprayers, and trugs; harvesting; digging; and starting a tiller or mower.

Arms and shoulders: Weeding on hands and knees; raking and hoeing; pushing a wheelbarrow, pulling a wagon; pruning; spraying; and turning and adding compost.

Heart: Digging, heavy lifting, and general stamina.

2. What muscles have given me the most trouble:

Gluteals: I dearly love my new raised beds, but I have noticed that my glutes are sorer than ever, after a day of squatting.

Abdominals: While I can't say I feel pain here, I know that my abs are much too weak to provide the proper support for my back.

Thighs and calves: Minor soreness, but major need at the beginning of the gardening season.

Back: Major area of concern, especially the lower back.

Arms and shoulders: Lots of soreness here.

(Heart: Not presently a problem, but need to protect from effects of aging.)

Taking all the above into consideration, here is what I have worked out:

A. Stationary bicycling, 5-6/days per week— I have a NordicTrack recumbent stationary bicycle, and I am using Google maps to map out a bike trip from home to Disneyland...2600 miles, which is 50 miles a week for 52 weeks. [Read more about this experience over on our family blog The Adsit Adventure (http://adsit2.blogspot.com)] This works on my glutes, thighs, and calves...and my abs to a lesser degree. An added plus: if I ride 14-15 mph, I can get my heart rate up to 125-130 range, which is 80% of maximum for a 60 year-old, and yields a decent cardio workout for my heart.

B. A stretching and strengthening exercise regime, 3-4/days per week — Based on a menu for a "moderate" workout in the book Garden Your Way to Health and Fitness by Bunny Guinness and Jacqueline Knox, page 45, I am doing the following:

+ Squats – 10 reps (works thighs and glutes)

+ Lunges – 10 reps each leg (works thighs and glutes)

+ Weights – 10 reps each arm: lifting a 2-gallon container of water, weighing about 17 pounds (works arms and shoulders)

+ Resistance bands – 10 reps each: curls (works arms and shoulders)

As we get closer to Spring, I will add more outdoor activities. Until then, I will rely on this plan to keep me limber and flexible during the "resting" months.

If you would like to join me, remember to get an ok from your health care professional. My family practice doc is a proponent of a daily dose of exercise, especially for those of us with arthritis, and he is really enthusiastic about the recumbent bike for those of us with back problems.

Time to ride!

Wrapping Up 2013

December view of Box Garden,
from Center path in Way Back

Here's a snap (left) of the Box Garden, all covered up for the recent cold weather.  You'd never guess there are carrots, beets, spinach, broccoli, collards, and lettuces under those row covers, would you? And onions...lots and lots of onions! Oh, and some garlic in the Center Square...almost forgot about that.

Turnip Greens, growing in
the Way Back Row Garden

You might also see a row of green in the middle-upper left. That's a row of Seven Tops turnip greens, which don't seem to mind the frosty temps in the least. The more frost, the better the taste! Here's a close up I took of that very productive row a few weeks ago, right:

Unless you are a gardener...or farmer...you may think that the Winter months are a time of rest and reflection; a time to relax, have another cup of coffee, and enjoy the arriving seed catalogs...far removed from the soil. You would only be partially correct.

As the year comes to a close, there are several things on our To Do list before we can put the Way Back gardens to bed:

1. Apply dormant oils to orchard trees, berry bushes, and roses. (That's what I'm working on later today...when the temps hit 50. Remember my motto: "Between 50 and 90...no lower, no higher." In summer I say, "Noon or 90...whichever comes first." But that doesn't apply here...:-)
2. Remove the remaining vegetation in the Kitchen Row Garden.
3. Till up the rows in the Kitchen Row Garden.
4. Add lime to rows and to rose garden, per Soil Test Report.
5. Mow over and collect remaining leaves on the ground in the Way Back. Add to gardens for mulch and compost. (Mr. T actually got the leaf-mowing done a couple of days ago, so we can check this one off the list.)

To elaborate a bit...

Dormant Oils -- So called because they are applied in the dormant season (winter months in the Northern Hemisphere) before bud break in late February to mid-March (in USDA Zone 7b in the Piedmont area of NC), a more accurate name would be horticultural oils, because they can be used at other times of the season (at lesser strengths). Because there are NO leaves or buds on the plants to be sprayed, we can use the oils at full-strength, as directed on the label ("the label is the law"). The winter applications of these include "All Seasons" Dormant Oil, Copper-Sulfate, and Lime-Sulfur Oil, which we purchase in concentrated form and then mix with water in a 2-gallon pump-sprayer.

As I have said before, I try my best to use the kindest, gentlest methods of pest control possible, preferring a natural choice...although I stop short of saying that I am an "organic" gardener.

