Friday, October 22, 2021

Garden Friday


Welcome to Garden Friday,
where we share what's happening in our Piedmont garden.
The weather has been absolutely delightful,
and the best autumn so far since we moved up here.
Row covers were added to several beds in order to foster germination, 
because we've had mornings in the 40's and 50's.
So far, it's not looking good
and this may be the first year that I'll have to purchase starts.
It's a joy to see the pollinators enjoying the weather too.


This week, the garlic was planted.
I ran a bit short, as one of the bulbs that we saved
from last year's harvest, was found to be rotted out.
No matter, we filled most of a 3X8 bed with cloves
and are looking forward to watching it come along.
 

 
Rather than plant by specific spacing,
I decided to put five cloves in each 1-foot square.
 I keep seeing the picture in my head 
of what it will look like when it comes up,
and that seemed like a good design.
We'll see.


 The cover crops were also sown this week in last year's garlic bed.
This raised bed mix is a blend of several crops
including oats, buckwheat, peas and a few other things.
I noted on the label, the last item listed
was Noxious Weeds:  none

 
It's the first time I've used this blend,
although each winter I do sow one bed with cover crops
just to give it a boost.
The hope is that extra nutrients will enable 
whatever is planted there to do well.
 

 One of our chooks, Wilma, is looking a sight.
She has lost most of her feathers due to molting,
and just looks so pitiful.
I've been keeping Gandolf away from her as much as possible,
as it can be very painful for them to be touched without their feathers.
The rest of the chooks seem to have gotten all of their feathers back,
and I'm glad it happened before winter sets in.
 

 
I've taken to using the shavings from the coop
(with accompanying chook poop and feathers),
around shrubs and trees.
I'm hoping it will act as a natural fertilizer
and  helps me put it to good use.

 
The beautyberry is loaded with berries.
I hope that the birds will relish the treat over the next few months.

 
The loofah is not as prolific as in past years,
but we'll take what we can get.
They have not started drying on the trellis yet,
but as they do, they will be harvested and most given away.


 A row of spiderwart was uncovered while weeding a path.
I added a bit of wood chips to finish it off.
There's nothing like mulch to dress things up.
Looking forward to working on adding plants to the landscape
in the spring.

This weekend will find me outside tending to things
that have been ignored over the heat of summer.
I still haven't figured out what I'm going to do 
about the yellow jackets around the yard waste pile.
Nearby is also my leaf mulch pile,
which I will need to start filling up.

A gardener's work is never done,
but you'll not hear me complaining!
Enjoy this glorious autumn!

8 comments:

  1. A gardener's work is never done indeed! Wow - I can't believe the low temps you have had. We finally have received fall temps back (we had switched back to warmth and humidity for a bit...) and I'm so happy about it! That beautyberry bush is so vibrant! Thanks so much for the bean seeds. I can't wait to plant them! Have a wonderful weekend.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I hope you have a great crop of beans next year!

      We are adoring the cooler temps. So much more energy to get out there and get things done!

      Bee well...

      Delete
  2. I'm glad you've been enjoying the weather. Our hens are also molting. It's been more than a week since we've gotten an egg. We've got plans to use more cover crops in the gardens going forward. We want to let one of our newer garden areas rest this coming year, and keep building it up with cover crops. Here's to healthy gardens in '22.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I actually ended up getting eggs from two chicken keepers who had extras.

      Cover crops are a great way to keep your soil covered over the winter.

      Enjoy your weekend!

      Delete
  3. A gardener's work is never done, but it's happy work!

    I used to have a beauty bush that I enjoyed very much. Did you know you can eat the berries too? Not much flavor but they make interesting jelly. I used to feed them to my goats too.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That it is!

      I've tried the berries and I think I'll leave them for the birds...
      Thanks for stopping by!

      Delete
  4. Daisy, It's a sad thing to watch a garden die back but the joy comes back with the first seed catalog in the mailbox. I call the first seed catalog the best Christmas present ever. I'm just scratching around in my garden mulching and cleaning up weedy areas in preparation for next spring. It's been a glorious fall here in Nebraska as well. Nice weather and extended fall color. I'm not sure why the leaves haven't fallen just yet but I'm not complaining.

    Have a great fall day in the garden.

    Nebraska Dave

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, there is a lot of satisfaction in tidying up the garden and knowing that your efforts will reward you in the springtime.

      Enjoy your clean up, Dave!

      Delete

Thanks for taking the time to leave your thoughts!