Pulled a few more weeds, put a few more tools away. Only things I have left to do is to mulch the old flowerbed, which is mostly empty, and dig up my dahlias. They didn't get planted until july, and they both are ready to bloom. I am really curious to see what colors they are, they were from a mixed bag. One looks like it may be purple. They have made it through two frosts with no damage...fingers crossed!
I didn't anticipate 15mph winds and 45°f out here! Didn't take a minute for a break or might have called it quits.
Pickup has a load of stakes to stack behind the chicken house. There are sprinkler pipes to move unless the property owner has his grandsons do it. Otherwise, I can call the big garden dun for 2019.
Sunny but cool outside today. More patchy frost. Forgot to close my bedroom window last night, so I am very chilled. Not inclined to work outside unless it warms up a little. Watered and fed all the houseplants today, which might be the only gardening I do. The last sad little rhubarb seedling died while I was at work yesterday. I will try again in the spring.
Carried out the sprinkler pipes in the big garden.
I'd like to smooth out the beds in the little garden that were dug out and now hold the frost-killed plants.
At that point, I can say that I am finished with the gardens. However, greenhouse maintenance work must begin before terrible weather begins. Terrible weather like this morning with all the dang wind. That will be unacceptable conditions if I have much of the plastic film on that south wall pulled loose.
We discovered that the freeze only killed the top 1/3-1/2 of the Fortex vines, probably due to the density of foliage & adjacent trellises which took the brunt of the wind. The bottom portion is still flowering & producing beans. Picked a couple hands full today. The last beans are the best, it seems that being kissed by cold improves the flavor.
Cleared burdock from the south pasture!!! 2020 should be pretty much burdock free since we will be able to keep it mowed down, like we have in the north pasture.
Went out and pulled a few weeds after work today, and spread a couple bales of straw in the dog's area. He has worn the area around the side porch where he likes to lay free of grass, and right now it gets very little sun during the day to dry things up. I don't have the time to vacuum every time he comes in and out, and the mud is so thick and his paws are so hairy that I can't wipe it off as he comes in, either. I figure a bale or two of straw as needed until spring will save my sanity and my carpet. I am hoping he won't trample it into the ground to make a muddy mess the way the horses do their sacrifice lots....but we will see
We are getting a killing frost (and our first measurable snow!) Thursday. Depending on when the rain moves in, I will lift my dahlias tomorrow or the day after, and get them washed and turned upside down in the old barn for a few days before storing them till spring.