From faithful correspondent Marvel:
We’re pooting right along, finishing up our chores associated with the change of seasons. This week we’re canning cran-applesauce and finally figuring out how-the- heck to process the grain produced from our little test quinoa crop. I just love the word “winnow” – don’t you?
Yesterday we slung acres of bird netting over the dozens of azaleas that populate our non-veggie landscape — the loose fabric catches the metric TON of oak & maple leaves that would otherwise find their way deep down inside the plants’ infrastructure. A few leaves won’t hurt ’em, but a few decades’-worth (which we’ve previously cleaned outta these lovely old shrubs) will. Gives a kind of fractal look to the yards….
Between now & the end of Leaf Fall here in the Willamette Valley (early December?) we’ll probably shake a few thousands leaves off once or twice; then when all the leaves are down, we’ll roll the stuff up, stash it in the pump house and wait for spring (when we’ll re-use it on our blueberries & plums).
Stay warm & eat local!
***********
Time for those of you in the South and Southwest, the tropics and the antipodes, to send me some pictures if you don’t want the Garden Chat going dormant until next spring…
What’s going on in your gardens, this week?
JPL
Oh please don’t close it down. There is such a range of gardening knowledge that is shared here. I just pulled up my sweet potatoes and was pleasantly surprised, at the amount I was able to harvest. I have allowed them to dry for a few day in the sun and now I’m going to move them in the shed. My arugula and kale are both doing well but the collards are not.
Marvel, can hold online classes to help us novices who don’t know what we are doing. haha
WereBear
By all means, chime in, Other Side of the Earth.
Lousy mini rose crop this year. Every other bloom cycle something popped up and et off the buds like Tootsie Roll Pops.
JPL
Robert Costa is going to be on the Steve Kornacki show. If someone told me that I’d plan my day in order to watch a NRO reporter, I’d tell them they were nuts. We live in scary times.
Sourmash
Here in MD my tomato plants are still going strong with new flowers this week. I was out of town for two weeks and since I never got them properly staked, they grew another 2 feet into the yard. The zukes have come back after I thought I ripped them out in August, too. Pulled up a carrot from the forgotten patch and they’re big and woody, so I need to pay better attention next year. All in all, a good first year of gardening.
WereBear
@JPL: Poor Michelle Bachman. We are in the End Times. Just not the way she is thinking.
Sourmash
Here in MD my tomato plants are still going strong with new flowers this week. I was out of town for two weeks and since I never got them properly staked, they grew another 2 feet into the yard. The zucchini have come back after I thought I ripped them out in August, too. Pulled up a carrot from the forgotten patch and they’re big and woody, so I need to pay better attention next year. All in all, a good first year of gardening.
JPL
Where’s Raven? It’s still pretty dark out but maybe he took the pups for their walk.
Raven
At the bakery. I dvrd the 2nd half of the ol miss game and watched it instead of getting on the bj. I’ll take some shots do the wildflower the princess planted in the mud hole.
HeartlandLiberal
Spent two two hour sessions over past two days pulling weeds from the Fall crops I planted back in August.
Due to both of us having some medical issues crop up (growing old is not for sissies), I had not kept the weeding on schedule, the the lettuces and greens were being overwhelmed. I had done a quick pass between all the rows three weeks ago with my small Mantis tiller, which is really only good for weeding, but the weeds had surged back and were winning.
Last week I had picked enough leaf lettuces, some Tat Soy Asian greens, and dinosaur kale, that I created a julienne sliced salad that my wife declared the best salad ever from the garden. Serious praise, coming from her.
There are two fairly mature and apparently healthy American Chestnut trees about a 10 minute walk from us. I picked up a dozen seeds that had been loosed from the sharp, spine covered seed pods, and am going to try and sprout some seedlings. If you don’t know the history of the devastation of this species by fungal blight:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_chestnut
We should be eating greens, cabbage, broccoli, kale, collards, lettuces, hopefully some white and red radishes, through the end of November.
After all, it is already mid-October, and daytime temps are still in the 70’s, and nighttime still has yest to get below the low 40’s.
