What'd you do in your garden today?

[bwhite829]

I can't believe there isn't a thread about this already! I thought it'd be just as common as the "what'd you eat from your garden today?" Anyway, I'll start!

on thursday, I side dressed all my crops. Today i was able to get the last of my spinach seed and lay it out where it was skipping in the spinach row, as well as putting a few short rows in between my grandfather's old strawberry hills(or what's remnant of it). It was my first time hand-tilling, and I enjoyed it. I also harvested some kale, cabbage, turnips, and mustards. I'm still trying to figure out how I'm going to eat all this

[rainbowgardener]

I started a thread like this early in the season.... it's buried in history now and I couldn't find it again. For most of the country, in fact most of the northern hemisphere, garden season is about over. There's a thread going on now Fall Garden Reports, that is people talking about putting their gardens away and what the results were. Some people's gardens are under snow already.

What I'm doing these days is collecting bags of fall leaves that people put out at the curb (brought home a dozen so far) and mulching everything. The left over leaves I use all winter to cover kitchen scraps in the compost pile.

Not much left in the garden but swiss chard, herbs and some fall flowers. I did make lentil soup last night with fresh picked swiss chard in it. Love that stuff! Most productive thing in my garden all season long. Made from scratch rosemary bread to go with it, with my own rosemary.

[gumbo2176]

It's Sunday and the weather guru's are calling for rain in our area today but I did get in the garden yesterday to harvest a 5 gallon bucket of salad greens that I shared with some friends. My Buttercrunch and Red Oak Leaf lettuces are not big enough to pick yet since the first planting didn't do well and they are 2-3 weeks behind the others.

I managed to pick Kale, Bright Lites and Swiss Chard, Arugula, endive, several other salad greens whose names escapes me right now, several ripe tomatoes and 2 heads of Broccoli. Also some herbs to share such as Sweet Basil, Chives, Parsley, Rosemary and Oregano.

I'll need to get out in the garden soon before the rain to take in some Collard Greens to smother down today.

[bwhite829]

I love the mild winters down here!

[tomf]

I never went out side, it is raining. I am going to till it up and plant a winter cover crop of clover.

[applestar]

I misted all the indoor plants. I picked a ripe Japanese Trifele tomato out of the cardboard box for my brunch sandwich to eat with olive oil preserved whole basil leaves from the fridge. Squished some aphids off of the two Jalapeno plants in the kitchen window and gave all the Rosemary plant pots in the Family Rm window a 1/4 turn. I need to do the same for the Avocados and the Mango in one of the bedrooms but that takes a bit more effort since they are now 2'~4' tall now, not including the containers.

I do have to go outside and check on my little kale and mustard greens. Pick some if they're still alive -- we had another heavy frost this morning -- or put floating covers on them to keep them alive. Maybe harvest the celery and the leeks now, or cover them as well. I also want to put another layer of mulch on the garlic and Egyptian onions.

[gumbo2176]

I love the mild winters down here!

Same here bwhite. It got so warm yesterday, I had to turn on the A/C to cool the house down. It was in the low 80's yesterday but it was muggy as a greenhouse due to this front coming in for today's predicted showers.

I took a ride on my motorcycle on Friday of this past week to go look at a home repair job and to go to a small town about 40 miles away for some of the best smoked Andouille Sausage you can get in this area When I left the house around 7:30 a.m., it was cool enough to wear a light jacket over my t-shirt. By 9:00, the jacket was in my saddlebag and is still there this morning.

Fall is nice but I haven't forgotten having sweat pouring off me like rain this past summer.

[bwhite829]

Yeah, this summer is really bad. I'm guessing there aren't many crops that handle our heat very good, so I'm expecting Fall and early winter to be busier out there than summer. I've got my 2nd round of greens cooking that i picked yesterday. Similar recipe, except a little less 'shrooms and onion, and this time i put 2 hamhocks in there to go with it!

[Gary350]

I cover my tomatoes and peppers with a blue tarp at night then uncover it in the morning. I picked 7 tomatoes Saturday. The plants are loaded with green tomatoes.

Peppers are producing lots of peppers some have turned red. I am waiting for red ones before I pick.

I move my plants in trays and pots outside during the day so they get sun light and bring them inside at night to protect them from frost.

I planted another garlic bed too.