The trickiest part is getting the "environment" right: temperatures must be above 45 degrees (preferably less than 70) when sprayed; there must be no rain and/or freezing temperatures forecasted for at least 24 hours; and the wind should be negligible-to-light (less than 5 mph). Finding a day that meets all of those criteria in December is tough...but fortunately today is almost perfect to get started! Yes, we could postpone until January...but we can't wait too long because (ideally) we will want to do another spraying after 30-45 days, and that second spraying MUST be done before bud-break...which can sometimes surprise you in mid-February. Plus, we can't spray the Lime Sulfur or the Copper Sulfate at the same time as the Dormant Oil without risking vegetation damage; we have to wait 1-3 weeks...and until we have ALL the right "environmental" conditions.

A good way to remember WHEN to spray is to think in terms of Holidays: New Year's for the first spraying, Valentine's for the second. That should give you a little wiggle room for dealing with the vagaries of the weather.

Here is some great information on Dormant Oils:
http://extension.missouri.edu/phelps/documents/Horticulture_News/Time_for_Dormant_Oil_Application.pdf
http://ucanr.edu/sites/marinmg/files/116758.pdf

Remaining vegetation -- As you have seen, we still have a good stand of turnip greens in one of the rows that we need to till (more on that in a minute), which I will harvest and cook for my "Good Luck Greens" on New Year's Day...putting the rest in the freezer. I'm the only one that eats turnip greens, so I'll have plenty to keep me busy until next Fall...no worries! My original plan was to leave the greens to "go to seed," which means they send up flower stalks...and serve as excellent attractors for the pollinators (bees, mainly) that we will need for the orchard in a couple of months. And, we still have a few okra stalks still hanging on to their roots that must go to China. All of that has to be removed so we can...

Till up the rows -- We have two main reasons for tilling up the rows in the Kitchen Row Garden: (a) to turn the soil over to expose overwintering pests, especially the squash vine borer; and (b) to add amendments like lime (per our Soil Test report) and compost (like leaves). While adopting a no-till policy is admirable, we find that a winter-till is more beneficial to our soil and our harvests. Hence, the change in plan about the greens being left to flower.

Of course, we have to wait until we have dry soil to till...and that has thus far eluded us this month. We got another 1" of rain yesterday, so it will be early January before we can check this chore off the list. Sigh. Oh well, while we are awaiting dry soil, we can catch up on a couple of things inside...by the fire...with a warm beverage in hand...

Journaling -- I have been pretty faithful in keeping my Garden Journal this year, but the Holidays played havoc with my resolve to write. I want to have a good verbal "picture" of the gardens in 2013 so that I can begin planning 2014 in earnest.  That's where the letter carrier comes in!

Perusing the arriving Seed Catalogs -- Oh yes, they are arriving daily, sometimes 2 or 3 a day...making me feel for our letter carrier. And I see that along with the usual suspects (red tomatoes, green peppers, and orange carrots), the Color Purple is becoming quite popular in the vegetative universe. Purple carrots. Purple-podded (green) peas. Purple-skinned potatoes. I kid you not.

And, we know how I love to trial new things in the gardens!

Happy hoeing!

Moving the Action Indoors: Amaryllis

Checked the calendar on Wednesday: just six weeks to Christmas! And that brings thoughts of one of my favorite indoor blooms...amaryllis. Of course, there are many parts of the world where amaryllis bloom naturally outdoors, and I do put my spent bulbs outside during the Spring and Summer months, but for us here in USDA Zone 7B, we have to force the bulbs to bloom "out of season" for those lovely blooms during the Holidays.

Here's a picture (right) of Red Lion blooming from last year...or, actually from earlier this year. I did not get the process going on time in the last weeks of Summer 2012, so they didn't bloom at Christmas...they bloomed at New Year's.

 

Process, you say? What process?

Many people who receive a blooming amaryllis for a gift simply toss the bulb when the blooms fade. Being the primal garbage gardener that I am, I cannot do that. I have to at least give reblooming a try. I found this great step-by-step approach from the US National Arboretum that outlines how to make it work: click here to go there.

As I said, I leave the potted (spent) bulbs, with the strappy leaves intact, outside during the warmer months. This year, I snipped off the leaves, dug them up, and brought the bulbs inside mid-September, in order to give them a good 8-week resting period. 

The bulbs spent this "time-out" in a divided box (originally made for Ball canning jars) in the guest bathroom tub (coolest place I could think of)...a room that stayed dark the entire period. There is no window in that room, and we did not turn on the light, or even enter it for the resting period.

