Droopy has talked about it--the quick onset of winter...or at the very least, winter-like conditions. Why, she's already got snow...or at least the mountains across the fjord do. Here there is a definite change in the air--the air has a certain crispness to it that it didn't last week. When I went to the lottie yesterday, I noticed that the neighbour man's chicory had all wilted...and the leaves of many of my blueberry bushes had turned a scarlet red! The season has changed a bit here and I must use my free days to get things in order. Today it's raining, but saturday and sunday it was dryer. Well, saturday I had to work in-between the showers, but there were long periods of dryness. I wasted no time. The first and most important item on the "To Do List" was get those new strawberry plants in the ground. I had had to order some new plants this year as my adult plants did not start making runners with plantlets until too late. I selected some called `Salsa`, which I am hoping will do well here. These Salsa´s came in a perforated plastic bag. I believe that they have been kept in refrigeration. I do have a tiny bit of misgivings, as I ordered them last month and they just arrived saturday. That just won´t do, but it is now or in the spring. --The selected beds had been cleaned, min-tilled and fertilized weeks ago in anticipation of this day. I removed the mulching and drew a rake across the surface to remove debris and loosen the very crust of the topsoil. --Next holes were scooped-out and a small `ball` of earth made in center the depression. It is difficult to perceive in a 3-dimensional way with this foto, but perhaps you can sort of see what I described. --The little mounds in the center of the scooped-out is to drape the roots of the new plant over. I clipped the last quarter of the root ball to stimulate more root production. A discreet sprinkling of phosphorus and Salt Peter was added to further stimulate root growth and bud formation. The plantlet will drain better and the stiffness of the ball/mound will not let the growing point settle down below the soil line with rain. --Once prepared, The roots were covered with soil and firmed down. They look pitiful now, but I hope that they will concentrate on root production and not freeze to death this winter. I may mulch them for safety sake. I really do worry about this late planting, but we´ll see what happens. Whilst in the plot where the strawberries were, I thought that the removal of the old pea vines would be in order. The vines were stripped off the chicken wire protection and laid aside to be used as mulch a little later on. Then the ground was then schoffeled and the attention moved to a remaining strawberry bed that had to be cleaned and prepared. The pea patch cleaned. The Lavender that wasn´t blooming had to be trimmed and boy, oh boy what a fragrance! The remaining strawberry bed with its plants yanked up and in the yellow trug, waiting to be taken to the compost bin. The ground has been min-tilled and awaits the pea vine mulching. The bed fully mulched for the winter. That chore done, the strawberry plants were dumped into the compost bin had to be snippered. I plugged the Walkman in and stuffed the earpieces into my ears...punched in the first tune, the overture of Il Barbiere di Siviglia and took the hedge cutters to them. Afterwards they had to be turned under, as it was time for the compost to be aerated anyway. The smell of the Lavender was what made this task enjoyable. Once finished, the compost was re-covered with a plastic tarp. All tidy. I inspected the butternut squashes, but they are not yet ready to be picked and stored. A couple of things were. I cut a courgette and lifted a leek for a stir-fry tomorrow evening. The next thing to be done was the front strip along the outside of the fence. First I thought that I´d just schoffel it, but then there were these two bags of bulbs that came along gratis with the bare-root strawb plants. The strip was not completed yesterday. The amount °done tool all day believe it or not, so the rest will have to be done later. It took so long because there were ground elder, pernicious oxalis, mare´s tail and bindweed roots that had to be carefully removed. I did not want to leave any bits behind to become new plants. The anterior stretch of ground all clean and planted. What a feeling of accomplishment this gives. A few flower pics now. First is a Clematis terniflora that I planted this year. it´s leaves are very pale and the flowers are scant...but probably all part and parcel considering this is it´s first summer outside. Now this lovely thing--a Caryopteris clandonensis. It´s delicate purple but looks a bit like another plant that I have in the garden. A closer view. The other, lighter purple one--the Phaselia (a green manure). When the work was finally done it was off home and to a nice hot shower--feet up with a cuppa to contemplate the progress.
I got tired just reading your post! You certainly were busy, but your garden will appreciate it. May I ask the variety of the courgette you pictured? I received a packet of "mixed summer squash" as a bonus with a seed order, and that courgette was among them. Very good, and I'd like to plant it if I can find the name! We have coryopteris in our garden, too. Our honeybees love it. Ours self-seeds and we usually have two or three new plants each year. The oldest one is about 3 feet wide! Your garden is lovely and so tidy that it makes me feel guilty!
alot of work accomplished but always well worth it. I like your white clematis. I had a purple one but didn't seem to do anything this past summer. fall has quickly approached here also-it has come in full power, cold & rainy.
Hello, MG--Thanks for your nice response. The type that is featured is the Courgette "Magda". It is the heaviest cropper that I have and grows under a number of different conditions...which makes it easy. That Caryopteris really grew--it is about four times the original size. I planted it in late may and it has outgrown it's place. I have fouind a different place up front with plenty of room. I expect that i will transplant it in March, as it is now blooming. The honeybees like it here as well. Thanks PETUNIA--You know, none of my Clematis' did it like normal this year. I hope that the new ones that I set out this year will survive and perform next year. The rain is pouring now.... A wasted workday.