[cherishedtiger]

Lets see, yesterday I turned the compost bin, had some rain so it needed a good spin.
Went and picked the last few peppers that were just barley hanging onto whats left of the pepper plants.
Pulled a few little odd weeds out of the garden, hand pollinated my poor little squash that still just keeps trying.
Checked on the nice growth of my spinach, cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, bok choi, lettuce, garlic, everything really seems to be doing quite well!
Next weekend I may work on a cover of sorts, something I can leave on permanently over the winter, but I can open to allow air and watering... yup that's the next project.

[soil]

i just walked around and ate some fresh food. toss some mulch here and there. some compost there and here. watched the birds peck bugs and dig through the mulch for pests.

[jal_ut]

Today in between rain, hail and a little sun, I planted some more garlic.

[bwhite829]

we had about a 76 degree thanksgiving, so i went out to the garden, got some kale and mustard and cooked them down w/ bacon and onion. to eat for thanksgiving

[soil]

pulled up all kinds of dead plants from the frost.

[DoubleDogFarm]

Went outside on the deck and took this picture, turned around kicking the snow and went back inside.


The whole time I was mumbling, under my breath, tomf better be skiing, mumble .....I want to work in the garden, mumble...people down south running around 76 degrees in their underwear, growing food, grumble....I hate this white shtuff, mumble grumble, feed the ducks and the dogs....mumble, keep the pipes from freezing, but first I'm having a second cup of coffee.

Eric

[rainbowgardener]

I was going to go out and pick some swiss chard and parsley for the Thanksgiving salad, just to be able to say there was something garden grown in it, but it was pouring rain (THANK GOODNESS for rain! first rain we had in November) so I didn't...

[thanrose]

I used some herbs from the gardens for T-day, but just a token. Rosemary for the green beans, garlic chives in the clam dressing. Hibiscus blooms on the table, though.

I'd love some snow about now. Too hot and humid to use the heat, too comfortably cool to use the AC to drain off the in-house humidity.

Went to the beach yesterday before putting the turkey on. Plenty of surfers to one side of the jetty, plenty of fisherfolk but no one catching on the jetty, very few dogwalkers or bathers on the lighthouse beach side. My old girl and I waded in a bit. I had hoped to see some late coquinas to collect for the broth for my clam stuffing. Of course no luck. It was just an excuse to get out of the house.

There are plenty of wild edibles out again. Might get some Sonchus spp. sprouts for greens with some Stellaria media. Good acorn crops all the way around this year, but mine are mostly more tannic, and tiny. Hickory is low on production this year though.

Oh, I moved Canna, Mirabilis jalapa, and a Hymenocallis to inground after nurturing them for years in pots. I think it's late enough in the season that they'll remain dormant. Zingiber officinale (edible ginger) is just starting to brown at leaf edges, so it will probably be mid December before I harvest any of that. Kinda late to be making ginger beer then if I planned on sharing it for Christmas.

Weird year for growing things here.

[Gary350]

I picked a few tomatoes, peppers, swiss chard then I covered my tomatoes and peppers with a blue tarp. Temp is dropping for 3 days then it is going to warm up again.

[rkunsaw]

Sunday I picked cabbage and made kraut.After it was shredded we had 34 pounds which filled a 5 gallon crock.
Today we are making an Irish boiled dinner with corned beef,cabbage,potatoes,carrots,radishes,rutabagas,and onions.

[soil]

cleaned chicken coop, took coop cleanings and made a compost pile, sifted another finished pile, and grabbed stuff for lunch.

[Avonnow]

It was a beautiful day here, I got out and ripped some Eggplant & Lima bean plants out, they were still producing but I have had enough, I also ripped some other sorry looking plants out that I had given enough time to do something and decided it was time for something new to look at, even if it was nothing. I added some compost to other areas, weeded and picked a bunch of beans and tomatos. It is raining now, so that makes a nice end to the day.

[soil]

dug up and divided Jerusalem artichokes, planted strawberry runners, ate more fresh food.

[gumbo2176]

Yesterday morning I picked some Sweet Basil and Rosemary, enough to make 4 loaves of bread. I made 2 Basil, Garlic and Cheese and 2 Rosemary and Cheese. Early this morning during a light sprinkle of mother nature, I picked a 5 gallon bucket full of salad greens, some broccoli and about 20 Roma tomatoes to bring to one of the elderly ladies that came over for the T-Day feast. She would love so much to grow her own, but at 89, it is just too much work for her. Besides, I have so much, I can't possibly eat it all and salad greens don't keep in the freezer.

