It's October, where has the time gone.

Ok folks, I have been overwhelmed with other things than my garden to plant for fall, but that doesnt leave me without ideas for spring.
I was wonder how folks fall plantings are coming now that we are in Oct.
I will have pics of my garden going into the fall and unkempt. I want folks to see what can happen if you overwhelm yourself. I have done that for myself and have plans for next year to much smaller than I have done this year. First and foremost for me is to take care of the weeds in the walk ways of my garden and I have found cardboard readily available just for the asking. (I really like this free stuff)
Let us know all of you are doing for the fall and getting ready to go into winter almost !!
Overwhelmed in so many areas but making it
Ha-v-v

Taking care of the weeds in the pathways was something that always overwhelmed me. and once I got behind I just couldn't summon the energy to do anything anymore. When I started using cardboard to keep the weeds down it made a HUGE difference. It doesn't look as pretty as crushed rock or bark mulch but doesn't cost as much either and I always put a lot of pots down so it hides a lot of the cardboard anyway. Then I realized I could use the shavings from my husband's planer. The sawdust is a bit too fine and blows around too much so as long as he has only been cutting things like pine, fir or spruce, etc and no exotic hardwoods with toxic resins, the sawdust goes in the compost bin. Then I found a couple of cabinet makers who give me all the planer shavings I want for free. I give them a bunch of bags and they bag it up for me and leave it behind their shop. It is perfect. I love the look much better than cardboard. And unlike crushed rock if some of it gets in the grass it doesn't hurt the lawnmower blades. When it starts getting yucky looking, I just gather it up and put it in the compost bin and get new stuff. Finding a way to keep the pathways neat was what finally made it possible for me to feel successful with my garden.

And yes, the best part of it all is that it is FREE!!

Sorry things got to be a bit much for you. Life's like that sometimes. hang in there!

GK

I so agree...where has the time gone! I feel like I lost so much in my fall plantings due to the heat here in Dallas. But I have kept on planting a few squares every evening after work when I can. I know I'm late, but I'm planting stuff I'm only a week or 2 late on when I get the chance to plant. I'm using seed from last spring, so nothing lost but my time.

We'll see how this turns out. Even if some of my cool weather stuff sprouts before the first freeze will make me happy for this year has been so unpredictble.

But we so love what we continue to find in the garden!

Jane

Old Hippie wrote:Taking care of the weeds in the pathways was something that always overwhelmed me. and once I got behind I just couldn't summon the energy to do anything anymore. When I started using cardboard to keep the weeds down it made a HUGE difference. It doesn't look as pretty as crushed rock or bark mulch but doesn't cost as much either and I always put a lot of pots down so it hides a lot of the cardboard anyway. Then I realized I could use the shavings from my husband's planer. The sawdust is a bit too fine and blows around too much so as long as he has only been cutting things like pine, fir or spruce, etc and no exotic hardwoods with toxic resins, the sawdust goes in the compost bin. Then I found a couple of cabinet makers who give me all the planer shavings I want for free. I give them a bunch of bags and they bag it up for me and leave it behind their shop. It is perfect. I love the look much better than cardboard. And unlike crushed rock if some of it gets in the grass it doesn't hurt the lawnmower blades. When it starts getting yucky looking, I just gather it up and put it in the compost bin and get new stuff. Finding a way to keep the pathways neat was what finally made it possible for me to feel successful with my garden.

And yes, the best part of it all is that it is FREE!!

Sorry things got to be a bit much for you. Life's like that sometimes. hang in there!

GK

Thank you, but I overwhelmed myself. Its a learning thing for me. I have to learn to not commit so much. In more areas than the garden :-D So Im grateful for the garden it continues to be therapy !!
Yes !! the free part makes me happy, and I do have tiny tiny sawdust, from what we get from our logs for our home, I would love to have a truck load of pine chips delivered I could use it for the chickens and my garden.
And the fact that my walk ways need more care than my boxes is very discouraging. I feel if I can take and make things "simpler" I will be less overwhelmed and more successful.
My goal this week while out, stop at one of those furniture stores for some big pieces of cardboard !! I am quite happy with some goals !! I have a focus now. I will have pics of my garden soon, but the beauty of it, I may have overwhelmed myself, but the beauty of SFG you let it go and it still grows!!!! All by itself. It is truly self sustaining when done right
I will share, even out of a negative comes a positive. I love gardening for that reason, I always see a positive even when I make a boo boo.