In regard to which, I note the LA Times editors announced they will no longer print letters to the editor which deny global warming, their reason being it is their responsibility to try and insure only truth and fact be published.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gpaOy8b8X6A
HeartlandLiberal
@Sourmash: How cool are night time temps, though? Once they get cool enough, your tomatoes will not set fruit. Generally this starts after night time temps start getting below 55 degrees. Mine stopped a couple weeks ago, and I will be pulling the vines up over next few days.
GHayduke (formerly lojasmo)
quinoa isn’t a grain. /pedant.
Raven
The princess wants to know how big of a problem this azalea/leaf thing is? What about pine needles?
JPL
I went to starbucks today. Miss Moxie and I would sometimes go on Sunday so I could get a coffee and muffin. Today is the first time in three months, that I went. It really sucks not to have a dog and I’m gonna have to fix that.
@Raven: Are you having problems with the azaleas? I’ve seen some white spots, fungus thingys before and just cut back the infected area. They seem fine with this approach.
What about pine needles?
JPL
Steve Kornacki spoke to Robert Costa, although he did not say this, I don’t see the house passing anything before the debt defaults. Boehner is concerned about his leadership position and all the perks rather than the country.
Why can’t these people be prosecuted. They are committing treasonous acts. The bankers were given a free pass for destroying the economy, so I guess they are just following suit.
OzarkHillbilly
@Raven: Here in this neck of the Ozarks (I live on the N edge of the St Francois Mts) our wild azaleas have no problems with either. They like open woodlands with a southern exposure, so that may make a difference.
Poopyman
@JPL: The Constitution defines what treason is, and this ain’t it.
However:
18 U.S.C. § 371—Conspiracy to Defraud the United States
Unfortunately, it looks like you would also have to prove criminal intent. However, IANAL, even on the intertubes.
Poopyman
Oh, and since my last offering was seriously OT, I’ve pretty much given up on the garden here in Southern MD. I’ve left some of the Cherokee Trail of Tears beans drying on the vines. Dug up the last of the potatoes (reds) and sweet potatoes,and have started putting beds to sleep.
I’m eager to try out my new leaf blower for not blowing leaves, as suggested by Mark McGrath. Aaaand … now that I can’t find his TED talk I’ll summarize by saying that you put it in vacuum mode, suck ’em up and the leaf vac chops ’em fine enough that when put in the compost bin (especially with coffee grounds), the compost should be ready after a reasonably mild winter. Otherwise, a little longer.
geg6
We are using up the last of our carrots today. Making a carrot soup with turkey meatballs and spinach. Some nice crusty garlic bread to go with and that will be the end of our growing season here. Weather is gorgeous for early fall and the leaves peak in a week. Already looking pretty spectacular though. Did you know that PA’s fall foliage is actually more diverse and colorful than New England’s? That’s because we have over a hundred different tree species compared to their only seventy or so.
shelly
Winnowing? Isn’t that kinda like ‘Death Panels?” ;-)
The Pale Scot
Jeez, I can’t believe I’m digging out my Wings Over America CD:
If Frampton makes a comeback I’m getting drunk.
Paul McCartney Plays Surprise Concert in Times Square
“A half-century after Beatlemania swept Britain, Paul McCartney faced squealing teenage girls once again when he performed on Wednesday afternoon in the Tony Bennett Concert Hall at the Frank Sinatra School of the Arts in Astoria, Queens”
Lurker
“Winnow” is a lovely-sounding word.
liberal
OT: MA 5th district Dem primary
Just moved to Middlesex County from the DC area a couple months ago, and there’s a Dem primary to replace Markey.
‘Tubes make it sound like all 5 are progressive Dems. Anyone have any insight on who to vote for?
Lurker
Wish I had a garden! Alas, living in an apartment in a city. Sigh.
JPL
@liberal: I’m not a MA resident but found this article… link
If I were, I’d vote for this person… Carl Sciortino link
Haroldo
Numen lumen. Forward. Sift and winnow. How on earth did these fine thoughts and intentions lead to, amongst others, McCarthy, Johnson, and Walker? Maybe not so peculiar, Mama, but damned if I know.
