Garden Friday

 

Welcome to Garden Friday!

This week's cold snap (17 degrees),

sure made it feel like winter,

but the calendar says differently.

We are still enjoying some color on the trees which keep their leaves.

Oh yeah.  It's leaf time around here!

It seems the trees have not yet completed their autumn shed.

We still have so many leaves to mulch

and I'm not complaining one bit.

All of these leaves are added to our leaf mulch pile

and then used in garden beds to fortify the soil.

Leaves are one of the best things that can be added

to improve soil.

The bonus is that they suppress weeds and insulate the soil as well,

which allows for earlier planting in the spring.

I reworked the sprouting screen for the chook run,

this time adding a few slats of pallet wood

to raise it off of the ground.

This should make it easier for the seeds to germinate

while keeping the scratching chooks at bay.

It's just another way to provide food for them

and give them another actiivity in the run during the colder months.

Picking autumn/winter bouquets from what's growing

in our yard is a wonderful way to get outside

and enjoy the milder days.

Unbelievably, this rudebekia bloomed,

even after we have had very little rain

and freezing temperatures.

What a bright spot in my day.

Thankfully, we still have some greens growing,

despite the several freezing overnight temperatures we've had.

Here, a bed of Romaine is holding its own.

The brassicas haven't missed a beat.

These beds are nestled under a light covering,

and it seems to do the trick.

There remain plenty of lettuce seedlings,

ready to transplant as the season progresses.

Buttercrunch lettuce is one of my favorite varieties.

On a recent thrifting trip,

I picked up this enamelware vessel

to house our kitchen scraps 

before they go either to the chooks or the compost heap.

It's just the right size, and enamelware speaks to my inner pioneer.

At some point this winter season,

I plan to add two new Birdies' beds to the garden landscape.

The company had a Black Friday sale,

so I was able to get a good deal on two of their beds.

I've been pleased with the round Birdies' bed,

and I'm happy to support a company who does things well.

Read more about the Birdies' difference here.

Another treasure found at the same shop

is this sweet concrete hen.

She even came pre-dusted from a dirt bath!

I don't buy much these days,

but these rehomed items just make my heart feel good.

Fresh greens from the garden are still available to the chooks,

and Queenie is happy to partake.

She seems to have fully recovered from whatever was bothering her

a few weeks ago, 

but she is showing her age.

She is still keeping Betty company on the east end of the run,

and they seem to get along fine.

Neither of them lay anymore,

they are just living out their lives in the best way we can provide.

I'll be happy to have them for as long as they care to stick around.

What a blessing they are to our lives.

Hope this December first is going just the way you like it!