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Garden Gate:  Fall Cleanup  |
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Clare
True Blue Farmgirl
2173 Posts
NC WA State
USA
2173 Posts |
 Posted - Oct 09 2005 : 6:43:21 PM
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This has been my agenda this weekend, and I'm pleased to report that I made alot of progress. Cleaned up my vege garden, and got started putting away the outdoor furniture... but before I could do that I made HUGE progress in cleaning out my shed. This had been overlooked for a couple years (Yikes!... but I did have a life threatening illness during that time, so that's my excuse.).. When I could only take two steps into the shed and turn around, ya know ya just have to start pitching things... get all the tools organized, the extra pots, etcs.... then there was room for the lawn furniture, with room to spare. Now the lawnmower may even fit!  Feels so good to get this accomplished before the inclimate weather... now I can tackle my indoor projects and not have my mind divided about what to do when!
How's everyone else coming along with their fall cleanup?
May the sun bring you new energy by day, may the moon softly restore you by night, may the rain wash away your worries, may the breeze blow new strength into your being, may you walk gently through the world and know its beauty all the days of your life. ~~Apache Blessing
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BlueEggBabe
True Blue Farmgirl
417 Posts
Susan
PA
417 Posts |
Posted - Oct 09 2005 : 6:59:16 PM
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Oh, I am so envious, Clare
I had planned to do some garden cleanup Friday but it started to rain......HARD, for two days, as a matter of fact.Lots of flash flooding,etc. I looked at the forecast for the coming week.RAIN all week!!
I started to bring in the plants from the porch and patio but still need to dig up some plants from the garden to bring in.
Fortunately, I re-organized my shed when I brought the lawn furniture out and then I had a yard sale, so putting stuff away won't be so bad.
What I would love to do is clean and oil all my garden tools before they go away this fall.I never manage to do it properly and then come spring, I could just kick myself. Wish I had one of those peg board kind of arrangements where everything has its place, you know, Martha style. Instead, I use an old outhouse for my tool shed!
www.feedsackfarmgirls.blogspot.com
"If more of us valued good food, cheer and song above hoarded gold,the world would be a merrier place."
J.J.R.Tolkien |
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Aunt Jenny
True Blue Farmgirl
11381 Posts
Jenny
middle of
Utah
USA
11381 Posts |
Posted - Oct 09 2005 : 7:05:54 PM
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WE have had rain too, but I have to get on the garden cleanup big time this week for Mona the cow's pen will take over most of where I have planted my garden the past three summers! I want her to have plenty of room so I will sacrafice and move my garden to another part of the yard and grow my corn in a patch behind the barn. So...for now I need to do alot of cleanup of things I don't want in there. I need to dig up a couple plants and move them (rosemary and flax) I had sort of decided to keep the garden in place and do a deep mulch no till thing this year, but since that is out I need to get all that mulch out and put it on the compost heap (huge heap this year!!) and get things more cleared out for her. I have a couple fences to take down and move and husband says he will get on the house (cow house I mean) more tomorrow after work. I hope so. I also have manure to move and compost from the goat pens and need to clean the chicken houses and pens again and put down new shavings.
I need to get a load of hay put up (I added it up and would feel better if I have more) and some straw too, for bedding for the big critters for winter.
I have alot to do besides that but that will be my focus for this week!!
I need to get the fall decor stuff out too and cut down the corn stalks and decorate the front porch. I have just enough to do that with left. The rest the sheep and goats have gobbled.
I do love working in cool weather better than hot though!!
Jenny in Utah
Put all your eggs in one basket..and then watch that basket!! Mark Twain |
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therusticcottage
True Blue Farmgirl
4439 Posts
Kay
Vancouver
WA
USA
4439 Posts |
Posted - Oct 09 2005 : 11:02:22 PM
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I haven't started anything yet but have lots to do. It's been raining lots this last week but supposed to be dry next week. I need to get the lawn mowed one last time and put down fall fertilizer. Then I need to put the summer things away on the front porch. I also was blessed to receive many Japanese Iris bulbs which I have to get divided and get in the ground. Then Missy and I are going to till more garden space and cover with a heavy layer of straw (and other goodies like leaves, etc) from the barn and let it sit all winter. Next Spring that will be the pumpkin patch plus veggies, lavender, and garlic. Then there's the many weeds that have popped up in the gravel!!