I have been mulling over how to display them this year, wanting to do a little better than just individual plants in individual pots. I thumbed through one of my indoor gardening books, "Tabletop Gardens," by Rosemary McCreary (Storey Publishing, 2006) to get an inspiration, and then I revisited my Master Gardener Speakers Bureau binder on a presentation I gave on Containers for some ideas.

And then, during a retail therapy visit to Big Lots, I happened across these ginormous Christmas-themed wine glasses...clearly marked "FOR DECORATIVE PURPOSES ONLY." Inspiration, ideas, and opportunity all collided...and two of those 'glasses' came home with me.

My vision was to create two mirror-image tabletop container gardens for the dining room table Holiday centerpiece with three amaryllis bulbs each (they would eventually grow up to be the Thrillers), a tuft of a soft-bladed houseplant each (they would be the Fillers), and several long stems of English ivy, pulled from the over-run bed in front of our house (these would be the Spillers). I chose the wine glasses with the red and black Santa suit theme because I wanted to use as the center of this centerpiece tableau a wicker pot "cover" that is black with red accents...looks like Frosty the Snowman's top hat turned over...to contain a plain pot holding the largest amaryllis bulbs variety I have called 'Sydney.' Oh yes, Big Daddy (Sidney Lunn) is with us for every Holiday meal!

First, I gathered my materials: aquarium charcoal (acts as a filtering agent for containers that don't have drainage holes), sphagnum peat moss (a lighter planting medium than potting soil...holds moisture better), some small river rock (serves as a good 'anchor' base between the charcoal on the bottom of the glasses and the peat moss as the nesting medium for the bulbs and the companion plants) to support the emerging roots. I also got a narrow-spaded trowel and a pair of latex gloves...easier for me to work in than outdoor garden gloves. As I was working inside (too cold to work at my potting bench outside), I covered my workspace in newspaper. Meanwhile, I removed the amaryllis bulbs from their resting box to a large bowl filled with lukewarm water; I wanted to give them a good soak before planting them and get them well-hydrated after their 8-week resting period.

Gathering materials for container gardens

Then, I hand-washed and dried the containers. I placed a layer of charcoal (purchased at Petsmart, in the Fish section), followed by a layer of small river rocks. Then I scooped in a layer of peat moss. 

Unique containers for the Holidays

I first placed the Fillers (to one side of one glass container, mirroring their placement in the other container), since they had the most-developed existing root structure and needed the greatest depth of planting medium (peat moss). I added the long stems of ivy (the Spillers), pushing the root-end deep into the peat moss, adding more as needed for support/anchorage. 

Finally, I arranged three (well-hydrated) bulbs in each of the glasses and one large bulb in the single clay container. I added a bit of peat moss to cover any stray roots...but not too much. Amaryllis bulbs grow best if most of the bulb is showing. I added some larger river rocks on the top. Then I misted everything thoroughly, washing any stray planting media off the sides of the containers. 

Ready to add the amaryllis bulbs

Thrillers, Fillers, and Spillers added to containers

To finish up for the time being, I moved all containers to the warmest, sunniest window in the house...and set a light on a timer to make sure they are receiving plenty of light to stimulate bloom-growth. I will keep daily tabs and will mist as often as needed, keeping the media moist but NOT soggy. Remember, there are no drainage holes in the glass containers, and the last thing I want is to develop root-rot.

And hopefully, I'll be posting pictures soon of beautiful blooms!

Happening in the Garden This Week

The four-letter weather-word has shown up on our forecast for tonight: SNOW! If it happens, we will be ready for it.

One would think with the arrival of cold weather that we'd be hanging out the "Closed for the Season" sign, wouldn't one? One would be wrong! We have quite a bit of activity going on around here.

Fall Broccoli - 2013

1. The Kitchen Garden - The Third Season is in fine form out in the Box and Block Gardens. The raised beds in the Box Garden are sporting carrots (harvested the first three of the Fall last week), lettuces (3 kinds...my fave being the Red Sails), spinach (coming in fast and furious), beets (a little late here...had to replant), broccoli (pictured, right), cauliflower (replants), collards (replants), and one lone cabbage (a replant...all its friends succumbed to the dreaded cutworms, which were the cause of the replanted brassica). The Block Garden has been completely surrounded by a temporary fence (no worries...I can "open" one side of it...:-) that is supporting a good stand of (English) peas ('Wondo'...just picked some of those and popped them in our pot of soup)...and enclosing the rows where stands one lone surviving Red Cabbage plant (yes, cutworms again...you better believe I will be using cardboard collars come Spring-planting time!).

