What have you done today in the Garden?

Daniel that's impressive grafting and it can be difficult.

 

I use steel 10’x4” for edging just pound in ground . Grass and weeds still invade the space but it’s easier to maintain the shape , then spray the weeds follow the steel edging. Mower , weedwacker , and mole/gopher proof.been down for over 20 years.

 

Thanks Pacnorwest. Here is the rest of the Mutsu. The top growth was pretty rewarding.



This winter, I want to plant this tree in a larger container. The scion was just a tiny twig, so I had to do a cleft graft and just match the cambium on one side. Fortunately, apples are among the easiest trees to graft. The graft union will be almost invisible in another year, as new wood grows.

On the superdwarfing rootstock and with pruning, I hope it stays about three feet tall, and bushy, and yields a couple of big bowls of apples each season. I have others getting the same treatment.

This winter, I plan to re-design and reform that part of my garden, to be more accessible for the senior gardener (me). Some of the miniature trees started bearing this year.

 

For the miniature apple orchard, I'm aiming for something similar to this, but much fewer trees.



That was Gene Yale near Chicago, in the 1990s. He passed away quite some time ago, My rootstocks should be even more dwarfing, and my garden isn't as tidy as his. Plus, I have a much smaller area. Also, some of mine are columnar or espalier.

 

Here is the cover for the miniature peach trees. They yielded very well this year. I hope I got the covers in place on time.



It's not pretty but it helps tremendously to prevent peach leaf curl disease. I hope I got it on in time. We had two inches of rain last week. I think it might be Spring rains that are the biggest problem, but I don't know for certain.

 

Do you only clear the canal by your lot Sjoerd? Or is it an effort of the garden community? That would be hard messy work.

(Hubby likes it when I cut his hair outside on the deck for the same reason. The wind takes it away, and he enjoys the fresh air feeling of the new hair cut )

 

Thanks Sjoerd. This is my first winter with the raised strawberry bed. There is a lot of peat in the soil base, so I'm really unsure how it will winter. There usually is no shortage of snow, but I'd hate to miss a window to keep the plants. The little optomists are still trying to throw out flowers after many frosts...very hardy. That makes me a little worried about dormancy. I will load them with leaves today.

And thank you for the idea of the garbage bags! That will be perfect for me. I have some areas along the perimeter of the front twelve acres where leaves have collected. ( We had 60 km winds yesterday with 80 km windgusts. Trees are down like chopsticks with power lines. The last of the leaves came down and the wind swept some of them into windrows for me )

I can target certain spots when I get a minute, stuff and bag and leave it until spring. Perfect!!

 

@Daniel W - thanks for explaining the pepper process. I don't think that process is for me after reading your explanation. My houseplants are pretty important. They form a privacy wall at the deck of our loft/masterbedroom. If I had an aphid/pest issue it could be a disaster.

About 6 years ago I almost killed them by overwatering and fertillizing just before going on a trip. We were gone for almost ten days. The house was cold. Within a week of returning most of the leaves had fallen off. I'm still slowly rebuilding it.



I'll keep the peppers as an annual for now.

 

@Melody Mc. I agree with you, this experiment probably isn't suitable for your priorities. I hope to continue posting how it goes.

Nice plant wall, by the way

 

Not outside gardening, but ordered nearly all of the seeds for next year.
From Mr. Fothergills
Corn Marigold
Corn Chamomile
Bellflower Wildflowers
Verbena bonerences
Sutton's Apricot foxgloves
Calendula Daisy Mixed
Tomato Strillo, cherry tomato

From DT. Brown
Antirrhinum Cherry Twist
Cosmos Apricotta
Wallflower Scarlet Bedder
Californian poppy Golden values.
Still got to order wallflowers, Cloth of gold and Fire King from Sutton's.

 

Thank you Daniel

Today I was able to be outside for a couple of hours while Hubby had a rest. I raked and bagged 8 garbage bags of leaves that were close to the house. Then took six wheel barrow loads to the strawberry patch.

Then...the leaves did a "Sjoerd's House of Leaving Leaves" and they all started to blow away off of the strawberries when the wind picked up. I had a stack of home made wire cages that I threw on top of the strawberry bed and that seemed to calm them down. Here's hoping

Two pots of garlic bulbils were planted and buried. First experiment of next year.

 

Mel— yes, I only clear the canal and it’s shore along my lottie only. But it is a National law that all folks that have land that borders a canal must keep it clean. So, the lottie club has the responsibility fro all the canals surrounding us... but each plot holder takes care of his own section. That’s the way it works.

I am curious about your strawb bed as well. I will tell you that my gardens are on what we call “veen” ground. I believe that veen is peat. I never have winter damage. Fingers crossed for your bed.

Glad that your leaves didn’t get all the way away from you. I have begun making my leaf mould already myself.
If you have a way to chop the leaves up, I would recommend that you do that because they will degrade quicker for you.

Hope you guys are doing well.

Yesterday more dead perennials came down and were laid out across another veggie bed, which we had cleaned and made ready. Finally got the last odd bits of the canal removed. Sometimes the small bits are the most difficult to remove.
Took another load to the rubbish processing location.

I have been eyeing my tom plants and thinking—it is about time to do the greenhouse. The last of the toms for making concentrate were picked and processed when we got home. There are still a few left to eat, then we will lift the plants and dig out the soil for replacement next spring.

What a great hobby gardening is.

 

Still too wet for leaf gathering,
But most are down from the acer in the front garden.





The acers in the back garden are now as red as they have been for years, but are already losing some leaves. It's going to be warm for a few days, so they may hang on for a bit.





The branches form a thin canopy, but already the leaves lost, means that there's gaps you can see through.
There'll be a lot of deadwood to prune away later and many, "white ends" that need to be removed, but there's always new growth to replace it.

 

Nothing today it's been raining.

 

@Logan, you will have a lovely garden!

@Melody Mc. I bet your strawberries will thank you for those leaves! I'd like to come up with a successful method for growing them in my garden too. Thinking...

@Sjoerd, you summed it all up there, in one sentence.

@Doghouse Riley those are so e beautiful acers. The fountain, too!

As for me, I cleaned up a raised bed. The succession for this one is, last year, onions. This year, garlic, then bush beans. Next year, tomatoes.

I cut down the remaining bush bean plants and weeds.



My initial plan was to dig the bean plants into the ground, as a green manure. But that is too much for me to handle. I hauled them to the compost bin. Then, I chopped up those marigolds at the end, and spread the choppings over the soil. So it will have marigold green manure. Some people think marigolds decrease herbivorous insects and other soil life. The stinky foliage ones are thought to be the best. These certainly had that!



Then I dug those into the soil, added some biochar and chicken bone ashes, and hand cultivated.



Next, I'll add a couple weeks worth of coffee grounds, and ground eggshells, then cover with tree leaves for the winter. Another raised bed put to bed for the winter.

Three down, two more to go.

This little friend was letting me know, there is a web of life in there. That makes me happy.