I'm still hot...it just comes in flashes. |
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lonestargal
True Blue Farmgirl
607 Posts
Kristi
Texas
607 Posts |
Posted - Oct 10 2005 : 08:29:00 AM
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| Oh you ladies have inspired me to get going on my fall projects. I ALWAYS wait until the last minute and then kick myself too because then I'm trying to hustle and get everything in the shed before a big thunderstorm or when it's freezing cold outside. uhhhh....better go get started as it's alreay cold here. In Texas, we joke that there is no in between temps...it's either unbearably hot or freezing. Last week we were still at 95 and then over the weekend it dropped to 47 so I'd say Fall is here!!! |
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quiltedess
True Blue Farmgirl
296 Posts
Nancy
Priest River
ID
USA
296 Posts |
Posted - Oct 10 2005 : 08:47:32 AM
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It sure sounds like you ladies are getting a lot done or at least have some really great ideas. I tried to rototill on Saturday but didn't get nearly as much done as I hoped. The rototiller kept dying and my arms are horribly sore from starting it over and over and finally it won't go at all now. So back to the repair place it goes. Grrr . . .
Nancy |
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lonestargal
True Blue Farmgirl
607 Posts
Kristi
Texas
607 Posts |
Posted - Oct 10 2005 : 5:26:23 PM
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| Our tiller is giving us problems too. We could get it started it just wouldn't keep running when we put it into gear. Well my dad got it working enough for the spring garden but it was stuck in 'turbo' mode and mom and I had to pretty much run behind it. Not an easy task while trying to control the darn thing. |
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asnedecor
True Blue Farmgirl
1054 Posts
Anne
Portland
Or
USA
1054 Posts |
Posted - Oct 11 2005 : 07:01:45 AM
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I just got started, pruned the heck out of my butterfly bush last night so that it wouldn't split during an ice storm this winter. My husband arranged to have a load of wood chips/mulch from the local arborist delivered, got home to find a big pile waiting to be shoveled and spread. That's my workout program for the next few weeks along with getting the rest of my fall pruning done, move a few plants and dig up a few that have not done well. I also have to move summer furniture in to the basement and the adirondack chairs onto the porch for the winter. Still have to finish cleaning up the vegetable garden and move some compost on to it for the winter. Lots to do before the rainy season.
"Second star to the right, straight on till morning" Peter Pan
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LisaBee
True Blue Farmgirl
149 Posts
Lisa
Sparta
TN
USA
149 Posts |
Posted - Oct 11 2005 : 1:31:02 PM
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Since I am about three weeks away from moving into my home and really don't even know WHERE to start yet, I think my plan for THIS fall is to sit on the back patio steps with some hot tea and make plans for what I will do NEXT fall! There is a huge pecan tree in my yard, and they have started falling. The lady I bought the house from is still in there for one more week, and she has been collecting them for me! I want to put out bird feeders so I can enjoy that sight during cold weather, but I have never had bird feeders before and really don't know where to start with this. Any suggestions???
"There is no teacup too large, nor book too long. |
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bramble
True Blue Farmgirl
2044 Posts
2044 Posts |
Posted - Oct 11 2005 : 2:40:05 PM
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Asnedecor- Anne! Are those wood chips fresh from this years tree work? If so, DON"T spread them! If they are still "working" and "live" wood they will zap the nitrogen out of everything you spread them around and your plants will look like they have a chemical burn or worse yet...dying! Wood chips should be left to age for about a year before they become inert enough to be relatively harmless in and around plantings. Hope that helps, don't want you to do all that hard work and have it not be beneficial to your garden!
with a happy heart |
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asnedecor
True Blue Farmgirl
1054 Posts
Anne
Portland
Or
USA
1054 Posts |
Posted - Oct 11 2005 : 3:38:03 PM
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Bramble -
We've been spreading these for 8 years now, never have had a problem. In fact, just the opposite, plants have done really well. We have an absolute jungle since we started spreading. They are chipped real fine and begin composting almost immediately, but next spring the soil underneath is wonderful to work.
Thanks for the warning.
Anne
"Second star to the right, straight on till morning" Peter Pan
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therusticcottage
True Blue Farmgirl
4439 Posts
Kay
Vancouver
WA
USA
4439 Posts |
Posted - Oct 11 2005 : 8:58:57 PM
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I got my lawn mowed yesterday - YEAH! One thing checked off the list.
I'm still hot...it just comes in flashes. |
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lonestargal
True Blue Farmgirl
607 Posts
Kristi
Texas
607 Posts |
Posted - Oct 12 2005 : 09:59:07 AM
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| How many of you here plant a winter garden? I think I might try this year, generally do just a spring and summer. It's just one more thing to add to my list of things to do though. |
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connio
True Blue Farmgirl
535 Posts
connie
springtown
texas
USA
535 Posts |
Posted - Oct 12 2005 : 11:45:53 AM
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Hey Farm Girls!!!
