The End of the Garden
It seems like just yesterday when I decided to start some seeds after all, yet now the rush of summer garden-tending is already over. Our first light frosts were on Sept. 27 and 28, and then we saw 29 degrees on Oct. 13. We didn't need to bring much in from the garden before the first light frosts, just a few cherry tomatoes, basically. We covered the winter squashes with a tarp those two nights, and then harvested the squashes a day or two later. The weather cooperated, so we were able to leave them in the sun in the garden for several days before storing them in our "above-ground root cellar" in the garage.
I hired my current teen helper to pull up all the remaining plants and to take up the landscape cloth and spread it out to dry, which you can see in the photo on the right.
The next three shots are also from Sept. 26, showing the last of the flowers. The scarlet runner beans actually developed beans; I suppose I should have expected that. (Duh.) Apparently I could have cooked them and eaten them, but I wasn't on the lookout for them when they of a usable size. So they went out to a brush pile along with all the plants, and I suppose the deer ate the beans.
I pruned, thinned,and topped the raspberry canes. It was a two-day job. I got this much done the first day; you can see the difference between the section on the left and the remainder of the row.
Since then I have also planted a modest amount of garlic, and moved the hyacinth bulbs to a different location. Not much is left to do in the yard and garden, except for pruning back some perennials and shrubs. I am always a little sad when the yard and garden are prepped for winter, yet I am also looking forward to more time to catch up on indoors projects, including more frequent Hive posts.
It must be nice to have a break over winter. I dont think I ever stop! Though of course busy now at this time of the year. I guess it'll go quiet in the Hive GArden too - less curating for me, phew.
I can't imagine deer in the garden - possums are bad enough!
I've never lived where possums live, but I imagine they can be quite bothersome. I know raccoons can cause a great deal of damage to a garden, as to ground squirrels, wild turkeys, and pocket gophers. I suppose every gardener has some sort of pests to battle.
Oh yes. I used to battle rabbits. And blackbirds are assholes too.
I enjoy looking at all your veggies; I really like them because they look different from the vegetables we have. More harvest to your plants.
I, too, enjoy seeing the different vegetable people can grow in other countries and other climates.
Mutual feelings :)
It is a little sad to see the garden go for the winter. I look forward to your seedlings for next year.
Thanks! I am already thinking about what I am going to try next spring.
Nice haul on the squashes. Do you like the flavor of those two varieties? I've never grown either of them. I usually do butternut and acorn. It is hard to see the gardens ending, but you are right; winter gives us a chance to catch up on deep cleaning the house. I still have the raspberries to top, and the Limelight Hydrangea, then I'm done. Hubby is one week since his knee replacement, so he is keeping me hopping at the moment, lol.
Oh, I'm glad to know he is done with the surgery and doing ok! I was wondering just when that was going to happen. I have never grown the calabaza golden delicious squash before, but will report on the flavor when we eat one. I often grow delicatas. We really enjoy them, and they are a nice, manageable size. They don't always store as well as the larger squash varieties, so we'll need to get busy and eat them in the next 3 months or so. Acorn squash is not a favorite in our family, and the butternut squash doesn't grow well for me, so I don't generally plant either of those.
Well, I will certainly try the Delicata squash next year. I bet it is delicious too.