Friday, October 29, 2021

Garden Friday

milkweed and salvia
 
 Greetings on this Garden Friday!
Autumn has arrived in all of Her splendor!
A few remnants of summer remain,
gracing us with beautiful blooms.
 
 
The garlic we planted last week was up in a matter of days.
We planted out almost this entire bed
with one of the easiest crops to grow.
We use garlic for almost every savory dish,
so it is a staple in our fall/winter garden.
It will grow a bit more before becoming dormant for the winter.
In early spring, it begins to fill out and soar!

 
The cover crops are slowly making progress.
This is a special "raised bed" mix 
that I'm trying for the first time.
We were blessed with some rain this past week,
and nothing helps crops along like Mother Nature's gift.
 

I ended up purchasing lettuce and broccoli starts,
something that felt very strange to me.
With poor germination to blame,
I decided that it was necessary if I want to eat homegrown this winter.

 
There is abundant color popping up all over the area.
Our neighborhood has some glorious trees
peppering the sky with golds, oranges and reds.
It's one of the best things about my daily walk.

 
A bit of clean up was in order,
so I tidied up a few of the flower beds.
I'm amazed that we still have some blooms 
looking untouched by the cooler temperatures.

 
Our local Extension Center gifted some of the Master Gardeners
with free bulbs for planting this fall.
I hope to get these in over the weekend.


It's time for pansy planting!
The cooler temps don't bother these sweet things one bit,
and some were added to the mailbox bed,
as well as the pots on the front porch.
I look forward to many months of color.
 

I'm trying an experiment after watching a few videos
about trapping yellow jackets.
We have some near in our yard waste pile,
and I don't wish to use chemicals to eradicate the problem.
I'll share the results of this homemade trap next week.

 
 
We had a bit of a crisis this week,
when our rooster was attacked by a dog
who roams our neighborhood.
He was injured pretty badly, and shaking like a leaf when we finally found him,
but he survived the night and we hope is on the mend.
 
We now have a trap in our yard
so that the dog can be caught.
It has no collar and is quite skittish,
so it's difficult to get close enough to nab him.
The neighbors I've asked do not know where he lives,
but we're hoping the trap does the trick.
For now, Gandolf is in the garage mending
and the girls are on house arrest in the coop.

 
This life isn't always easy,
but we try to find the silver linings where we can.
 
Enjoy your weekend,
wherever you are!




4 comments:

  1. I'm so sorry to hear about Gandolf. It's so hard when those in our care are harmed by other critters. Here's hoping your love and care will allow him to mend well. I must get some of that pretty salvia. I've noticed it a number of places this year. Good wishes for your yellow jacket trap. The small ones always seem to end up in our hummingbird feeder. The pansy mix you picked is lovely. Their cheerful faces are such a happy thing. Wishing you a calmer and enjoyable autumn week.

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    Replies
    1. Thank you, Laurie. Yes, he is mending well and we are grateful.

      I can try to save seed from the salvia if you'd like some. I've never harvested seed from it, but it would be fun to start!

      Yes, the pansies are a sweet way to usher in the cooler months.

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  2. Oh gosh, I hope Gandolf is ok. That's horrible. Hoping you can catch the dog as well both for it's sake and your flocks sake.

    Pansies are such a pretty little plant. We really only have the opportunity to see them in spring.

    Nice to see your winter planting. My garden is now almost completely put to bed for the winter. I only have greens remaining. I have to admit to kind of enjoying having the winter off.

    Hoping you have a wonderful week!

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    Replies
    1. He's hanging in there. The dog has been back, but so far, it hasn't gone near the trap.

      Winter is a great time to slow down and enjoy our surroundings. It's getting chilly here already. I would prefer to take the summer off!

      Thank you for stopping by.

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