Dirty Work

Today was a fine day for digging sweet potatoes. Thanksgiving is coming, and the sweet potatoes must be cured and ready to eat. We haven't had a hard freeze to force me to dig them. Plus, we've recently had so many wet days it's been hard to find a weather-appropriate day to do it. I missed the warm, sun-shiny days the weekend we travelled to NYC.

I planted an equal number of plants (9) in each of two raised beds. The bed closer to the house produced nicer, more filled-out, tubers. The other bed produced lots of skinny roots... many too small to be edible, and many that I'll call "fingerling" sweet potatoes. Overall, a disappointing harvest.  You can be sure that we'll enjoy what we got.   The tubers are laid out to cure on a table in the basement.

The difference in the development of the tubers from one bed to the other may have to do with the amount of sun that shone on each bed over the season.  But the disappointing harvest may have more to do with when I planted these plants.  I didn't put them into the ground until my other potatoes were harvested... July 4.  Turns out sweet potatoes need 150 frost-free days to fully develop.  Hmmm... mine had 142 frost-free days.  I guess the length of the growing season really does matter!  Live and learn.

Bye, bye, birdies!

The ducks have a new home!  My friend, Betsy, has prepared a duck habitat at her house, complete with bathtub swimming hole.  Today, after our music practice, she and I secured the ducks in the "safe" zone of the chicken yard, got them into a dog crate (easier than expected), and loaded them into the back of her car.  I hope they have a successful transition.

I'm a little worried about the two young barred rock hens that share the chicken yard with our original nine dominickers.  Without Elvis to keep everything in order, the young girls have definitely taken a place at the bottom of the pecking order.  They've been hanging out with the ducks since we first brought them all home in early July.  I hope they're not bullied too much now that their body guards are gone.

Hurrican Ida Moving Through

It rained all last night.  It's been raining all day.... a nice gentle soaking rain.  Couldn't be any better for the garden, the landscape, and the water table.  Forecasters are predicting up to 6 inches here in central North Carolina.

Trees Cleared Just in Time for Rain

On Friday I pulled up the okra "forest". The plants had gotten so tall I couldn't get to the tops at all. I was away the first week of October for a dulcimer workshop in Sandbridge, VA. While I was gone, nobody picked the okra. Left to grow, the pods became gigantic, causing the plants to become top-heavy. Several were bent over. A few were broken. I decided I was tired of okra. I also pulled up the shriveled up pole beans and cut down their string support.

The big trees are down and limbed. Yesterday, the crew had a bobcat out here, loading the trunks onto trucks in preparation to haul them to the saw mill where they'll be cut into boards. When they were finished, it started raining. Perfect timing.

I think my garden is growing better already!

More Sunshine on the Way

Our property is very much tucked into the woods. We really do not get enough sun for maximum growth of the summer garden. It's nearly 11 o'clock before the sun shines on my raised beds! In order to get healthier, sturdier plants and larger yields, we've decided to take down several large tulip poplars, opening up space in the canopy and letting the sunshine in. Today's the day!

This photo is a "before" shot. Notice the big trees marked with orange surveyor's tape.

Frost Threatens

The first frosty weather is upon us! I decided I better get the last of my basil processed and in the freezer. Some of the leaves had already been cold-hurt from last night's low temperatures. We're expecting more of the same tonight.

Presto! Change-O! Basil to Pesto!

I cut the sweet basil way back this morning. Although I expect to get a little more growth before frost finishes off the plants, this will probably be the last big batch of pesto for the year. Good bye summertime!