What Did You Do In The Garden?

[SprigOfTheLivingDead]

that's impressive!

It took some convincing to get the kids to believe there weren't any wasps in it still

 

[thistlebloom]

I had a bald faced hornet nest just a bit smaller than that in my garden shed. I let the garden class kids take it apart to see the inside. I had frozen it for a couple weeks. It was really interesting seeing the interior construction.

 

[Trish Stretton]

I mowed my mums lawn for the third time in a week.
My grandson was supposed to do it but wasnt turning up so I asked her if she minded if I did it cos I needed the clippings.
"Why do you need them?". "Cos my lawns are too small and I dont have enough to mulch the roadside bed which I need to do before I plant out my Butternuts." "Oh, Okay, I guess."

Her lawns were turning into hay paddocks and where they used to take me an hour to do, took 2...and they need at least another two mows just to get them back to how I used to have them when I was doing them all the time...., but, my 'roadside' bed is now heavily mulched and ready for my butternut plants.

I had to trim a couple of native trees. One had a forked trunk which would split if left for much longer and the other was just taking up too much room.
That one was a male MakoMako, Nz Wineberry tree. I used to have just one along that part but it died and after a couple of years, put two in hoping that they would be male and female this time.
Today was my lucky day- I saw berries on one of them, so the other had to be pruned back to give that one more room.

 

[flowerbug]

got some exercise, fresh air, buried stuff, saw some wormy friends and most important of all had fun!

 

[thistlebloom]

Continued with the sheet mulching of corral cleanings under the apple trees. Finally got to the chore I've been procrastinating on, which is digging out the top 4" of the chicken run. The top 2" was frozen so it came up mostly in slabs. As usual I was over zealous and filled my double wide wheel barrow to the brim so I nearly had a heart attack pushing it waaay over to the garden. I dumped it where I plan to grow sweet corn next year. It took about 4 of those death wish loads to finish the pen. I figured that was a good enough workout for the day so will not be riding the stationary bike.

(for @ninnymary : chicken pen done.)

 

[Trish Stretton]

Today it was run around and pull out all the convovulus before it starts to flower. I found that if I just cut the main leader off and left it hanging above the soil, it would die. that only works if there isnt any flower buds. Those get to dry out o the path, then go on the 'to the green waste dump run' tomorrow.

I started using some of my oldest seed. Of the dozen Globe Artichoke seeds, I got 7 plants. Today, these got potted up. Three out of the four normal butternut seeds grew, these are the ones that will go down by the roadside, but I need to get a few more going from the new packet as well. I want to have a whole winters supply growing.

 

[Trish Stretton]

My daughter and her family are coming to visit from the big smoke. So yesterday was tidying up the messy bits of my back yard and today was doing my mums yard....except it rained so hard before I got to finish everything....I was actually planting my Painted Mountain corn in her old chicken pen only got 2 dozen planted out and need to go back to do the last two.

I have sweet corn here, just about to tassel up, the Painted mountain down at her place and need to sow my Indian Red this week so its got time to ripen, hopefully these will both miss being pollinated by the local farmers Maize crops.
Not too worried about the sweet corn, the seed is easy to replace.

I checked out my butternut plantation, only to find the birds had been digging everything up, leaving only one new seedling untouched...so now I have to find my other seed packet and start again This week or it might be too late for them to mature properly.

I had to plant out my Orange Cauliflowers but didnt have a proper bed to put them in, so these has gone down by the driveway as well. Thats was actually a couple of days ago, but they are looking good.

 

[flowerbug]

My daughter and her family are coming to visit from the big smoke. So yesterday was tidying up the messy bits of my back yard and today was doing my mums yard....except it rained so hard before I got to finish everything....I was actually planting my Painted Mountain corn in her old chicken pen only got 2 dozen planted out and need to go back to do the last two.

I have sweet corn here, just about to tassel up, the Painted mountain down at her place and need to sow my Indian Red this week so its got time to ripen, hopefully these will both miss being pollinated by the local farmers Maize crops.
Not too worried about the sweet corn, the seed is easy to replace.

I checked out my butternut plantation, only to find the birds had been digging everything up, leaving only one new seedling untouched...so now I have to find my other seed packet and start again This week or it might be too late for them to mature properly.

I had to plant out my Orange Cauliflowers but didnt have a proper bed to put them in, so these has gone down by the driveway as well. Thats was actually a couple of days ago, but they are looking good.

i do have to say that i really enjoy gardening vicariously through you this time of the season even if you have problems here or there like all the rest of us for some reason it helps me feel less like a slouch hiding from the frozen weather to read along. yesterday the high here was -11C, we get to go above freezing for a few days and then back to cooler temps again.

hard to believe that in 9-10 days we'll start being on the uptick in daylength again already.

 

[seedcorn]

My daughter and her family are coming to visit from the big smoke. So yesterday was tidying up the messy bits of my back yard and today was doing my mums yard....except it rained so hard before I got to finish everything....I was actually planting my Painted Mountain corn in her old chicken pen only got 2 dozen planted out and need to go back to do the last two.

I have sweet corn here, just about to tassel up, the Painted mountain down at her place and need to sow my Indian Red this week so its got time to ripen, hopefully these will both miss being pollinated by the local farmers Maize crops.
Not too worried about the sweet corn, the seed is easy to replace.

I checked out my butternut plantation, only to find the birds had been digging everything up, leaving only one new seedling untouched...so now I have to find my other seed packet and start again This week or it might be too late for them to mature properly.

I had to plant out my Orange Cauliflowers but didnt have a proper bed to put them in, so these has gone down by the driveway as well. Thats was actually a couple of days ago, but they are looking good.

Big Smoke?

 

[ducks4you]

Out of state this week, BUT, I bought one of those, "You can grow herbs inside!" So, I wetted the soil and started basil. 4 grew and are now under the grow light setup on top of the fridge. The 10 Brussels Sprouts that got big got moved under a grow light in the basement. THINKING about moving them upstairs to the east facing window. I have 3 pots with 3-4 plants in them and I can transplant to individual pots. I TOLD you with ME, it's all a learning curve. IF the basil survive the winter they will go outside in May. If the Brussels Sprouts do well, I will figure out how/if to fertilize them and see about putting them outside in April to see if I get a crop. I also saved some "to go" containers, black bottoms with clear tops, and started lettuce in them. When they outgrow the clear tops AND if they decide to grow big, I will transplant Them and put them downstairs, where my setup has 3 grow lights. Maybe we'll have some salads from them. We seem to have frigid Springs that last a few weeks, and then it gets hot. Lettuce makes it through that and then bolts.
Maybe start some spinach inside in January...
I REALLY like purple basil as usable and ornamental. The Swiss Chard that I started inside and then transplanted, got huge and lasted all of the way through the end of October. DD's could use some ornamentals like that in their beds.