FALL GARDEN
Finally got the fall crops into their new space outside of the Hoop House. This happened one week ago and everything looks good - except for my Chinese Cabbage. I need to figure out what sort of bug is eating the leaves on that one.
We finished up planting the rest of the crops in one of Mary's boxes so I have a couple of places to pay attention to. It will get harder when DST ends. It will be dark when I leave for work and when I come home. I will be going into weekend gardening mode I guess. The good thing is that I will the week of Thanksgiving off so I will have all sorts of time to play around in the mini gardens.
Finally got the fall crops into their new space outside of the Hoop House. This happened one week ago and everything looks good - except for my Chinese Cabbage. I need to figure out what sort of bug is eating the leaves on that one.
 |
| Experimenting with a low tunnel |
 |
| Lettuce, Spinach, Chard, Bunching Onions, Beets and Purple Broccoli! |
DAHLIA LIFTING
This year was the second year for the dahlias so I decided that getting them out of the ground would be a good thing. We'll store them and then early next spring we'll divide them and get them ready to plant again. Next season they will be planted in another part of the back yard to add some interest to the view. We don't get to enjoy them nearly as much when they are in the garden, so the back yard will be perfect.
Getting them dug up seemed to go quickly - so quick that I didn't have a chance to do a plant myself. That was a little sad because I like to dig them up too! Oh well, there will always be next time.
 |
| These tubers represent two different plants. The one on the right is clearly a mutant! It might have had 4 or 5 stalks coming out of it with each one just filled with big beautiful blooms. |
We'll turn this part of the garden into raised beds for next season. It will kind of match what I started on the other end of the garden. Then this will be mainly vegetables. There is still a lot of grass that can be turned back into garden space and it may be what will happen next season.
MORE HARVEST
The weather has been very mild, mostly wet, but there hasn't been a frost yet. Yesterday, I was able to get a harvest of the Shishito Peppers. I thought for sure that those were done a couple of months ago when the weather was so warm and the buds all died off. I put water on them now and then, but then things changed when the rain started up again. Imagine that...a little rain and these plants found new life!
Today I looked from a different angle and there are still peppers to be picked! If we don't harvest the rest that are on the plant, I might let them go red and then save the seeds for next year. I already did some of them, but I already don't remember where I put those seeds.
Before I pulled up the cucumber plants I spied a couple of good sized cucumbers that were very ready to be picked. They were delicious!
CHICKENS
Just this afternoon it occurred to me that we could buy young laying hens instead of getting chicks to raise up. While cruising through Craigslist I found a listing for a place in Woodland, WA just north of us that have a variety of pullets which will produce eggs sooner than if we were to get the chicks from the farm in Tangent, OR to raise up.
My plan is to still get the chicks (Cornish Cross) to raise for meat at the Tangent farm, but the layers might be coming from Woodland. We'll just have to decide on what sort of coop to build and get some poultry fence to define their space and we'll be good to go! We'll have eggs before we know it.
My first choice is the Australorp, but they are a little spendy so I think I'll go with a Rhode Island Red for now and then add the Australorp at a later time. Both are said to be good layers and when they start to get too old for egg laying they will be make a good broiler chicken in the freezer.
WHAT THE...??
Just this afternoon it occurred to me that we could buy young laying hens instead of getting chicks to raise up. While cruising through Craigslist I found a listing for a place in Woodland, WA just north of us that have a variety of pullets which will produce eggs sooner than if we were to get the chicks from the farm in Tangent, OR to raise up.
My plan is to still get the chicks (Cornish Cross) to raise for meat at the Tangent farm, but the layers might be coming from Woodland. We'll just have to decide on what sort of coop to build and get some poultry fence to define their space and we'll be good to go! We'll have eggs before we know it.
My first choice is the Australorp, but they are a little spendy so I think I'll go with a Rhode Island Red for now and then add the Australorp at a later time. Both are said to be good layers and when they start to get too old for egg laying they will be make a good broiler chicken in the freezer.
ALL IN ONE
The last tray of seeds that we started for the fall crops got a little confused. Some how one of the blocks got 3 different seeds. One of two things will happen - survival of the fittest or a new plant...
Behold the Broc-On-Chard or a Purple Broccoli, Onion and Swiss Chard. Since this is a year of experiments - why not put it in the garden right?
 |
| I have not mastered taking photos with my phone... |
No comments:
Post a Comment