Kristi As another Lone Star Gal, I must say that you are right--we don't have any in between temps. We do go from hot, hot, hot to cool or cold!!!
What are you planning to have in your fall garden? I have been thinking about doing this. I have never had a garden, but thought that I might start with just a few types of veggies.
Connie
cozycottage |
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asnedecor
True Blue Farmgirl
1054 Posts
Anne
Portland
Or
USA
1054 Posts |
Posted - Oct 12 2005 : 11:47:23 AM
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The only things I have had work successfully in a winter garden are onions and garlic. Oregon can be really wet, and things have a tendancy to rot.
Anne
"Second star to the right, straight on till morning" Peter Pan
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MeadowLark
True Blue Farmgirl
2206 Posts
USA
2206 Posts |
Posted - Oct 12 2005 : 11:54:41 AM
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The next few days I need to clean my little greenhouse and put all my tools away ( after oiling) empty the clay pots and stack them, clean out seed flats and prepare for some seedlings. With the price of propane going through the roof it is questionable whether I will be able to use the propane heater in the greenhouse this winter.
If I keep a green bough in my heart, the singing bird will come. |
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Julia
True Blue Farmgirl
1949 Posts
Julia
Shelton
WA
USA
1949 Posts |
Posted - Oct 12 2005 : 4:17:29 PM
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I'm hoping for fair weaather this weekend so I can gather seeds and clean up the veggie garden. I hope to borrow a little portable greenhouse, about 2 feet high and 4 foot long, to grow lettuce in this winter. Lettuce was so expensive last winter, we eat a lot of greens. oNe thing I will miss is raking up leaves and playing in them with my girls, and then buring them. I love the smell of fall burning. I always get a little sad when it comes time to clean up the yard to put it to bed for winter. But, once seed cataloges star coming I long of spring. I reckon that is part of being a gardner. Happy Clean up!
"...the setting sun is like going into the very presence of God." Elizabeth Von Arnim |
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lonestargal
True Blue Farmgirl
607 Posts
Kristi
Texas
607 Posts |
Posted - Oct 12 2005 : 8:19:32 PM
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| Hey Connie, I think I'm going to try lettuce and spinach and then onions and garlic. Don't know if I will try anything else just yet to see if those will even survive our winters. I'm going to build a small greenhouse out of PVC pipe and plastic to see if that helps too. I don't have a heater of any type to put in it but we'll give it a whirl. Just FYI I found and awesome Texas gardening book. It's called Texas Organic Vegetable Gardening by J. Howard Garrett and C. Malcolm Beck. It's very informative and tells you basically step by step what to do and has a list of the vegetables that we can grow here and the exact dates of when to plant!!! I love it. |
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Julia
True Blue Farmgirl
1949 Posts
Julia
Shelton
WA
USA
1949 Posts |
Posted - Oct 15 2005 : 2:51:28 PM
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Well, it is pouring down rain, so, no garden clean up today. I did get an apron made though.
"...the setting sun is like going into the very presence of God." Elizabeth Von Arnim |
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tiffany01
True Blue Farmgirl
134 Posts
Tiffany
Indiana
USA
134 Posts |
Posted - Oct 15 2005 : 3:06:40 PM
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| LisaBee - I have found that our platform birdfeeder brings in the most birds over the winter. We use regular "wild bird" mix and sometimes add sunflower seeds. Nothing like seeing a bright red cardinal on a cold winter day. Good luck in your new house! |
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asnedecor
True Blue Farmgirl
1054 Posts
Anne
Portland
Or
USA
1054 Posts |
Posted - Oct 16 2005 : 3:57:45 PM
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Almost done with the clean up. A few more things to "yank" from the vegetable garden, plant my onions and garlic for winter then start putting the hoses, chairs, etc away and we're done. Got the husband spreading mulch while I paint his office. I don't want to clean up too much of the stuff that has gone to seed because I leave that for the birds, by the way are very active right now in the yard while I type this.
"Second star to the right, straight on till morning" Peter Pan
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LisaBee
True Blue Farmgirl
149 Posts
Lisa
Sparta
TN
USA
149 Posts |
Posted - Oct 16 2005 : 4:04:41 PM
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Tiffany, Thanks for the info. I am going to build a platform outside my kitchen window (it's on the side of the house) and maybe cover the window with the reflective stuff so I can see them but they can't see me. Will make washing dishes an event! I'll let you know how it turns out.