Ha-v-v

janefss2002 wrote:I so agree...where has the time gone! I feel like I lost so much in my fall plantings due to the heat here in Dallas. But I have kept on planting a few squares every evening after work when I can. I know I'm late, but I'm planting stuff I'm only a week or 2 late on when I get the chance to plant. I'm using seed from last spring, so nothing lost but my time.

We'll see how this turns out. Even if some of my cool weather stuff sprouts before the first freeze will make me happy for this year has been so unpredictble.

But we so love what we continue to find in the garden!

Jane

Im hoping your stuff sprouts !! before the frost. Sending warm breezes your way!! You have kept up a good planting scheme I cant wait to hear the progress !!
Here is to the fruit of your labor !!
Ha-v-v

As much as we would love to sit in the garden 24/7, we all understand that there is a life outside the box and we get side tracked sometimes.

I like carpet to keep the weeds down in my path ways. Used-Free Carpet.
You can collect used carpet at Flooring companies that bring in the used carpet if you tell them what you want it for---they normally give it to you. I have never had a problem with the carpet---it drains well. It dries up in the sun. My shoes don't get muddy. My shoes don't get wet from wet grass. Spray bleach around the edges to kill any grass that tries to grow along the outer edges.

I am going to sow some IceBerg lettuce tomorrow and make a few Mini Hoops for the grow bed that the lettuce will grow in.

Broccoli, Cauliflower, one Rosemary, few carrot seedlings.

As of Oct 5th.

As you could see, there is no way I could grow a broccoli plant in one square foot.
My plants spread out 24 inches.
Do you know you can eat Broccoli leaves ---salads or stir fry.
Same with Cabbage leaves.
I love Cauliflower with cheese for breakfast with fried smoke sausage on the side.


Cabbage and Cauliflower, few carrot seedlings, few toy choy.

Turnip Greens

The cabbage and cauliflower are starting to head up.

Cabbage and Cauliflower

I don't see any Broccoli heads yet. (Impatient)

Broc and Cauli

I have sown 90 other lettuce seeds--they have germinated--
waiting to be transplanted in a couple weeks into a 4x8 bed.
30 of those seedlings are IceBerg lettuce. wondering if
Iceberg can be harvested before it has a large head? Can you harvest it
like loose head lettuce?????????

the 1st salad bed finally has visible plants growing
Tom Thumb
Little Gem
Toy Choy
Corn Salad--where it looks bare.
BonVivant Musclun Mixed- in the block holes.

Turnip Greens started growing like weeds.
They add a nice zing to a sandwich too.

Vinca---still kicking---little low on nitrogen---but still looks good.
It actually spreads about 16 inches all around.
Growing in a raised 4x12 bed.

This is One plant. Sowed the seed in Feb.

One more pic
A side view of the turnip greens in their 4x9 raised bed.

Very nice! You have the green thumb girl! Of course hopefully we all do! I do not see why you could not harvest iceberg bit by bit. But taste will tell the tale. Let us know when you try it.

Great looking plants Carolyn.

Our tomato & pepper plants are still producing. I've planted some broccoli & cabbage in place of our summer squash & cucumber plants.

I'd sure love to have a bed of turnip greens like Carolyn's! It will be on next year's list.

thank you ske.

I love my turnip greens. Like today---I had a small hand full for lunch. I only boil them
for about 30 minutes with few slices of BACON (makes the world go round). They are slightly bitter cause we haven't had a frost yet-----but I likey.

I have heads of broccoli showing now---for several days. The size of golf balls.

It is time to make a salad with the Toy Choy. And great on sandwiches too.
I been pulling radishes. Pretty and yummy. It seems I did not sow enough of those. I am just about out. I will have to sow some more and sadly wait 4 weeks til they are ready again. I think this time I will sow a few April Cross radishes. They are white-mild and get pretty big.

I couldn't agree with you more, Bacon does make the world go round! LOL! Love it when cooking cabbage too.

I'm going to look for the radish seed you mentioned. I can remember how the radishes from my father's garden tasted and the ones in the grocery store just can't compare.

I got the April Cross from Parks. They take twice as long to mature compared to the regular radish. (60days) But they get really big----like carrots.

http://www.parkseed.com/gardening/store/TextSearch?storeId=10101&SearchUnion=Y&CustSearchText=Radish+April+Cross&x=13&y=8

Awww. A stray seed took root on Hard ugly clay soil next to the raised block bed and doing pretty good considering where it is growing. It is a "Little Gem" loose head lettuce.
If it can grow like that in clay-------which im thinking some of it's roots could of went under the block into the good soil area-----then imagine what you can grow in Mels Mix.

It's time to eat.