Wrapping Up for Winter

Did a bunch of work in the yard today including flipping the rain barrel so it wouldn't fill & freeze.

Obligatory before shot:

We harvested what we could of the parsley and kale before pulling everything up and turning in the leaves.

I know that kale and parsley could have survived til next year but we're going to most likely be turning in a lot of things to the beds and it's not like they were hard to grow.
The cauliflowers found in the centers of the plants weren't even big enough for a snack.

Tiny

Less Tiny

We already have two big mason jars of dried parsley, a large container in the freezer of frozen parsley... so hopefully we can find this fresh bunch a home with friends.

What was left of the parsley.

And of course, the obligatory after shots:

Shed & compost piles

Trellis tied for wind stability

Lonely potted calendula.

Closer shot so you can see, the new compost pile is off to a good start.

Long time no see.

October and still very green

Sorry it's been so long folks. Life kinda crept up on me and kept me distracted from the better things in life like blogging. :)

As you can see above, the cauliflower on the far left are healthy but not producing yet. The kale in the middle are loving the cold weather, the pepper plants in the right corner are a bit heavy with peppers and kind of droopy from the recent frost, and the parsnips on the lower right are going strong. The tomatoes, peas, and beans have given up for the year, and the herb bed needs some serious tending. (anyone need some parsley?)

Next weekend(or the one after if it rains again) we'll be mixing in amendments and covering the beds for winter.

Procrastination and Progress

As  you can see from the Garden Planner page... I'm tending to drift. :)

The day's I've been planting the seeds were supposed to be exactly a week apart (every Tuesday) I just got this Tuesday's batch planted today (Friday). I think I'm going to start planting the Sunday before because I'm just to lazy after work.

Even though I've been a bit lax in my discipline, the sprouts seem to be doing mostly well.

The first Seedling pack is doing very well. (Broccoli, cabbage and cauliflower)

I've even up-potted some broccoli that were getting too big for those little slots.

In this pack left & center column parsley, right column top to bottom: lavender, echinacea, lavender. I think the top left and bottom right seeds rotted instead of sprouting. :(

And last but not least, This pack has a cabbage sprout and the four seeds from today.

Last weekend, John and I got the wood from the tree cutting out of the garden and all the small stuff cut to bundle length. We forgot to get twine so it's been sitting on the patio all week waiting to get bundled up.(Planning to get that done tomorrow)

From this...

To this!

The beds have been roughly marked out by the carpet paths we lay down last weekend. Each bed will get turned over, sifted and mixed with manure etc this weekend.

Since the ground never really had a chance to freeze deep this winter, the soil's been loose and dig-able every time the temps go up to 10°C so the high of 15° on Sunday should be perfect.

Early to Bed and Early to Rise.

Found a calendar calculator on-line and I'm using it to calculate when to start seeds and set out transplants based on our average frost date (May 1).

It's looking like a longer season then I originally thought. First harvest of broccoli, cauliflower, and cabbage should be ready on or around May 29th.  Wow! I know folks who don't even bother turning over their soil til the May-two-four weekend.

**happy dance**