"There is no teacup too large, nor book too long." |
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Clare
True Blue Farmgirl
2173 Posts
NC WA State
USA
2173 Posts |
Posted - Oct 16 2005 : 4:22:19 PM
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I finished phase 2 of my yard cleanup today. Burned some stuff, and cleaned up my tools... but I couldn't get the darn cap off of the linseed oil.... "push down and twist", yaaa right. That thing ain't budgin'... I'm going to return it. With the exception of the hoses, since my irrigation water is still on (it's on later this year than usual), everything is in the shed. I do need to bring a few of the grandkids toys in the house, then I'll be snug as a bug in a rug. Oh, and for my tools, I bought 2- 70lb bags of sand, cause I've read that if you store your tools in that along with oil that it helps prevent rust, etc... well, let me tell you I was able to get one out of the car, onto my handtruck (albeit it does have flat tires, but still works for most things-guess I need to go to w-world and buy some new tires)...anyway, I managed to push that 70lb sand load on the handicapped handtruck back from the driveway to the shed, but good grief, I about had a heart attack. So, I used the one bag and decided that's all I need, so I'm going to return one bag of sand along with that funky linseed oil can... and somebody else can do the heavy lifting. I'm tired just recalling that episode! 
May the sun bring you new energy by day, may the moon softly restore you by night, may the rain wash away your worries, may the breeze blow new strength into your being, may you walk gently through the world and know its beauty all the days of your life. ~~Apache Blessing
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Aunt Jenny
True Blue Farmgirl
11381 Posts
Jenny
middle of
Utah
USA
11381 Posts |
Posted - Oct 16 2005 : 7:10:20 PM
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We did major garden cleanup yesterday in preparation for Mona the cow coming home on Weds. We (all 6 of us worked all day and had a reward of take out pizza and rented movies last night) got the cow house done and all the tomato vines and tomato cages and supports out and some old hay much that still lay in flakes out (it is a little moldy from the rain and I was afraid that Mona may munch on it and get sick) Then we tore out a pen and built another for the goats and moved the sheep into the big pen we were working on. We finished in the pouring rain (the kids had gone in by then, about 5:30) after alot of highlights like the buck goat breaking his collar and chasing the sheep and goats all over the place while we were trying to work. (He had been tethered to a corner in the big pen while we rebuilt his "fortress like pen" outside the big pen.) and 9 year old almost falling out of the apple tree, and husband dropping stuff on his foot over and over, we were worn out.
I got a good buyer for the buck and doe that are registered and they will be moving to Hanford Calif next Saturday. The pen they are in now will be a calf pen eventually and has a nice metal port a hut in it already for shelter. The big pen (what used to be my big fenced garden area) will now be for the cow and the two sheep and one doeling I am keeping. We still need to put in more t-posts in certain spots where the fence is fine for sheep and girl goats but not exactly cow tight...and we will be ready.
Hey Clare..we have a hand truck ( I grew up calling it a Dolly for some reason) and a wheel barrow and I always have a hard time with both..for moving anything small and heavy like feed bags or bags of sand or cement I use the kids old wagon..it will carry 100 lb at a time and is easy to pull. My husband is lots of help but isn't always home when I need moving and lifting done. I will hate when the wagon finally wears out. We got a good one when Travis was 3 years old and have never regretted it. He is 9 now and it is still in decent shape.
Jenny in Utah
Put all your eggs in one basket..and then watch that basket!! Mark Twain |
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Julia
True Blue Farmgirl
1949 Posts
Julia
Shelton
WA
USA
1949 Posts |
Posted - Oct 16 2005 : 8:49:16 PM
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Today was a beautiful day so, after church I put on my grubbies and went to work.I picked the last of the tomatoes,and got a few artichokes, got everything pulled up that need to be , planted some Weigila branches that took root while being used as stakes, did some weeding and made a trip to the dump. My Dh mowed and got out the weed wacker. The flowers are still going strong, except the sweet peas, so that will be for another day. Went in made a pot of tea and read before evening church. A good day.
"...the setting sun is like going into the very presence of God." Elizabeth Von Arnim |
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Clare
True Blue Farmgirl
2173 Posts
NC WA State
USA
2173 Posts |
Posted - Oct 16 2005 : 8:58:57 PM
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Oh, Aunt Jenny, I'm feeling like such a  dork !!!!! I totally spaced out!!! I just grabbed the closest thing to move that sand bag.... and OF COURSE, I've got a kids wagon AND a wheelbarrow, which is what I normally use to haul the heavy stuff. My brain musta been addled that day. Good grief!!!  You made me laugh at myself, and that's a very good thing!!
May the sun bring you new energy by day, may the moon softly restore you by night, may the rain wash away your worries, may the breeze blow new strength into your being, may you walk gently through the world and know its beauty all the days of your life. ~~Apache Blessing
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Garden Gate: Fall Cleanup |
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Fall Cleanup
