December 5, 2010 ~ and the Winter winds begin to blow

"I enjoy the cleaning up – something about the getting of things in order for winter – making the garden secure – a battening down of hatches perhaps… It just feels right."~ David Hobson

The beds are cleared and prepared, the garlic is planted and the leaves stowed in their bins before the deep snow flies, which could be any day now. Tomorrow will bring the last pick up of the yard and garden: draining, winding & binding the hoses, then stow them away along with the buckets. Garden tools to clean and sharpen, fork tines to straighten. I have to put the yard stick into the ground so we can measure the snowfall.

There are still a few spring flowering bulbs to plant, I must cover the garlic bed with leaves and I need to do some pruning of tree limbs. The burn pile has been built through the summer and shall be lit on the Solstice as the deep freeze settles in. Then I can order my seed catalogues and take a well deserved rest.

Planting garlic in New England

did you just plant your garlic this month? i found some cloves that i grew last year that are sprouting and i am not sure if they'll survive this winter as food - so i am considering putting them in the ground so as not to lose them.

i'm getting finished with winterizing my garden. just a couple more things to do. just a matter of getting out there - probably less than an hour of work remains actually - including planting the garlic if i go that route.

not sure if i can plant anything right now though - temp is 28*F so my boxes are probably hard. what do you suggest?

I planted garlic last month. A friend of mine was out planting garlic in his garden yesterday. He used a pick to get the soil loosened. Get out there and get that garlic in the ground, it will thank you in the spring.

i think i will! hoping to get to it today but life (aka kids and sick husband) are getting in the way of my garden plans. tomorrow it's definitely on the to do list!

Hey folks how are you all doing?? I have a question of my New England friends do you think I can plant some Mesclun mix in a cold frame now? I have been quite busy and forgot to do it and would really love some but was unsure if they would take. I have some old xmas lights I was going to line inside the frame to add some warmth. Also do I still water once a week or so or would it freeze? I know I have to build up the soil around the edges there are some gaps, but so far the herbs inside are doing fine. Sorry for rambling I have so many ideas going through my head and trying to keep them under wraps is sometimes hard.

The magic 8 ball says, "outlook not so good". I would wait until March.
BUT if you are willing to try, it is only a wee bit of seed.

maybe i need LOTS of xmas lights LOL.....well at least I managed to get my garlic planted when it was supposed to be

Auntij, you would probably have trouble getting the seed to germinate in cold temps. You might try planting the seeds indoors and then transplanting to a cold frame if you think you can keep enough heat in it. But, if you get them going inside you might be as well served just to keep them growing on a windowsill.

I dug up a couple of arugula plants from my fall garden and transplanted them to a large plastic container with holes in the bottom for drainage. They are doing well on a south-facing window sill without additional light. I don't get enough leaves for all the salads I want, but they do well enough to add a few leaves to a sandwich now and then, or add a little fresh green garnish to a plate. I'm going to pick up another container and sow a few corn salad/mache seeds to see if I can get something going for salads in the dead of winter.

Has anyone tried growing that inside?

I feel so lucky, mild climate in winter so planting something anytime of year is possible. Our lettuce is growing well so is broccoli, carrots, fennel,leeks onions garlic OK, I'll stop before someone shoots me. Central valley California has nice mild winters but very hot in summer too (sometimes 110). I can't wait for tomatoes this summer.
Al

Once the holiday rush simmers down a little bit I am going to build a shallow salad box for indoors. A nice trip to lowes is in order I think. We have a 4' shelving system in our bedroom that has our spiders, snakes and gecko on it. I am thinking if I get a 4' light with full spectrum bulbs that it will serve dual duty for my lettuce mix and my creatures. I have a tentative plan in my head for the box I just have to figure out how to make it so it works inside the house. I would like it to be similar to an earthbox so it is watered from the bottom via a reservoir. Any thoughts are very welcome. And once I get it finished I post a picture.

So we are finally getting the serious winds of winter, our first blizzard of the season. 10 inches of snow overnight and there are hours more to go. Winds are currently steady at about 25 MPH with gusts to +50ish. The windchill is about -5F. My wee hoop over the 6x4 bed is beginning to buckle and I suppose it's time to go try to rescue it! I hope the mailman comes with seed catalogues today, or maybe tomorrow.

We are getting those winds, too. Brrrr!!!! We missed the snow hammer, though. I'm heading out later this afternoon to deliver a bunch of frozen foods to my niece about an hour away. Think I'm going to avoid the biggest highways.

I was making lasagna last night to freeze, and on a whim, I pulled out the big container of pesto I made late this summer. (Three squares of Genovese basil! That's.... a lot of basil.) I'd forgotten to freeze it, but it's still good, and when I scooped out a big dollop to mix in with the ricotta, that amazing scent of summery basil just washed over me (well, that and the garlic, lol!!) So nice to still be using things I grew myself this year....and a stark contrast to the weather outside.

Ahhh, Pesto! Delicioso! We ate the last of our fresh vegetables on Christmas Eve, beets and Brussels Sprouts! Be safe on the roads Megan!

Last I heard we were up over 18" and going. I think my cold frame is now wind proofed, I should shovel but really what's the hurry? If I wait a little bit maybe it will blow away.

I'm not shoveling anything till it's done falling from the sky. The snow is blowing everywhere, at this rate I may not move snow until tomorrow.

Procrastination has paid off for me this time, a lovely neighbor with a snow blower did the side walk and walkway. Yay me all I had to do is clear off the car.

for wonderful neighbors! I have to say that beside the garden purchases this past summer, the next best purchase made was for a used 8HP 26" Snapper snow blower!

camprn wrote:My wee hoop over the 6x4 bed is beginning to buckle and I suppose it's time to go try to rescue it!

All for naught, the hoop is gone for the next 2-3 months.

aaawwww man that bites!! Next year put a 2x4 under it to support the weight a little.

Thanks for the sympathy Auntij, but it was the blizzard winds took it away, and the drifting snow. It's all good, it is just too cold to grow anything here for a few months. Unless I build something MUCH more substantial, like these pods

Which are just up the road a piece.
http://www.greenbuyguide.com/blog/2009/08/31/solar-gardening/

those are awesome I would love something like that!! I have a small cold frame and never thought of insulating it. I didn't even get to putting in old xmas lights due to the blizzard.