Felonius Monk
And if the topic is Winnowing, then I guess this would be appropriate:
The Winnowers — Gustave Courbet
ETA: Happy Sunday to All. And for those that care, may your thumbs be forever green.
piratedan
@JPL: great ad for Sciortino but also don’t think a vote for Clark or Koutoujian would be misplaced…..
Amir Khalid
A story on Yahoo! News notes that today is the 13th of October. Its list of 10 things about this day, however, forgets to mention that it’s Fox Mulder’s 52nd birthday. On her next birthday, 23rd February 2014, Dana Scully hits the big five-oh. Remembering all that made me feel old.
Saw Gravity today. (It’s true: George Clooney in a space suit really does look and sound like Buzz Lightyear.) The 3D cinematography is bloody gorgeous; but if you like a cast of thousands, this is not the movie for you. The departures from the factual — already pointed out by many an expert — are few and manage not to insult your intelligence, which is something to be grateful for. I doubt either member of the cast will get an Oscar nod, but the cinematography must be a front-runner.
jeffreyw
Patio Peppers
Shakezula
Maryland (D.C. Burbs). We seem to be past the 3 zillion days of rain so at least nothing needs watering. We’re gradually pulling the last of the pumpkins off the vine that planted itself next to the side fence and grew all over the place, even into our tolerant neighbors’ yard. (This is a college town, so they’re safer back there than on the porch.)
For the effort of watering it a few times over the summer we’ll get a total of 9 smallish round pumpkins. They are cute. Some will decorate the porch, One will become soup. One may become fritters. A couple will go to the tolerant neighbors if they claim custody of the ones on their side of the fence. I might try my hand at pumpkin bread. (Assuming whatever has been drilling into the stem doesn’t cause them to implode.)
In the back there is another moocher pumpkin that grew out of the compost heap, this one has finally produced a pumpkin that is already a good size and going for that classic oblong shape.
But it is green. Watermelon green. I’m not sure what to do to make help it reach its full orange-y potential. If nothing else I want this one for the seeds because it is a nice orderly plant, not really sprinting all over the place. Fingers crossed.
Under the pumpkin vine on the side there are a ton of cherry tomato plants that did really well, we think in part because the prickly pumpkin vines kept critters away. Under all of that is our herb “garden.” That is, a giant sage plant, some mint and I think the rosemary twig is still in there.
In the official flower beds, in one it is all 4 o’clocks, all of the time. You can’t tell I did some serious pruning in there in July. Frankly, I’m ready to tear those suckers out, they’re a weed.
The rose bush has put forth a couple more flowers again and we’re not sure about the hydrangea we planted in the front. The begonias roots will have to be extracted to see what’s up with them. Maybe our front yard is a bit shadier than full shade.
Yatsuno
@jeffreyw: Habañeros!! Getting close to ready too! Makes me wanna get some cheap vodka and brew the suckers.
Tripod
Last of the fall raspberries.
Michigan apples are flooding the stores – so much better than Washington or NZ or wherever they ship them in from.
HinTN
Picked Winesap apples and made a pie with gluten free crust. Definitely doing some more of that! Otherwise it’s just the tag end of zinnias and tithonias for the butterflies.
jeffreyw
@Yatsuno: Mmm… sweet habanero sauce!
Higgs Boson's Mate (Crystal Set)
Here on the Left Coast we’re fortunate enough to still be planting. Mary G and I are putting together a vertical succulent garden for the sunny-side wall of the garage. So far we have more than 150 succulent starts and more than a dozen properly prepped old time wooden soda pop crates. Today I’m mixing up boatload of succulent potting mix, loading it into the crates and then securing the whole works so that the soil doesn’t all run out when we water. It will take three or more months of growing the “right” way for the starts to be rooted sufficiently to hold when we hang the boxes.