All the raised beds are sporting winter-weight row covers (purchased two years ago from Gardeners Supply...and still showing up for duty...:-), clothes-pinned to the hoops that bend over the plantings, so they should be OK down to 28 degrees. Mr. T came up with the clever idea to corral all the leaves that our neighbors are steadily gifting us with inside the fence around the Block Garden...brilliant, indeed! They provide protection to the peas...better than straw...and, of course, that lone cabbage must feel coddled, like being wrapped in a warm blanket.

We got most of the spent plant materials pulled up and into the yard waste toter, including the 5 pepper plants and the lone eggplant. Because of the high risk of overwintering of pests and pathogens on the members of the Solanaceae family (tomatoes, potatoes, peppers, eggplants, etc.), I don't compost this debris...I get it off the property. Good riddance to blights, I hope!

[By the way, I finished my latest Master Gardener article yesterday, written about the End-of-the-Season Clean-Up. Be sure to check it out here if you have the time...and LIKE and SHARE it if you are on Facebook! (If you have arrived on this post before that link is active, check back later. Thanks!)]

2. The Orchard - Granted, there isn't much activity going on amongst the fruit trees...and, since the squirrels and their pals picked all the fruit before it ripened, there wasn't much clean-up required. Still Mr. T harvested the seed pods from the zinnias and pulled up the remaining flower stalks, while I planted 6 pineapple lily bulbs (from Lakeside Farms) in the new-this-year Pollinators Garden. When the front-porch mums are finished with their blooming, I will plant them here.

I also tilled up a long bed in the back of the Way Back, across the Orchard and the Berry Patch, and planted 110 daffodil bulbs (that have been hanging out in the garage fridge for 6 weeks, as directed). They will be putting on a show, come Spring...fingers crossed; toes, too!

Seeds of the butterfly weed
Asclepias Tuberosa - 2013

We have several wonderful outcroppings of butterfly weed, Asclepias Tuberosa, in the Orchard...planted by either the birds or the wind. And, now is the time to harvest the seeds which have broken out of the pods following the recent frosty nights [shown in the picture Mr. T snapped with his iPhone (right)]. Aren't they just amazing? They are designed to be wind-dispersed, with fluffy, silky tufts. We'll keep them in a paper bag in the garage fridge until Spring, then plant...and cross our fingers and toes because butterfly weed is notoriously difficult to grow from seed. We shall see...

3. The Berry Patch - All is quiet on this tasty front. Mr. T has filled the blueberry boxes 3 (raised beds, containing the 9 blueberry bushes) with bags and bags of our neighbors' shredded (mostly oak) leaves...remember, blueberries love an acid soil and oak leaves can help maintain that. I also tilled up and refurbed another strawberry bed, this one containing the newest Ozark Beauty runners. (No snakes were found this time!)

4. The Rose Garden - All of the hybrid teas, the grandifloras, and most of the David Austen ("English" shrub) roses are winding down, forming as many rose hips as rose buds. The two notable exceptions are the coppery 'Pat Austen' and the lemony 'Molineaux.' So, when you look toward the Rose Garden from another part of the Way Back, you will see the colors of Fall: orange and yellow. Beautiful combination!

Additionally, the 'Mardi Gras' floribunda rose bush (located just outside of the Rose Garden, in the Rondel) is still budding, producing the flamboyant pinks, oranges, and yellows...all swirled together into colorful blooms. Makes for fabulous bouquets, especially when you add the prolifically-producing 'Gethsemane Moonlight' mums that now dot several corners of the property. I pruned the original 6 plants after their first growth spurt in the Spring, in order to assure lush flower production in the Fall...then dipped the "prunings" into rooting hormone...lo and behold, WORLDS of new plants. Gotta love propagation!!

The rest of our weekend activity revolved around general cleaning up and taking relaxing breaks in the swings. Since it has been a difficult week around our house, we needed some time for rest and contemplation.

And the garden is the very best place for it.  Happy hoeing!

First Frost

What a busy week we gardeners in the USDA Zone 7b Piedmont of NC have had! First frost arrived almost on time in the wee hours on Wednesday 10/24, followed closely by our first freeze this morning. [Want to find out the average dates of First and Last Frost for your garden? Go to the Dave's Garden site and enter your ZIP code: http://davesgarden.com/guides/freeze-frost-dates/#b]

My own To Do list to prepare for First Frost (which research assigns to October 20 for HPNC) included:

1. Harvest warm-season crops that would be injured or killed by frost or freezing temperatures. Tender crops still producing in our Kitchen Garden include green and jalapeño peppers, okra, and eggplant. Here's a photo of the green pepper haul, below.

