Heading into the Winter Garden

A big shout-out to Rouse the Spouse for all the gardening work he has done this month! Without his help there would be no winter garden this year. As it is, the beds are cleared of summer crop detritus, mulched, and in good shape. All the pathways have been heavily mulched to deter weeds. He planted a variety of lettuce, turnip, kale, and spinach seeds which have germinated and sprouted. He set out pac choi and collard plants. Can't wait to eat all those winter greens!

Today, Evalyn and I worked together to begin the row-cover set-up. I took the pre-cut pvc pipes down from storage racks in the shed and piled them on the ground. She pretended to be a horse, grabbing a length of pipe in each hand and dragging them like a sled behind her to the garden, where we tossed them over the short fence. Then, she stood on one side of each bed and I stood on the other and we inserted the pipes into place to make hoops. A good helper sure does make the job more fun!

Next step will be to spread light-weight gardening fabric over the hoops.

Report on the Hibiscus Sabdariffa Experiment

Fail!

Betsy, my go-to master gardener, says not enough sun in the selected location for those plants to thrive, i.e. bloom and set seed, in the available seasonal time. The story of my gardening life ... and the price one pays for living in the woods.