We couldn’t have done it with the intertubes. Thoughtful people have shared copious instructions for both the care of succulents and the how of creating vertical containers for them.
piratedan
@Higgs Boson’s Mate (Crystal Set): can’t say enough how glad I am that you’re still here and to Mary G for the extended hand and for you taking it.
Betsy
@GHayduke (formerly lojasmo): how is it not a grain? Isn’t it a seed? What’s the underlying idea behind the nomenclature here, anyway. Hmm.
Betsy
I ovseeded my lawn (timing it right before our week of drizzly, overcast weather,hurrah!) with annual rye and crimson clover.
This does several things. All fall and winter the rye will send its two-meter-long roots into the hard underclay,forming channels that other plants’roots can follow, and breaking up the clay little by little as well as adding organic matter deeper into the hard subsoil. those long roots will also suck micronutrients up into the growing layer of turf from way down in the subsoil.
Further, the growing rye will absorb and hold the nitrogen that would run off into the surface water during the winter while the regular lawn grass lies dormant.
In the spring the aNnual ryegrass will die in the heat and the dead grass blades of it will releasse the nitrogen and nutrients back into the growing regular season lawn grass.
The crimson clover will out-compete and smother the winter weeds, bring nitrogen into the lawn, attract thousans of beneficial insects like lacewings, and (like the annual rye) die back with warm weather, froming another layer of organic matter both above and below the soil, building our topsoil.
If all goes well, next year we’ll beginto see improved drainage in the clay, richer topsoil, fewer weeds, and fewer pest insects. Lots of bunnies, though, from all the clover.
Lawns can be managed ecologically. This is a big experiment.
Betsy
Cherokee Purple tomatoes coming along nicely with fruits. Arugula taking off and not suffering so much from cabbage worms. Tall phlox still having a few flower buds. Various blue, purple, and coral colored salvias really going strong. Parsley sprouting from volunteer seeds in the parsley pot.
Tea olives blooming all over town and sending their evanescent, elusive scent everywhere.
Time to get pansies in for winter color. I have black and orange pansies, plus a white, deeply furcated dusty miller plant to suggest a skeleton, for a Halloweenish planter.
Higgs Boson's Mate (Crystal Set)
@piratedan:
Me too. She is doing me worlds of good.
opiejeanne
@Higgs Boson’s Mate (Crystal Set): I want to second piratedan’s comments.
opiejeanne
From high atop Hollywood Hill (note, that’s a singular “hill”) just outside Seattle, the tomato vines died back in September and the zucchini plants were beginning to mildew so we yanked them out. Those two beds have been cleared for the winter, and covered to discourage weeds. The corn is finished and the stalks are drying out for Hallowe’en, the pumpkins are gorgeous and need to be picked, probably today. We planted a late crop of sugar snap peas and they are producing nicely, the carrots are getting a bit woody, and we really need to pick all the rest of the beets and start some lettuce and spinach.
We built a greenhouse this spring and because we have started the drizzly season we have to remember to water the plants inside it. Three tomatoes, two pepppers, a lemon tree, and two artichokes. The ‘chokes are from seed so they are still pretty small. They go out into the garden next spring. Now we have to get electricity to the greenhouse so that we can run a small heater on a thermostat over the winter, or else we’ll have to bring the lemon tree indoors, which is a tricky proposition with forced air heat.
opiejeanne
Forgot to add: we have Melrose apples just about ready to be picked.
Our Honeycrisp apples have a problem called “cork spot” which seems to be related to “bitter pit”. The supposed remedy is to make sure there is enough calcium in the soil. We picked all of the Honeycrisp and they are in our fridge, waiting to be dealt with, but currently the kitchen is just a big empty room. We are thinking that maybe we’ll trim them and make applesauce at our daughter’s house in Seattle and freeze what we don’t eat.
Karla
I bought quinoa seeds this year but didn’t manage to plant them. I’m interested in hearing about how to harvest the seeds. Today I picked one of the last tomatoes and harvested a puny bunch of sweet potatoes before the frost comes in. I should take in all of the thin, but flavorful, stalks of celery soon. They were lovely with vegetables from my CSA share today when baked with some chicken.