October 2012, New England

I'm afraid I often forget to bring out my small scissors for thinning and depend on my fingernails a lot. When trying to snap off a tiny carrot stem, I often snap off the one next to it as well, darn it.
I'll have to hang a nail scissors on my belt in the future.

I think slugs got at my carrots in my SFG this summer, because they just wouldn't grow, which is why I ended up planting them in just the regular dirt, which really wasn't prepared and they were hard to locate and pull out.

Next year I'm doing the row cover from Johnnys when I plant my carrots and lettuce. And I have 4 ducks on order because it's either me or the slugs - this place isn't big enough for us both...

NHG....I envy you your ducks coming this spring. They should keep down the slug population for you.

Me too, with the duck envy! Wish I could have ducks and chickens and bees...

CC

Well, they tend to take over your life, when you have living things.

The Nearings, in their books about homesteading, refused to keep animals, in part because it's the animals that really keep you, and that's true. They're a lot of work, a lot of time, and forget about not being home first thing in the morning or by dusk to unlock them and lock them back up so predators don't pick them off.

Not that I would give mine up but still.

CapeCoddess wrote:All this is great info. Thanks, folks!

Comfrey is supposed to grow wild here in New England on Cape Cod. I've wanted to grow it for years but haven't been able to figure out which plant it is out there. It's now time to get serious. I sent out an email to all my pals, complete with photos, for everyone to be on the look out for it. I'm getting emails back saying that if I find it first, they want some, too, thinking the flowers may attract hummingbirds. I don't plan on letting it flower. It's for my compost pile and any gardening boo-boos on my skin.

Thanks again!
CC

I STRONGLY SUGGEST, when you get your hands on some. DO NOT PUT IT IN THE SFG! put it out back somewhere with lots of room

ooo...you're quick on the draw, Camp!

I posted that to the wrong thread then deleted it, but it's good here, too.

I understand what you are saying, that's it's invasive. I hear that alot so you'd think I could find it here easily, but I just don't see it. I supposed I could grow it in at 5 gal bucket and keep it contained. I read that I could get about 5 cuttings a year from it.

I'm wondering, when I pull some out as it gets bigger, can the roots go in the compost or do you think they'd just sprout, like English ivy and pakasandra? Heaven knows I don't want THAT!

CC

CapeCoddess wrote:ooo...you're quick on the draw, Camp!

I posted that to the wrong thread then deleted it, but it's good here, too.

I understand what you are saying, that's it's invasive. I hear that alot so you'd think I could find it here easily, but I just don't see it. I supposed I could grow it in at 5 gal bucket and keep it contained. I read that I could get about 5 cuttings a year from it.

I'm wondering, when I pull some out as it gets bigger, can the roots go in the compost or do you think they'd just sprout, like English ivy and pakasandra? Heaven knows I don't want THAT!

CC

The comfrey plant has a brittle tap root, so put it where you want it to stay forever. Because if you decide you want to move it and you take the plant out with a shovel you will break the root and you will have comfrey growing there again.

Ask me how I know. ;-)

http://botanical.com/botanical/mgmh/c/comfre92-l.jpg

I started building my compost pile last week.

The summer compost holding pen looks like it's almost finished compost, but I am still incorporating it into the new winter pile.
I have let the grass grow quite a while so when I run the power lawn mower over it, with the deck set on high, I am picking up leaves and cutting a bit of grass and dumping that into the bin, layering it with the summer compost. After I took this photo, I had built this pile to the top of the pallets the other day, then we had rain and it is shrinking, it is also already getting hot. There are still leaves falling, so I will lower the deck on the mower and pick up more leaves to add to the pile tomorrow.

I have been slowly getting the garden cleaned up but here is the hardy fall garden. Leeks looking great, the carrots are holding their own and soon will be pulled and processed. The cabbages are suffering and will eventually make a little bit of sauerkraut. The Brussels sprouts are coming along and should be fine for the Thanksgiving table.








However, no compost building today. Today is the Great pumpkin festival where we try to set a world record of the most lit jack-o-lanterns. Hopefully we will do that, but we need about 35,000 jack-o-lanterns. So, I will be carving these babies this morning. I am quite torn, I really want to make a pie instead.

