What have you done today in the Garden?

Sjoerd, that was all of the squashes. For next year, I need a better strategy. I have some locations where they should get better care. The keys for me, for squashes - drip irrigation, black plastic mulch.

 

Thanks Sjoerd, it's a rhubarb plant and just dying down for the winter.

 

Yes I've still got some in the freezer that i mix with apples for a crumble.

 

Oh. Cheers Loggie. I recognised the plant, but little fellow on the right— I could not tell if it was a plant or a couple of stray leaves.

 

Your welcome Sjoerd

 

Daniel— I see. You know, it was a bad year for squashes here as well. T blame the climate. I can see that. Certain things that I grow every year did not do as well as normal either. Odd, that.

 

It was great to see your squash varieties @Daniel W . I recognized some that I just ordered yesterday, but I've never grown before. Is the long necked on a Tromboncino? And butternut and blue hubbard? I'm trying all three of these next year, with the same method I was able to grow the Golden Hubbard this year. I'm also try a mashed potato squash/ white acorn. I'm excited about that one with my potato allergy. I was able to get another month of growing time this year so I'm hopeful

Soooo....Hubbards. I cracked open my second Golden Hubbard today. The first one was the oldest squash, and between two cleavers, a hammer, and some one handed assistance from Hubby I eventually but dangerously got it open. My neighbour uses an axe, so I was going to try that this morning. I decided against it after it rolled off the chopping block twice...my red alarm danger button was going off.

I had read that some people drop them onto concrete to crack them, and I decided to try that. Except....I should have taken baby steps. Like...perhaps tried dropping it from a few feet. Not lobbing it fifteen feet with the arch of a pro basketball player, off of the deck onto a concrete step. It cracked all right....into many pieces hahahaha.

I salvaged everything, and cleaned it up. AND I had the most amazing plump seeds. I learned from Daniel about how to keep the squash true, and was careful to not have cross pollination so the seeds are true. I was so pleased to see the healthy seeds as all of the seeds in the first one were very thin and wobbly. I wasn't sure why. I dried them anyhow but they also were sampled by a renegade house mouse, so they were all trashed. The basketball squash is now roasted, and much tastier than the first one as well.

What a silly morning it was.








And it had a nice dry corky stem...now I know! Thanks guys for that info.

 

Another success booked by Maple Leaf Mel.
Well done you, lass.

 

Cleared all the downed leaves by blowing on pastures and lawns , then using the mulcher blades on the mower to make them all disappear.
Cleaned all the windows to inhibit those bugs from gaining entrance inside the house and out buildings.
Cleared out the scuppers and downspouts..
Trimmed all the over grown herbs took to burn pile.
Cleared up the garden watering system winterized the units.
Just getting stuff done before winter .

 

Thank you Sjoerd. I appreciate it.

Went for a hike today to mark the Christmas tree. It's impossible to find with all of the deep heavy snow on it. Found two - one if the snow isn't too deep to get, and one if it's pretty deep. Ribbons on both so I can find them in winter.

 

Busy times for you Pac. Another season coming to a close

 

Congrats on locating THE tree for the holidays.
How are things coming along?

 

Did some more weeding in the borders.

 

I'm poking along at a pretty good pace, thanks for asking Sjoerd. Still no snow, so I'm taking advantage. I need the temps to warm a bit to finish the last insulation job, which I think will be tomorrow afternoon before the snow comes.

Today the raspberry harvest is being repurposed into jam, jelly and raspberry wine. About 65 lbs of berries were evicted from the freezer a few days ago and have been thawing. The juice they release is lovely and concentrated. The pulp is straining right now and then the kitchen gets busy.

I was very happy to see that some of my Gazania seed heads popped into many lovely seeds. I was a bit worried there after loosing my best couple seed heads to a quick fingered guest. But I will have seeds Which is very cool.

 

Picked apples. Still some nice ones there. A lot will go into the spare fridge.

The almost-done renovated raised bed got some more soil (only one bucket today. I learned my lesson.), some kitchen scraps, and some compost. I also chopped marigold plants and buried them with the added soil, as my completely unproven, soil semi-fumigation strategy. If all they do is decompose and enrich the soil a bit, that's fine too. I'm a bit odd LOL, because I like the smell of the chopped marigolds.

I scattered coffee grounds on the last planted garlic rows. After another week or two of saving more grounds, plus a treatment of chopped eggshells, it will be ready for its leaf cover.

I planted some bulbs from Old House Gardens, in flower pots. One more Lycoris (Surprise Lily), a pot of "Southern Muscari", which are a midnight blue color, a pot of Trillium, and a pot of Ornithogalum nutans ('Drooping Star of Bethlehem" or "Silver Bells"). These are old, historic varieties, which is the specialty of that nursery.

I wonder if the Lycoris will do better if I leave them in garage, which is chilly but doesn't freeze. From what I read, they are very traumatized when they are dug up, have their roots chopped off, get dried out and mailed. I wouldn't like that either, although lots of other bulb varieties do great with that treatment. Maybe a milder winter in the garage would allow faster root re-growth.

And I took a nap.

@Melody Mc. it's great you got a better batch if squash seeds. That's why the first one were puny - to inform you of the mouse's greedy intent. Now you know! And I bet they will grow better than bought seeds.