The Last Hurrah
Last week when I was mowing, I spotted a few dandelions blooming in the lawn. I also noticed a few daisies blooming here and there as well. Yesterday I cut one final arrangement from the garden, there are still fairy roses, alyssum, hollyhocks and few other plants with a few remaining blooms.
It’s the last hurrah of the flowers for the year. I’m always reminded this time of year that I need to add witch hazels and other winter interest plants. I’m actually working on an area by the driveway that will be dedicated to plants with winter interest. I’ll be referencing The Winter Garden, which is a fantastic book. In fact, I’ll probably pulling it out this week.
Are there any blooms left in your garden?
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Trying Something New
Every year I try a few new varieties of vegetables. I love endive and decided to try growing a few different types. Right now it’s coming into season, it mellows and gets a little less bitter with the cold. I tried them before our first frost and they were bitter, no doubt they’ve mellowed out a bit with the cold weather.
I tied up all the frisee this past weekend to blanch the hearts. I covered one with a bucket to see how that would work and it seems to be working. I’m trying to see which method will work best and be the easiest to manage. I also want to see if one method works better for cold protection.
I’m pretty excited about the radicchio as well, I buy it at the grocery store throughout the winter, I’d love to be able to grow at least some of what we eat.
I’m a huge fan of bitter greens, so endives are a natural choice for me. Growing them is a bit different than lettuce, I’m really enjoying the process of trying different types and learning to use them in the kitchen.
Do you grow any endive or chicories in the garden? Do you have a favorite variety?
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Friday Favorite: ZZZZZZ
I like to get good sleep every night, sometimes I go through phases where I don’t. The last week or so, I’ve been waking at 4 am, not quite the rising time that keeps me most productive throughout the day.
Perhaps it’s the moon, or maybe the coyotes are howling at that time, or one the cats might be playing with something. You never quite appreciate uninterrupted sleep until you’ve gone without it for a while. I’m keeping my fingers crosses that tonight I’ll be able to sleep until at least 5:45, which is my normal wake-up time.
What time do you usually get up in the morning?
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Building Foundations
This week I’ve been working on building the foundation for next year. I’ve been spending my time pulling out any remaining weeds and adding a thick layer of compost or chopped leaves and grass clippings over the garden areas.
The edible garden areas are getting 3-4 inch thick layers of compost and the fruit trees are getting a 6-10 inch layer of chopped leaves and grass.
Not only will this feed the soil for my crops next year, I will have fewer weeds to deal with as well. In my experience, chopped leaves are the best weed suppression material. I’ve been putting them on my garden in fall for years and am amazed by how easily they keep spring weeds away. It’s nice to know that in spring my garden will be ready for planting, I love getting these chores out of the way in fall.
What do you use as a mulch to protect and feed your soil during the winter?
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Pop, Pop, Pop
Last month, I harvest the popcorn. I would have liked to have left it in the garden to dry on the stalks, but there was tons of rain in the forecast. It sat in the top of the garage for a month and I shucked it yesterday.
It isn’t as big as I would have liked, but it’s better than nothing. The lack of rain this summer was the most likely culprit. We will still have enough to get us through the year, it’s nice that we won’t have to buy popcorn this year. Homegrown popcorn is delicious, if can’t grow it yourself, find a local farm that does. You’ll be amazed at the flavor.
Overall, I’m still happy with the harvest. I have already started planning which varieties I’m growing next year. I added a thick layer of compost to that section of the garden in preparation, since corn is a heavy feeder. Next year, the plan is to grow multicolored corn, black, red, and white.
Have you ever grown popcorn?
