Fourth Year SFG in Canada

CapeCoddess wrote:TD, I see that your lovely little shelter is on bricks.  Will it not blow over?  How is it anchored?

I have two ropes that are tied to a metal stair railing on the right. They go over the top of the shelter and are fastened to earth anchors screwed into the ground on the left side. Hopefully that will prevent it from becoming a kite.

Carved a small SFG grown squash and then the bigger farm bought pumpkin.

A grouping of carrots and parsnips harvested today from our Square Foot Garden. The recent snow and cold has not affected them and should have enhanced their flavour. 

Many things in the SFG are surviving our cold weather and an early blanket of snow (now melted). Kale, lettuce, carrots, parsnips, leeks and bunching onions are still being harvested.

I'll take some of the lettuce off your hands. I'm having a hard time germinating any in the beds.

sanderson wrote:I'll take some of the lettuce off your hands.  I'm having a hard time germinating any in the beds.

The lettuce would be a bit wilted by the time it reached you.

trolleydriver wrote:

sanderson wrote:I'll take some of the lettuce off your hands.  I'm having a hard time germinating any in the beds.

The lettuce would be a bit wilted by the time it reached you.

I am trying some lettuce in my Aerogarden again this fall/winter.  Easy to harvest and don't have to worry about freezing.

Getting the everbearing strawberries cleaned up and ready for winter. i added compost in each square. Next step will be to make a cardboard wall around the perimeter and then put in a four to six inch layer of straw.

Got another bed ready for winter. This 3x6 started out last Fall as a lasagna bed. It was converted to old style SFG in the spring and produced a good crop of potatoes and a great acorn squash. I just cleaned it up, removed the wood grid, added in some coarse leftovers from screening compost, then a layer of greens, a layer of shredded leaves and finally topped off with the straw that had been removed from around the potato plants.

Do you know what you will do the the OS SFG lasagna bed next summer? I think it is so neat to use the beds for winter composting. I would do it but there are too many weed seeds that come with our grass and any leaves I can get from other locations.

sanderson wrote:Do you know what you will do the the OS SFG lasagna bed next summer?  I think it is so neat to use the beds for winter composting.  I would do it but there are too many weed seeds that come with our grass and any leaves I can get from other locations.

I an thinking of growing corn in it. I have never grown corn since starting SFG four years ago. I did grow it once or twice many years ago but I could not stomach finding earwigs in it.

Depending on how much material I have left over from filling the true compost bins I may add some more on top of this 3x6 bed.

Corn sounds good as it is a good size. Do you know what varieties do well in your long-day summers? Will you be attaching something to the bed so you can prevent them from falling over? I know my PVC frame worked well but the long leaves got caught in the trellis netting so I will just use horizontal string if I do it again.

sanderson wrote:Corn sounds good as it is a good size.  Do you know what varieties do well in your long-day summers?  Will you be attaching something to the bed so you can prevent them from falling over?  I know my PVC frame worked well but the long leaves got caught in the trellis netting so I will just use horizontal string if I do it again.

I know Peaches and Cream corn grows well here. I may look into growing a heirloom variety. I'm thinking I could build some kind if temporary wood and rope framework to hold up the stalks.

Got another old style SFG bed ready for winter today. Took out the few plants that were still in it then mixed in some coarse compost from screening. Still lots to do out there but the weather has been wet.  At least I got all my garlic planted (a whole ten squares).

Harvested some of the Rainbow Carrots growing in a Top Hat in our Square Foot Garden. Expecting overnight temperatures down to -8C (17.5F) on the weekend.

TD, those are beautiful.

Busy day in the garden today:

1. Mowed all the lawns for the last time this year. The lawns had leaves blown on them from the neighbours' trees. I was able to save the grass clippings and mulched leaves for composting.

2. Cleaned up the lawn mower and prepared it for winter storage.

3. Filled the 3x3x3 compost bin to about 6 inches from the top. It already had over a foot of material in it when I started today.

4. Cleaned up the U-Bed and added compost.

5. Cleaned up the two old style SFG 4x4 beds and added compost.

6. Cleaned up two of the All New SFG 4x4 beds and added compost. One still has the Top Hat with carrots in one square.

7. Added a layer of straw on top of the ANSFG 4x4 bed that has the strawberry plants.

8. Harvested the last of the lettuce (in an ANSFG bed) and all the remaining carrots and parsnips in an old style SFG bed.

9. Cleaned up the harvested veggies ready for storage and use.

10. Removed the wooden grids from all but the U-bed and stored them in the shed.

11. Emptied and stored one of the garden hoses.

Wow, big day!  Good looking carrots and parsnips, TD!  I grew corn in my original SFG.  And I grew sugar and cream and Country Gentleman.  By far my favorite corn ever.  It did not need any support, just stuck it in there.  They were very hardy and productive, esp. the heirloom.  

I am thinking about either a cold frame or a mini-greenhouse.  Leaning more towards a cold- frame.  

You are eating well!  

Cleaned up and added compost to the 2x4 ANSFG Table Top.

Added a layer of coarse compost to the two 4x4 old style SFG beds.

Put away another water hose for the winter.

Cleaned up Mrs TDs Iris and Lily bed. The leaves will be composted.

The weather turned nasty with wind and snow.

Last of the carrots were harvested today. Top couple of inches of the Mel's Mix were frozen solid.

Brought in the last of the water hoses.

I am in the process of filling my freelance (chicken wire and hardware cloth) compost bin with shredded leaves and green materials from the garden.

Harvested the last of the bunching onions,  small leeks and tiny carrots. Only kale left in the veggie garden. My top hat fell apart.

Winter Wonderland this morning and it is still Fall.

ick.  My time is coming...

trolleydriver wrote:Winter Wonderland this morning and it is still Fall.

Sleepy time for the garden.

Due to the he extremely cold weather I turned off the pump in the garden pond. I don't recall having to turn it off this early in the past. Don't want a repeat of last year when the pipe to the waterfall froze and most of the water in the pond was drained onto the garden. The low tonight will be -17C (+1F) and a wind chill of -25C (-13F).