I had to snicker at your choice of music while snipping the compost. My, you've been busy! But such lovely result. You must be pleased. I know that I'm pleased for you. Now I wonder what sort of colour your bulb parcel of Iris hollandica will provide you with. I hope it's a mix. I like bulb colour mixes. I found the strawberry planting instruction very useful. We need to get some plantlets moved, albeit I don't know when we'll have time for that.
wow sjoerd! the lottie looks so neat and tidy! loved seeig your compost bin, and how you cut up the leftovers. great info about the strawberries and planting them. i can see where i can make some improvements and it'd take less time than what i usually do. i have a mess of strawberries to move this fall...soon as hubby tills up an area for them. now about all this 'summer is over' and 'fall is in the air' stuff...it's going to be 80F here for the next seven days!!! woohoo! i haven't even started thinking about cleaning up my mess yet, cause there isn't any! everything's still producing like crazy! it's all good tho, cause we had such a late start.
It's always fun to see what you've been up to Sjoerd. Your lottie looks marvelous! Your photos make me feel like I am there! Wish I could smell your Lavender, That is one of my favorite plants to work around. heavenly smell MMmmm In my garden. I have several perennials that have been in containers this season, and they need to be planted in the ground. I also have 4 little orphan shrubs that I've acquired that I need to tuck in to over winter... Then there will be pulling up and saying farewell to the annuals, and of course raking, raking, raking the leaves; leaves. leaves!! Autumn is really a busy time!
Looks like you made good use of your time despite the rain. I love the delicate purple blooms of the Phaselia and Caryopteris. Is that one of the clematis we saw photos of in your home (I remember one of your cats helped themself to one of your plants).
Heh heh heh....Yeah DROOPY--I was in a bit of a wild mood and that selection seemed fitting. You know, snippering foliage is one of those brainless jobs that requires some motivation. With the help of the music I was snipping in a sort of frenzied manner and was through in no time at all. The bulb parcelsaid that it was mixed, so I am hoping for a variety of colour. If this works, it will be something to see next spring. Glad you found the strawb planting technique helpful. You may get some time one of these days. Due to where you live, you might be better off planting new strawbs in the spring. Thanks BUNKIE--I'm glad you liked seeing the composting segment. Composting technique is something that I vary---from the simple to the rediculously work-intensive. It's nice tyop hear that you saw something in the strawb segment that was perhaps helpful. Strawssa are something that I spend alot of time working with. I am doing something with them all season long. What a surprize that youi har having good weather that is extending itself for you. I'm jelous. I just hope that it doesn't instantly switch on you without warning. Thanks so much for your kind words, KAY--It's so nice that you feel like you are right here in the garden when you read the posting. I wish that you could smell the lavender too. I am partial to it. It our climate and ground were other than what it is, I'd have many different types and literally fill the plot with them, blooming at different times. It sounds like you realize what your fall is going to be like. Yes, it is a very busy time of the gardening year, but I like it very much. I get such a strong feeling of accomplishment when I see the results of my work. I don't always see results when doing minor cleaning during the height of the season. I am happy to hear that you like those purple-flowered plants, GAIL--I quite like them too. The Clematis is indeed the same type as the one on my window sill that got chewed by one of my cats. I ordered a few and decided to plant that propagation one out next year. I will have to see what will survive and what will not. I still grit my teeth and develop a winking squint in one eye when I think back to that caper pulled by Rose, the Mischevious Cat. Gurrrrrr.
Hey Sjoerd, I also wanted to mention to you that I love to listen to music while I work! I have an (old fashion) 8) radio that clips to my back pocket, and I just put those earplugs in and get busy! I mostly like good old classic rock n' roll. it keeps me movin!
Alot of folks listen to music as they work, especiallyt factory workers and street pavers...there is a show that runs from early morning to late in the afternoon called "Arbeidsvitamientjes", or "work vitimens". There is all sorts of rock music played but the focus in on old numbers...."golden oldies, I think they call them.
If I have to do all this before winter, then I guess I won't be able to last a winter But then again I don't mind if there is some snow fall here!!!
You are a busy bee. I have also noticed a change in the air. The sun, when it bothers to come out, is lower in the sky and the trees have started to take on their autumn colours. This year has been a rubbish one for my courgettes - the slugs munched my first plants completely away, and the second sowing just never took off. However, I have a mass of other squashes. I must get snappy with the camera. I have also extended my strawb bed using runners from the main plants. The darn creeping buttercup is what drives me to distraction in the strawb bed as they blend in with the strawbs so well. I will weed them all out in the end. Lovely that you got some free bulbs. I am contemplating buying a sack of daff bulbs as they are cheap in all the supermarkets and garden centres here at the moment. I love the daffs on my allotment. I am keeping my fingers crossed that the mild weather lasts a little bit longer as I still have runner beans on the plot, and other veggies still growing strong. I don't want it to be over yet!!
Well EJ-- I hope ythe mild weather there lasts a fee more weeks for you. Good luck with those daffs--they are such a breath of hope in a cold and dreary early spring garden. My runners are just about finished. I shall yank them soon and begion getting the ground dug out and new put in. Oh, I forgot ...speaking of bulbs, have yopu heard anything about a shortage of crocus bulbs this year? Well, take care and tell us how the competition went. Did you guys win any prizes this year? BTW, I read your blog and saw you had trouble saving dried beans--have you tried using vermiculite in the paper bag with the beans? I reckon you dry them thououghly on the window sill or something before packing them in, right?