2. Cover cool-season crops -- meaning all the cabbage family crops (cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, and collards), lettuce, spinach, carrots, and beets. Turnip greens  (shown below with a row of nasturtiums pre-frost) are actually better after a light frost or two, so I choose not to cover them. I also didn't cover the peas, since they grow up a fence and already have a straw-mulch.

This is the most labor-intensive part of the frost-prep work. I had to install the hoops, spread the cover fabric out in order to cut to size for the 5 new-this-year raised beds, spread the covers, clip to the hoops with clothespins, and anchor the edges of the covers with rocks. You see I had a helper with that whole cutting and anchoring process below. Ahem.

We bought these GardenQuilt fabric covers four years ago from Gardeners' Supply (click here to go there: http://www.gardeners.com/GardenQuilt-Cover/11748,default,pd.html).  They work splendidly and have outlived their promise of two years' service. I've stored them off-season in the shed, folded (more or less) in a laundry basket, making sure they are thoroughly dry before putting away. Since we had 40 foot rows, we ordered the 50' length...hence the need to cut them down to fit the new 6' boxes. (The Row Garden is now mainly for Warm-Season crops.) Because this is a fabric, not plastic, I can leave the covers in place without worrying that warmer temps will damage the crops. What's not to love?

3. Bring vulnerable container-bound perennials like citrus trees, ferns, herbs, and palms that are living north of their Zones into the plasticized screen porch for Winter protection. There are a couple of mature and mostly yellow lemons on the Improved Meyer Lemon tree, along with one full-size green (immature) and loads of tiny little lemons from a recent late blooming. I imagine the little ones won't survive the drastic change in available light, but a gardener can dream, can't she?

4. Empty soil out of clay pots to keep them from cracking from expansion during a freeze. While working at my potting bench, I potted up some crocus and tulip bulbs to spend the Winter in the shed...and to be brought out in late February to encourage Easter-time blooms. And then, I pulled all my zonal geraniums from their containers, shook the soil off the roots, trimmed the stems by half...and put them in a paper grocery bag to also spend the Winter in the shed. Iowa State Extension's site has a great guide to dormant storage and overwintering geraniums here: http://www.ipm.iastate.edu/ipm/hortnews/2004/9-17-2004/geraniums.html

5. Cut all open blooms on zinnias and roses to bring inside for a huge vase of fresh flowers. There are worlds of buds on both that may not survive a hard freeze, but aren't far enough along for a bouquet. Sigh. Still, I must focus on how much we have enjoyed all the beautiful blossoms this year...and hope that a few last until the warmer weather on the way. I also gave the basil its final haircut, since this heat-lover won't survive temps below 50 degrees...popped the cuttings into another vase, hoping for a rooted branch or two to pot up. Fingers crossed...toes, too!

Whew! I need a day of rest...how about you?

Still Get a Thrill

Yes, I know it's 82 degrees in October. We should be thinking about lighting the fireplace, instead of cranking the AC up. Ah well...let's concentrate on a Fall Garden Report.

Regardless of the toasty temps, the cool season crops are coming right along. Today, I harvested another salad's-worth of romaine and Red Sails lettuce and the first few pods of green ("English") peas...yeah! Then I thinned the beets (pictured below) and the carrots...and decided to let the spinach and the turnip greens grow in thickly. {Giggle!} I was a bit heavy-handed in planting the beets, wouldn't you agree?

If you are wondering about the diagonal wood strips in that photo above, you may recall my saying I had repurposed some lattice we removed from our deck surround to create a cucumber trellis (which worked great this summer!). I had a couple small pieces left over and am using them in the raised beds to help me lay out my plantings and space my seeds in the boxes (which are not as easy to 'eyeball' as the rows are for me). And I have learned (the hard way) to leave them in place to protect the tiny, young seedlings from Abbie's mad dashes.  Yep, this is the SECOND planting of both beets and spinach this Fall. Sigh.

While we wait for some things to reach maturity, we are still enjoying the fruits of our warm season labors. Several of the Summer stalwarts continue producing in the Kitchen Garden, including the green and red bell peppers, jalapeño peppers, Sun Gold tomatoes, okra, and eggplant...as you can see below. Plus, most of the zinnias and all the roses are supplying us with flowers for gorgeous bouquets. 

And guess what else is starting to open? The heirloom green Nanking cotton! You may remember that I got these seeds a couple of years ago at the Seed Exchange held at Old Salem. Well, these plants (all 36 of them!) are the result of my own seed-saving from last year's cotton crop...8 whole plants! As I've said before, I hope to raise enough fibre to eventually hand-spin some yarn and knit...something! Girl's gotta have a goal, don't you know?