approaching snow storm
We are expecting 6-10 inches of snow – finally. It will be good for my plants. Mulch on my garlic bed is frozen solid. Soil at the edge of my winter tunnel is frozen about 3 inches into the bed. It will be good for plant roots to have a blanket of snow.
my (and my mom’s) birdfeeders
My bird feeders are a hodgepodge: half falling over, half broken, and more often empty than filled. Today, the birds and squirrels have emptied most of them. This green feeder is my nicest, even though it’s bent and faded. A spring-loaded perch closes when a large bird or squirrel tries to eat. Only smaller birds can perch and get at the seeds. It’s very nice. Problems I’ve had with it: larger seeds get stuck, accumulate, and clog up the seed opening; it seems that water gets into the…
backyard birds
Not much variety in the winter, but very pretty birds. Maybe I’ll see something special if I keep watching my feeders.
frozen
Well, it has gotten quite cold. 13F outside now. I plugged in the ceramic bulb heater in the chicken coop. I added some extra insulation to my bee hives. We have a bit of snow predicted tomorrow. My husband brought the snow blower up to the garage and put the lawn mower in its spot in the garden shed. I had some time to rake today and used the leaves to tuck in the roses by my vegetable garden arbor and the flower border along the fence. Charley and Suzie…
wintery temperatures are coming soon
Icy cold weather is coming in here this weekend. The ground will be freezing. Time for me to pull the last of my carrots, celeriac, beets, cilantro, and leeks tomorrow morning. I’ll pick some herbs: sage, thyme, and oregano the dry for winter use. I’ll bring my potted rosemary plants in. all my outdoor pots need to be turned on their sides so they don’t crack during the winter. My husband and I have been raking leaves the last couple weeks and I’ve added many back to my berry bushes…
a bit of snow on the garden and Charley
Our first snow. It’s just a dusting and expected to turn to rain soon. I don’t have my winter bed covered yet. Soon. Everything in it is OK with the snow and our 30-32 degree temperature today. But at the end of this week it’s going to get really cold. I’ll cover it before that with both layers. Both have survived fine from last year so I will reuse them: a heavy row cover layer (I double it up) and a layer of green house plastic. Charley has his new…
the Persephone begins
Today marks the beginning of the Persephone in my area. This is the date when Persephone, the vegetation goddess, returns to Hades and causes the earth to become barren and wintry. I guess she stays toasty, but not us. While she’s gone, our plants don’t have enough sunlight to grow. With some cold protection, our plants will hang out and wait for her return when they can grow again. So the Persephone is the time when there’s less than 10 hours of sunlight each day. Most plants need more than…
frost predicted
Right on schedule – Oct 10 – a frost is predicted tonight. I thought it would be late this year, but no, right on time. In the dusk, my husband and I picked all my green tomatoes and peppers, plus a few squash, watermelons, zucchinis, and one eggplant. We covered the beans and lettuce with row covers. It doesn’t seem cold enough for a frost to me, but it’s predicted so we’ll see. My counters are covered with baskets! Peppers are in a trug on the floor. We’ll roast and…
This is a journal of my vegetable gardens. Skippy thinks the garden is his, even though I do all the work. We're located near Boston, in USDA zone 6. I have bees, chickens, fruit trees and berry bushes, too. I use all sustainable organic methods and strive to grow all of my family's vegetables myself. -Kathy
weeks and counting until my last spring frost
My garden this week
Skippy’s vegetable of the month – Egyptian walking onions!
