in years past, 'november' and 'garden' came together to pretty much describe a bed of just-planted garlic and, if I was really on top of it, a bed with some greens that may or may not make it because I started them about a month too late.
ah, but this year is different. we've found our fall garden groove, I do believe. beets, carrots, chard, kale, collards, mesclun mix, lettuce mix, bok choy, and kohlrabi (now that is a pretty looking, and sounding, word) all growing and growing well, with the help of a couple hoop houses and strategically placed (and used) sheets of plastic. garlic for next year just planted. a few mature carrots still to pull, along with some parsnips to be harvested as needed. the peas were so promising, but alas, fell under the planted (just a hair, it seems) too late category. we had a few baby peas off of the huge and flowering plants, and then we had cold, cold weather that resulted in frozen little pea-lets (even covered with a sheet!). ah well. the plants still looked great, but not doing anything, so we pulled them and threw them to the chickens a couple days ago. next year I will actually plant them the first (not third) week of August.
speaking of chickens, we are most definitely experiencing an egg-drought. older hens are moulting heavily, looking as if they are repeatedly getting attacked by angry feather-pulling creatures, while the younger girls are yet to start. well, one black australorp started, but then stopped with the change in weather/daylight. hoping things will even out soon, but 'tis alright. it's all part of the package. thinking we may put a light out in the coop for them.
fingers crossed both hives make it strong through the winter~ the back hive (the one resulting from our split this year) seems a bit odd. we couldn't find any evidence of the queen when last we looked, but it doesn't seem they are dying off. thinking maybe that first cold snap stopped her laying for a bit. we hear that can happen. now it's a bit chilly to go investigate, so we wait and we will see.
next homesteadery-type fun will come in January, when the trees get tapped! we purchased a second wood stove for boiling off and plan to double the number of trees we tap. we've scouted some out and just need to get the owners' permission. still going strong with a bit shy of a gallon left.
all for now~
Fall gardening is so exciting! It looks amazing..a great read is Elliot Coleman's, "Four Season Harvest". He gardens year round in maine...i could only dream of the possibities in NC.My little lady is our primary carrot washer..it is one of her favorite things to do..followed by eating them!
ReplyDeleteyes, I agree~ and this is the first year in a long while that I really feel like I'm on it. I have read a couple of his books, including parts of that one- we used his soil mix recipe at the farm at Cook (is this Megan from Rutgers??) and he (through books) got Mike and I into using soil blockers a while back.... his daughter wrote a very good (in my opinion at least) memoir called This Life is in Your Hands, about growing up near the Nearings in Maine. Our climate in Western NC is similar to what it is in NJ- we make up in elevation what we lack in latitude ;)
DeleteYes..it is me! I should dig out my old notebook from organic farming! We have some beds overwintering with spinach, mâché, claytonia...and a few others. I am always trying to work with our short growing season here in vermont. I always get excited seeing people's gardens...especially the "off seasons"! I will have to add soil blockers to my list of things to ponder during our snowy winters. Thanks for the book recommendation! Enjoy the rest of autumn!
ReplyDeletethe soil blockers come in handy when we're starting a lot from seed..... don't have to rely on all of those little trays with cells and such that crack and break over the years. though the edges of the blocks do dry out fairly quickly, so there's that. I saw tiny (like maybe 1 square inch) soil blockers at a homesteading/gardening supply shop down here in Asheville- they'd be awesome for things like onions and shallots and leeks, where you don't need quite so much soil to start them... we grew what I thought were a lot of onions this year, but we already used up the last ones this week! I think we harvested them late summer, so we had enough for a couple months, but still..... more next year, for sure!
Deletewow. your garden looks AMAZING! So all those things can withstand such cool temps, eh? Meanwhile in the afternoon my broccoli leaves wilt in the sun! And our hens are molting, too. All at different times. One looks so ugly but I try to not laugh in front of her. ; )
ReplyDeleteWe are still getting some eggs....I collect every few days ...maybe two a day. Pretty measly.
thank you, and hey~ so does yours! these are all cold-hardy crops, but we do use the plastic on the hoop houses when needed. although I think I maybe cooked some baby greens while trying to 'protect' them the other day.....er, oops. oh gosh, some of these moulting hens are pretty hideous looking, yes!
Deleteyour chard is SO pretty! such a good looking plant! i still haven't opened your maple syrup... not because I've forgotten about it but because i'm waiting to savor it slowly... gardening here has been pretty good. i actually pulled up a bunch of radishes, salad greens, and two bundles of kale so far this season. we need rain though, nothing in two weeks...
ReplyDeletechard is quite pretty, isn't it? oh I hope you enjoy the syrup! lots of love and good times in that bottle ;)
Deletegood luck with the garden!