As always, everything in your garden looks great camp. The brussel sprouts are looking great! Are you getting some rain? Your fall weather looks wonderful.

thanks Rooster! It rained like crazy last night. We must be very near to 3" accumulation of rain so far this month. Today's temp is forecast for 70F, unusual and fantastic for the Pumpkin Fest.

Camprn....Your fall garden is lookin' good.
Those pumpkins will be great to add to the tower of Jacks. We see it on TV every year. That's an amazing set-up of thousands of pumpkins.
You can dig out the innards and still make a few pumpkin pies from those before you carve and save and roast seeds to snack.
We had an inch of the wet stuff yesterday and its drizzly again today.
Thanks for the lovely pictures.

Beautiful, and look how full and round those pumpkins are! Love your brussel sprouts too.

quiltbea wrote:Camprn....Your fall garden is lookin' good.
Those pumpkins will be great to add to the tower of Jacks. We see it on TV every year. That's an amazing set-up of thousands of pumpkins.
You can dig out the innards and still make a few pumpkin pies from those before you carve and save and roast seeds to snack.
We had an inch of the wet stuff yesterday and its drizzly again today.
Thanks for the lovely pictures.

I took out about 1.5 cups of seed, will save some for planting and will roast some for eating. I scooped out about 10 quarts of pumpkin flesh and it's cooking down on the stove. I thin the pumpkin walls because mostly I make silhouette jack-o-lanterns and I want the light to glow through.

That's one NICE fall garden, Camp!

It rained like crazy up our way last night, also, & it's looking pretty iffy today--I figure I've got a few hours between now & 5 to get my garlic in. Even if it rains, the weather is warm enough (70 degres F ?!) for this time of year, that I'm going to brave getting wet in order to get those cloves in. It's been such a rainy fall that I'm grateful to have this reprieve. So...I'm off to go play in the dirt. Wish me luck!

The overcast sky turned to sunshine so I walked my garden beds. My garlic must have loved that inch of rain we had yesterday because I've got sprouts. That's a good sign for our area. We want the sprouts starting which means the roots are taking hold. They'll die back when it gets too cold, I'll cover them with lots of leaves and straw, and in spring they'll start sprouting once again.


I planted this bed of 6 squares on Oct 10th and they are sprouting.

See the green sprouts popping up in this closeup.
It made my day!

Baby garlics!

Gorgeous pumpkin. Love it.
The Brussels sprouts ain't bad either.

Beautiful! Now I know why your gardens always look so neat, camprn. You're an artist.

You reminded me - I'm putting brussel sprouts on my list for next year. Are they cold weather/start early?

NHGardener wrote:Beautiful! Now I know why your gardens always look so neat, camprn. You're an artist.

You reminded me - I'm putting brussel sprouts on my list for next year. Are they cold weather/start early?

Thanks NHG! The BS go in early with the cabbages and are one of the last things done in November.They are long growing.

Wow. I had no idea they were that long. Hmm.

Fabulous garden, as usual, Camp! I'm so glad you keep us updated with photos. I learn so much from them and your posts.

camprn wrote:I started building my compost pile last week.
The summer compost holding pen looks like it's almost finished compost, but I am still incorporating it into the new winter pile.

I made one like yours after seeing yours in a photo a while back. The same thing happened to mine! It looks fantastic, and about done. But I don't have enuff leaves to mow yet so it will just have to sit there a while longer.

We didn't get the rain ya'll got, only 1/4 inch here. I actually watered today.

The beer traps are working somewhat, but I'm not keeping up with them well enuff. I thought I only had to fill them once and ALL the slugs would jump in, but apparently I need to dump and refill or I need more, becoz the pak choi and collards are still getting eaten.

No spinach yet.

CC

Spicy pumpkin soup and homemade eggplant pizza pie is pretty darn good supper after planting garlic and shallots well into dark.

Yum! Eggplant from your garden?

I'm so spoiled to my organic veggies that I can hardly bear to buy that fake stuff from the grocery store now!

So you planted your garlic, camprn? Guess it's time. I have maybe 8 heads of varying clove sizes to plant, but need to get more at the farmer's market this week. The bed is ready.