December 11, 2016

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…

December 9, 2016

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…

December 7, 2016

winter tunnel is up

I put the covers on my winter tunnel this afternoon. A few days before it’s needed. On Friday, our nightime temperature is predicted to drop to 22 degrees F and then into the teens on Saturday. (A bit sudden for us after a mild fall.) With the tunnel up now, a few days before deep cold, it will give a bit of warming to the soil before the deep freeze comes.

December 5, 2016

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…

December 5, 2016

Charley by the pond in our first snow

November 29, 2016

my first seed catalog!

Now I have my reading material! I’m excited to see all the pictures and descriptions of vegetables, herbs, and flowers. I think I might get my seed order in early this year. So many vegetables to choose from. And this is only ONE catalog so far.

November 24, 2016

Thanksgiving

November 22, 2016

fall crops – what’s growing in my garden now

My sister was surprised that I still had vegetables in my garden. Here’s what’s there now. I think the cold will move in soon. I’m keeping an eye on the forecast. From top left: celeriac, green onions, escarole, green romaine lettuce, carrots, mini broccoli, leeks and cilantro, thyme’s and oregano’s, my winter tunnel set-up with many greens under mulch, and read leaf lettuce.

November 21, 2016

fall garden – photos of my garden this week

Lots of greys in the landscape. Shadows and crispy air. I took the photo above by climbing up on the NW corner of my garden fence. I tried a new angle in the photo below. I climbed up in a large bush on a slope at the NE side of the garden. I couldn’t get all of the branches out of the camera path. They filtered the light and made it glow red in places.

November 20, 2016

storage of vegetables – and other items, like honey, fruits, etc

I’ve been winging it so far in storing my vegetables and honey. But my honey has all crystallized and my potatoes are sprouting. I have a pantry with a temperature system that I can set 60-75ºF. Or I can leave the system off and the temperature will stay about 50ºF since it’s on a cement slab. The room also has a dehumidifier. In addition to this pantry, I have a fridge, and a good sized deep freezer. And there are other areas of the house with different temperatures. So, where…

weeks and counting until my last spring frost

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