At Last, Fall Cleanup Is Done! Closing the Pond - Last Harvest - by Sunscape

I can't believe that our growing season has come to an end. This week I decided to pick the last of the Raspberries and top the plants for the winter. There were still a lot of berries on the plants, so hubby and I ate them as we trimmed.

We enjoyed making jam, syrup, and freezing them for the winter, plus eating them all season long. This year the plants were over the top abundant with fruit.

We only have a small patch of Raspberries, but oh can they produce!

We cut back the canes to about waist high and will thin out the dead would in the spring. This is just half of the plants done at this point.

Carrots

There were still a few carrots left growing in the large, raised bed. I decided to pull them out instead of mulching them for winter. At least this way I could amend the whole bed for preparation for spring planting.

I don't remember the name of the carrot seeds I purchased last fall, but I have to say they were a beautiful mix of different colors. Look at this deep purple carrot, isn't it just gorgeous?

So far, I have fallen in love with the flavor and the pretty patterns in the center of the carrots.

Once they were peeled, blanched, and frozen I vacuum sealed the last of the carrots. I believe I got 8 packages for the freezer, and we enjoyed them three times for dinner. Not too bad for the small batch that I planted back in July.

The Pond

I haven't seen any of the frogs for over 10 days now. I really miss them once they decide to hibernate. The temperatures are dropping in to the mid-30's this week, so it was time to remove the pump and filter before ice started to form.

All together we saw 7 frogs at one time sitting patiently around the pond waiting for an insect to pass by.

The first two photos show a frog sitting on the evergreen branch. That was the first time I've ever seen one do that, too funny, he must have thought he was camouflaged better. See you guys next spring!

The Border Zinnias

Before it gets much colder, I needed to pull out the Zinnias along the front of the house to begin decorating for Christmas.

I've been holding off doing so, because the large bumblebees have been enjoying them to date. Plus, I find them all over the plants in the early morning sunning themselves to warm up.

Have you ever gently stroked the back of one of the bumblebees when they are resting? I love to do so, and they are so cute when they put one of their legs up to say enough, thank you!

We had to haul two tarps full of zinnia plants back to the compost pile. It was sad to take them all out, but I did save a lot of seed for next year's enjoyment.

Tree Trimming

Last week during a windstorm, I lost a large portion of the Bradford Pear tree. Monday morning the tree service arrived to take down the broken branches. They were hopeful that the tree would recover and would check back in the spring to see how it does. It may take a few years for that section of the tree to fill back in.

Wood Delivered

I wasn't planning on ordering any wood for this winter, but according to El Nina's weather pattern we may be in for an unusually cold one with above average snow.
Thus, at the last minute I ordered some wood. They were already sold out of most varieties, so I ended up with a 1/4 cord of mixed shorts. That is what they call all the end pieces or odd shapes after splitting. I didn't care since we only use it in the fireplace for a cozy movie night.

Planting Garlic Cloves

The cloves I ordered online were not the largest I've ever planted. I chose the largest and a few smaller ones, about 50 or so and got them plantes all along the tomato fencing. Hopefully the garlic will do better for me next year as this last summer's crop was awful. :-(

Amending the Gardens

Each fall I add nutrients, chopped greens, kitchen scraps, torn up egg cartons, and manure to prepare the soil for spring. I gently turn it all in to decompose easily. I also added in some ash from last year's fireplace, some lime, coffee grounds, ground eggshells, and some yeast tea. That should do for now, and the soil will be perfect for growing come springtime.

Porch Time with Mika

After such a busy week, Mika and I enjoyed a couple afternoons on the porch covered in blankets since it was only 50°F. But the sun was shining, and we had to take advantage.

Mika started getting tired, so I put her on the chair in a huge blanket, and she snuggled right in.

It was a busy week and it's time to wrap this post up since sums up all that got accomplished this week. Love and hugs to all!