Winterizing the garden includes special care for those delicious raspberries, blackberries, kiwi, grapes, blueberries, asparagus, and other small fruits that you enjoyed during the summer. Trim back long canes on berries to 24 to 30 inches. Leave them a little tall because they have a tendency to freeze back if you live in a cold climate. After cold weather sets in, throw a couple of shovels of dirt up around each plant to mulch it for the winter. The mulch helps hold the "freeze" in the plant. Thawing on warmer winter days, and then sudden freezing when the temps dip again kills these plants.
When spring comes and the danger of freezing temps are past, then you can remove the mulch and prune your plants to the size you like. Work in a little 12-12-12 fertilizer and expect delicious days ahead.
Sunday, October 24, 2010
Friday, October 22, 2010
Leaves, leaves, leaves, what to do with them?
Our maples and oaks provide an abundance of leaves in the fall. We put them on our vegetable garden for added humus. Do not put walnut tree leaves on your gardens. Raking and blowing leaves into large piles is part of preparing our garden for its long winter sleep.
Earlier in the fall, we dumped soil from plant pots (the plants didn't survive the summer) on a new part of the vegetable garden.
Yesterday, we mowed down all of the standing plants in the garden.
Today we used a big leave blower and made big piles of leaves. Later this fall we will cover all of our hoop houses with poly to protect the potted material through the winter. When we remove that poly in the spring, I always save some large pieces to use for a variety of purposes. A piece of poly makes a great "drop cloth" for dragging a pile of leaves to the garden.
My grandson taught me several years ago that I can turn my leave rake with the tines up and push large piles of leaves onto the plastic sheet. The sheet holds nearly the entire pile of leaves, then I can grab two corners and drag it to the garden.
We dumped many loads of leaves and then scattered them over the garden. David will work them into the soil with a large tiller on the back of the tractor and they will decompose while the garden sleeps this winter. Next spring, we will apply 12-12-12 fertilizer and work up the soil for our spring planting.
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| Dumped pot soil |
Earlier in the fall, we dumped soil from plant pots (the plants didn't survive the summer) on a new part of the vegetable garden.
Yesterday, we mowed down all of the standing plants in the garden.
Today we used a big leave blower and made big piles of leaves. Later this fall we will cover all of our hoop houses with poly to protect the potted material through the winter. When we remove that poly in the spring, I always save some large pieces to use for a variety of purposes. A piece of poly makes a great "drop cloth" for dragging a pile of leaves to the garden.
My grandson taught me several years ago that I can turn my leave rake with the tines up and push large piles of leaves onto the plastic sheet. The sheet holds nearly the entire pile of leaves, then I can grab two corners and drag it to the garden.
We dumped many loads of leaves and then scattered them over the garden. David will work them into the soil with a large tiller on the back of the tractor and they will decompose while the garden sleeps this winter. Next spring, we will apply 12-12-12 fertilizer and work up the soil for our spring planting.
Putting garden to bed.
Gardens in Indiana sleep in the winter. They need attention now to prepare them for their long winter sleep. Day before yesterday, I harvested all the red and green tomatoes and all of my sweet green peppers, everything large enough to be useful.
Then yesterday, we pulled the tomato baskets, the steel fence posts that supported them, and then all of the tomato plants. We put the tomato plants on the burn pile and then David mowed everything else to the ground. We burn the tomato plant debris to help prevent the spread of any disease they may harbor.
If you rake leaves, put them on your garden to provide humus and work them in this fall. Next spring spread a 12-12-12 fertilizer over your garden before working the soil for spring planting. Decomposing leaves use the nitrogen in the soil and it must be replaced.
Remove debris from your plant beds, too, but leave tall plant stalks with seed heads for winter interest and food for wildlife.
We have had about 3/4 inch of rain since July 31, so we are very dry and under drought conditions. There is a no burn order in effect until we get rain. A few local farmers have experienced combine fires because of dry conditions. In an adjacent county, farmers used discs to cut up and turn under a corn field that caught fire. So we are praying that the rain in the forecast for this weekend becomes significant.
Blessings as you prepare your gardens for a long winter sleep.
Then yesterday, we pulled the tomato baskets, the steel fence posts that supported them, and then all of the tomato plants. We put the tomato plants on the burn pile and then David mowed everything else to the ground. We burn the tomato plant debris to help prevent the spread of any disease they may harbor.
If you rake leaves, put them on your garden to provide humus and work them in this fall. Next spring spread a 12-12-12 fertilizer over your garden before working the soil for spring planting. Decomposing leaves use the nitrogen in the soil and it must be replaced.
Remove debris from your plant beds, too, but leave tall plant stalks with seed heads for winter interest and food for wildlife.
We have had about 3/4 inch of rain since July 31, so we are very dry and under drought conditions. There is a no burn order in effect until we get rain. A few local farmers have experienced combine fires because of dry conditions. In an adjacent county, farmers used discs to cut up and turn under a corn field that caught fire. So we are praying that the rain in the forecast for this weekend becomes significant.
Blessings as you prepare your gardens for a long winter sleep.
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