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A Bit of Restraint

October 13th, 2012

I decided earlier this year that I wasn’t going to buy anything to plant this fall. Why? Because Mr Chiots and I want to spend the winter coming up with a master plan of where we think everything should go. We made the mistake at our last place of planting a few things early on then having to move them. We’ll spend the winter watching the sun travel across the sky, watching how the water drains, and looking for possible deer crossing patterns.



Yesterday, we went to the Fedco warehouse sale. I knew I didn’t want any bulbs, shrubs, or trees, but I was interested in buying a few herbs that I didn’t have. Just as I suspected, there were a few. I purchased just 5 plants: Sedum, Boneset, Licorice, Hyssop, and Codonopsis.


It wasn’t just about plants, we met and talked to a lot of great folks. No doubt people we’ll see again and again. You can bet we’ll be attending the spring sale to pick up all the trees and shrubs we want to add to new place.


Since we were in the area, we also stopped by Johnny’s Seeds order pick up office to chat. There is no real retail store, but they do have a few clearance items and sample tools to look at. We were pointed towards the research farm to have a look around, with a warning that most crops were coming out and cover crops being sown.



All-in-all it was a lovely day. We visited a few new places, traveled new roads, learning new towns and roads, met new people, engaged in lively conversation and were even invited to a secret farmers market and potluck that’s happening this morning at a local orchard. Sometimes you just never know where you’re going to end up or what’s going to happen.

Do you plant things in the fall or just in spring?

For more photos of both Fedco and Johnny’s, head on over to my Flikcr Photostream.

16 Comments to “A Bit of Restraint”
  1. jennifer fisk on October 13, 2012 at 5:55 am

    As far as veggies go, garlic is the main fall planted crop however, I am trying some fall seeded spinach this year. I often plant Daffodils and Tulips in the fall.

    Reply to jennifer fisk's comment

    • Susy on October 13, 2012 at 6:56 am

      I really wanted to get some daffodils, tulips and other flowering bulbs. I will certainly miss seeing the thousands of those that I had planted in the my garden in Ohio.

      Reply to Susy's comment

  2. George on October 13, 2012 at 6:20 am

    What a nice surprise to see Fedco pictures. It is my favorite seed source, even though the catalog has no pictures. Love the free shipping on orders over $30. Also like the winter hardy seed list. Hope your move is going well.

    Reply to George's comment

  3. Canned Quilter on October 13, 2012 at 8:39 am

    Isn’t it wonderful to live so close to all these wonderful resources. You are also very wise to wait to plant. In my excitement of moving to the country and having all this acreage I hastily planted things that eventually had to be moved also. It is so much easier to plant things only once and in the right place.

    Reply to Canned Quilter's comment

  4. Erika on October 13, 2012 at 10:07 am

    Thanks for posting the pictures of Johnny’s! I love to plant/transplant perennials in the fall. They are so busy with root development in the fall, and not trying to grow leaves, that I think they do better.

    Reply to Erika's comment

  5. tj on October 13, 2012 at 11:39 am

    …I plant in both Spring and Fall. I am interested in growing winter greens and know that you have spoken on this subject here on Chiot’s Run. I know it involves a hoop cover but other than that…*que crickets chirping*. :o\
    I need to do some rereading here and maybe get a good book on the subject as I would really like to utilize my garden year ’round as much as I can.

    …I must say you did practice plenty of restraint girl. I get the whole “wait ‘n’ see” approach to landscaping and gardening at a new place tho’. I kinda went a** over end with landscaping when we first bought our place and yes – I regretted doing so. So many things I have since moved and it’s funny when I look at where I planted some of these bushes, trees, perennials I wonder, “what was I thinking?!”…lol :o)

    …Thanks for letting us tag along!

    …Enjoy your day!

    …Blessings :o)

    Reply to tj's comment

  6. EL on October 13, 2012 at 1:23 pm

    Both fall and spring. I prefer fall, but those veggies — they just don’t make it through the winter! So because of vegetables, I have to plant in the spring. . .

    And then there’s always the impulse buy. . .

    Reply to EL's comment

  7. sharon on October 13, 2012 at 2:32 pm

    Love the apple display….please take some before pictures of you new property….I dying to see….I bought some dried Hyssop…in europe..what should i do with it??

    Reply to sharon's comment

    • Susy on October 14, 2012 at 1:43 pm

      I’m working on a new property tour, keep checking back. It might even be a video. I have only grown anise hyssop in the past and I always use it in tea. Here’s some great info on regular hyssop: http://botanical.com/botanical/mgmh/h/hyssop48.html

      Reply to Susy's comment

  8. daisy on October 13, 2012 at 8:22 pm

    What a lovely way to spend the day. Sounds like y’all are fitting right in there.

    We plant opposite of most folks as our springs and summers are too hot to grow much. The cooler fall weather makes me want to grow everything!

    Reply to daisy's comment

  9. Maybelline on October 13, 2012 at 11:30 pm

    Planting goes on all year long.
    I like the apple display.
    You certainly are disciplined. I couldn’t wald away with only 4 plants.

    Reply to Maybelline's comment

  10. Jennie B on October 14, 2012 at 12:44 am

    I plant on the spring and fall. In Oklahoma it’s best to plant perennials in the fall.

    Reply to Jennie B's comment

  11. Andres Stell on October 14, 2012 at 12:23 pm

    We decided to also not plant anything until spring after moving into our new house this September and the baby due by the end of October. But it hasn’t been easy, I have to admit I did buy one hydrangea and a set of saffron bulbs. But I agree in that it will probably be better in the long run to plan everything a bit better over the winter before jumping the gun.

    Reply to Andres Stell's comment

  12. Laura on October 14, 2012 at 9:30 pm

    that sounds like a fabulous day! my planting habits depend greatly on my health. last fall, i couldn’t plant anything and hadn’t planted in the previous spring either. this past spring i was able to get out and get things planted ( none of the plants did as well as i’d hoped, but i think it was mostly due to my inability to get out and water as much as they needed). a few weeks ago i planted kale, turnips and collards. i lost all of my kale sprouts and all but one of the collards to a hungry chipmunk, so today i planted more kale and turnips and also a few cloves of garlic.

    hope you had a great time today at the secret market! :-)

    blessings
    ~*~

    Reply to Laura's comment

  13. kristen oberhauser bishop on October 15, 2012 at 7:43 am

    Suzie- I so glad I met you & can follow your blog now. Please email me. A friend grew fall sown carrots- they grew slowly but they were ready in May. This was in Mass. In a cold frame. I have transplanted leeks & grew them but they mush up a bit. Edible but … Eliot Coleman has a list of things that can be planted and grown slowly in winter. Every year I say I am going to do it!

    Reply to kristen oberhauser bishop's comment

  14. Julie on October 15, 2012 at 1:30 pm

    We’re lucky, living in zone 7b, Upstate SC–I garden basically all year. I just finished planting the potager yesterday with 8 varieties of lettuce, spinach, kale, and Swiss chard. The potager is pretty shady, so most of the crops are in the large kitchen garden. When it gets really cold, I’ll cover both gardens with plastic for mini hoop houses. Still, I can’t pass up ornamentals, and I’m just getting ready to place my bulb order. You really can never have too many daffodils or tulips! You definitely showed incredible restraint! Have fun planning your new gardens!

    Reply to Julie's comment

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This is a daily journal of my efforts to cultivate a more simple life, through local eating, gardening and so many other things. We used to live in a small suburban neighborhood Ohio but moved to 153 acres in Liberty, Maine in 2012.

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