Garden Friday

We had some fairly cold mornings this week on the homestead.

Next week should warm up a bit,

and allow us to enjoy this gorgeous fall season.

 

The row covers were used on several beds for the first time

and left on for a few days,

until the overnight temperatures again reached the 40's.

The main crop I wanted to protect was the lettuces,

as most of the rest of what we have growing is cold hearty.

 

The covers were dried in the sun and will be put in our cattle panel storage

for the next time they are needed.

 

Once I took the covers off,

I was thrilled with what I saw.

Everything was a deep green and completely hydrated

(thanks to our drip irrigation system),

and nothing looked affected in the least by the cold.

 

I can hardly wait to taste this spinach.

I don't care for cooked spinach,

but eaten raw in salads or on sandwiches satisfies me fine.

Everything I've been sampling out in the garden

has been crisp, juicy and oh so fresh.

 

Most of the beds filled in nicely, although I do have a few crops

that never germinated too well.

These bare spots will be filled with transplants from other beds.

 

I'm hoping the beets will be able to mature

before any serious cold comes through.

My farmer friend Lynn tells me that they are tough,

so I will keep hoping for the best.

 

The carrots, leeks and lettuce seem to have appreciated 

the row covers, as they look no worse for wear.

Any day now, the snap peas should be flowering

which means goodies are on the way!

 

I'm hoping to have a freezer full of leek.

These do well over the winter 

and require very little.

 

This parsley volunteer came back up in a pot,

even without irrigation hooked up to it.

The caterpillars in the spring will surely be thrilled.

 

This sweet thing surprised me this week.

I haven't seen many butterflies as of late,

and I had assumed most have hunkered down somewhere for the cooler season.

It was a real treat to watch this beauty

enjoying the nectar on the salvia.

 

All of the raised beds were covered in shredded leaves,

to ensure the soil stays moist and warm.

We have an abundance of leaves on this property

and our neighbors also save leaves for us.

We will be starting a leaf pile this fall to use as mulch

throughout the garden.

 

Thankfully, there has been a profusion of sunshine in the last few days.

What a blessing to get to spend so much time outside.

 

After the winds we experienced during the remnants of Hurricane Zeta,

all flowering plants were pulled up.

I'm grateful for the months of beauty these plants gave us.

Seeds have been saved so that we can do it all over again

next spring and summer.

 

The cattle panel compost bin will continue to be filled until December,

and then we will start using the other side

so that we have two different stages going at once.

 

Our carpet of white Dutch clover is growing.

This easy to grow ground cover takes no maintenance at all.

Look at this cutie I spotted at one of my jobs.

It's always such a treat to find one of Mother Nature's wonders.

May you notice each and every blessing today.