[DoubleDogFarm]

dug up and divided Jerusalem artichokes

This maybe an interesting note for some. My brother sold Jerusalem artichokes ( Sunchokes) @ $2.00lb last Fall. This Fall @ $6.00lb. He is selling 3 times as many at 3 times as much.

Eric

[soil]

at farmers markets?

[Halfway]

I picked enough fresh lettuce for 2 large salads and some lemon basil to add some spunkyness to some grilled chicken.

Ooooooooweeeeeee!

[garden5]

I tore out all of the support stakes and all of the dead plants. Winter is coming and all that's left are some snow peas and a few beets.

[DoubleDogFarm]

at farmers markets

Soil,

Yes, at the Farmers Market. He sold about $100.00 worth last Saturday. Not to bad for such a simple crop.

Eric

[The Helpful Gardener]

Put my gardens to bed. Last weed, compost and straw.

Tomorrow I'm checking on my Jerusalen artichokes...

HG

[applestar]

Yanked out the last two Lemon Grass to pot up and save over the winter.

I already have 3 that have acclimated and started growing again (and gave away 3 others in freshly "yanked" condition, bare roots and dirt and all ) Since Lemon Grass is so easy to keep, I may pretty up some of them for gifts this holiday.

[DeborahL]

That's a great idea ! Who wouldn't want a growing herb as a gift?

[The Helpful Gardener]

Good time to knock them down to single corms and start lots of new starts; make a great Xmas gift...

HG

[garden5]

What's so great about Jerusalem artichokes? How do they differ from regular ones?

Soil, you said you are planting strawberry runners. How do you do that? Isn't it kind of late, or is late-fall OK?

As you all can see, I'm full of questions this afternoon .......Hope you all are full of answers .

[The Helpful Gardener]

J-chokes are a native flowers root corm; not artichoke like at all. More of a root veggie than a choke, really. It's a tall yellow composite flower, good bird feeder when they seed, and they grow like weeds. Mine are in my native border, what I call the gorilla garden, where my yellow composites slug it out amongst the lupines and grasses, so no real maintenance either. Just good food, real simple...

HG

[rainbowgardener]

Yeah, I have Jerusalem artichokes. Every fall, I pull all of them out. In the spring what comes back from the pieces of root I missed is plenty for the little flower bed they are in. In the enriched flower bed soil they are in, they grow about 12 feet tall! They are native wildflower/weeds, that are used to growing in clay and rock...

[DoubleDogFarm]

Some history of the Sunroot.

http://homecooking.about.com/od/foodhis ... istory.htm


Eric

[DeborahL]

I bought a beautiful white carnation today, and planted it in a blue ceramic pot. It's blooming now and will be gorgeous full grown.

[soil]

Soil, you said you are planting strawberry runners. How do you do that? Isn't it kind of late, or is late-fall OK?

ive had them rooting in pots for about a month and a half now. then i cut them off the parent plant, cut them to individual pots, and planted them. next year those plants plus the ones i had already will produce even more runners giving me even more strawberries for free. this year i propagated about 200 runners and let some plants just send runners out and root like they naturally would.

[applestar]

Yesterday, I started "training" the branches of my avocados, mango, and citruses that are wintering inside. Bungee cords are perfect for weighing or bending down the longer branches. I also used some of my kids' toys as weights I'll take pictures and post when I get a chance.

The one Meyerii lemon I bought (I think this is cutting-grown, as opposed to all the other grown-from-seed citruses) has been flowering like mad, GLORIOUSLY scenting the Family Room. I've discovered it has male and female flowers, kind of like cucurbits. I've been diligently running a soft paintbrush over them as they opened to pollinate, and now the male flowers are starting to drop so I've been saving them to dry for my herbal tea mix.

[organically_me]

Applestar,

That's pretty cool having all those largish plants in your FR. How do you keep humidity levels high enough in the winter? My indoor plants seem to dry out in a days time.

Today all I did in my gardens was to collect rose hips. I want to experiment with growing roses from seed. You never know what you might get.