Apple Clean-up

Before we got this lingering snow,the crew and I did a little apple clean-up. REAL apples are the only kind I put in the field to be plowed in. Horse manure is not a good choice for gardening, it can initiate scab diseases in the soil.....that never go away. Ever seen 'scabby' looking potatoes? Might have been a fresh horse donation.

Gavin and Jace filling the buckets with apples to dump in the field.
To my surprise, they even picked up rotting ones!

The apples don't have a huge fertilizer value in the plowed field, but removing them from the base of the tree is good. Sanitation in 'top fruit' (trees) growing is essential. Not only would a slimy apple mess persist, but also all the disease, insect eggs etc, are right below the tree, waiting to infect the tree again next year. You might not really notice the problems, but they are there! A good source for organic controls can be found at http://www.gardensalive.com/ If you can take time to do only ONE thing for your fruit trees do this: spray them with a 'dormant oil.' It is the single MOST beneficial thing to do (while the tree is still dormant) The oil smothers egg casings, insects, and other problems.

Happy late Thanksgiving

It's hard to be timely with everything, so happy belated turkey day!
WE ARE REALLY DONE IN THE FIELD THIS TIME. Everytime I think I am, I remember one more thing, and one more thing and...well you get the picture. My advice on buying straw that has gotten wet, DON'T. Thought I'd save $80 bucks, and I did save it alright, and added about 2 days of work trying to haul it an spread it. Definately NOT a bargain. As I formulate my thoughts for the next sessions of garden classes, any ideas and topics you would like to see offered? They are all my favorites!

AHHHHHHHHH......this is why

I work so hard in the fields. Just a peak at what next spring will bring! Almost done for this season, and the rains starts up again. Only 6 more bales of straw to scatter, and a few other tasks and I'm calling it a wrap for this year! This fall we mowed down most of our perennial rows, and some of the shrub rows w/the brush cutter. Amazing what the tractor can do verses me and my pruners! As I work in the iris, I of course consider how much work they require from me. Pretty much from spring till fall they need something. Start in the spring with uncovering, removing any dead leaf material, one hand weeding, maybe some fertilizing, inventoring who didn't survive winter, analyzing them for sale, pricing, tagging, listing, making their photo cards, prepping for showing, hand weeding again, digging orders, calling customers, once, twice, three times....., digging, dividing, replanting my stock for next year, hand watering w/water I hauled in, another weeding, cutting back their leaves with a scissors, covering for winter. So far I have spent 20 hrs. just covering them. So whats my point? Didn't I pick this job? Yes, and I love it. But I keep thinking about the lady that picked out one of the cheapest at the farmers market, a $4 rhizome, and said "how many do I get for $4?" My teeth nearly fell out. How many do you GET for $4. ONE, you get ONE. No, in fact for you I am going to cut it in 1/2, you only get a 1/2 for $4. Of course I didn't actually use that rant although I would have loved to....After looking at each iris face to face 12+ times a year, it's difficult to think they should be sold for anything less than $20 each! Wouldn't that be nice! Let me clarify that iris are not this much work in the home garden, actually they are fairly care free.

GOT PLASTIC?

Alas! I was getting worried! Thanks to all of our friends who showed up to help. What really confuses me is: it went easier than I thought, we didn't rip it, went on the first try, wasn't windy out, all the pieces fit together, and nothing went wrong! I love it when I plan comes together, it just surprises you when it does!

the straw coverth

Saturday is the DAY! If the plastic doesn't get on the hoophouse Sat., it may never happen. Busy week at the farm. Bet you thought this time of year we just sat around watching tv? The patch is about 1/2 covered w/straw. The weather has been beautiful for working outside, how long can it last?

.....just settled down for a long winters nap.

This is the tagging I use. I usually purchase new tags every year. Each year they get thinner and more light weight than the year before! Next year they will probably made of tin foil! All the straw is snugged in by hand, as we have to work around the tags, and to make sure each rhizome is tucked in.

Indoor Plant Care

Are you one of those who brings your indoor plants outside in the summer? By now hopefully you have brought them back in and they likely look like crap. My best advice is to leave your indoors plants there, inside. Moving plants to and fro creates a lot of plant stress. Even the brightest indoor location does not match being outside in the shade. Many climate elements effect your plants, especially when you bring them outdoors in the spring. WIND, SUN Strength, humidity changes, cooler nightime temps, more likely to get insects problems. Normally, your plants my have just adjusted to the new outside location, when you bring them back indoors. Never set your indoor plants outside just for a bit of sunshine, they'll fry. Yes, I'll admit to having done this back when I was a plant ignoramous. You probably think I have tons of indoor plants....NOT. I have none. When autumn comes, I need a plant break! I bring in dried arrangments to get me through the winter.

BENDING MY OWN RULES.....a little

In a normal weather year, you should never winter mulch the plants until the ground is staying frozen. Usually that starts about now. Winter mulching is covering your plants with 6-12" of loose material, the crown and all. Not to be confused with mulching around the base of plants to conserve moisture during the growing season. The danger of winter mulching to early, is getting a streak of warm, wet weather that would than be prone to rot the plant crown. But.....the season grows real short, and if I don't start covering my 2 acres of iris soon (by hand) it will never get done. The main purpose of winter mulch is for 'spring' protection, not winter. It helps to keep the root systems from drying in winter if no snow cover for wind protection, and in the spring helps to keep the soil temps more even, stopping the plants from 'heaving' out of the ground. Heaving happens when we get the warm days and frozen nights in late winter/early spring. Normally when possible, thick layers of mulch are removed in stages. If you already have a lot of pale green growth because you are uncovering late, be sure to do in stages, like 3 steps over a weeks times. If you remove all at once it can scorch that tender new growth. Cloudy days better than sunny. Follow my blog throughout the winter for more garden tips and babbling nonsense!