Putting it to Bed

Last week was perfect for working outside. I wasn’t needed much at the hospital, the weather was beautiful, and no family issues! I took advantage and did some fall gardening.

Early in the week I added 75-80 daffodil bulbs, some spring larkspur, a Firecracker in the Sky mixture (firecracker plant and Triteleia Queen Fabiola,) two varieties of iris rhizonmes and a few tulips to the perennial beds and cutting garden. Later in the week I made a Lowes run and discovered their bulbs were half price. Couldn’t resist and bought an additional 70 bulbs which I got into the ground just before yesterday’s rain.

In the potager I planted a garlic bed. Hopefully it isn’t too late. Supposedly garlic should be planted in October; however the garlic I planted last October sprouted in the late fall and didn’t produce garlic in the early summer, as it should. With that experience and an extra warm fall, I decided to try a later planting. Before planting the garlic I amended the soil with my home-made compost/worm casting mix. After planting I covered the bed with about 6-inches of straw. I also put the compost mixture on the strawberry bed (after cutting the plants back) and it is also covered with a thick layer of straw.

The zinnia bed was cleaned, spread with city compost and sprinkled with seeds from the spent zinnia blooms. That bed has a cover of shredded leaves.

My on-site handy man made cages for two of the fig trees. I will fill the cages with leaves, straw and newspapers for winter protection. The third tree is in the greenhouse.

It was a productive week but there is still work to be done, mostly leaves to be raked and shredded. If all goes well the garden will be put to bed by the end of November. For me, December is the only month of the year that I do no gardening. In January the seed nursery starts the cycle and we’re off to another year!