Wow and I didn't think we would have enough for part two. You all always suprise me.

I received my water-keep today but I'm going to wait until the ground dries out some before I mixed them into the shade bed. Hopefully they will help keep it moist enough that the christmas roses will be happy there.

Well the tomatoes are looking very very happy. It is still raining and the back parking lot looks pretty much like one big lake with a landbridge to the dumpster. I hope that doesn't get submerged because I hate getting my feet wet when I empty the garbage.

The three tiger lillies I planted yesterday are looking very happy too. I never thought to have lillies but I'm glad I got these. I love the flowers.

Other than that one zinnia fell over from the excess rain. I proped it up against another one and hopefully that will keep it happy and alive. One of the miniature roses fell over too. It doesn't seem to be broken or anything it's stems are just way small compared to the size of the blooms. I'll keep an eye on it. I don't know how I would rescue it if it needed it. But I would probably try something.

now I have to see about the mums.

All the mums are planted in this summers tomato patch. I'm not at all sure where I'm going to put the tomatoes next year. I think the spot I had mapped out for them got filled with something else already. Oh well, something will present itself lol. I guess it's time to watch some tv and then get ready for bed. I'll see you all tomorrow.

And it's tomorrow lol.

The landlord decided that he wanted some tomato cuttings so I made some up for him this morning. I added the waterkeep to the compost I used for his cuttings so we'll see how much of a difference that makes to how much it needs to be watered.

The mums don't seem to be suffering from transplant shock at all. The plants were really really rootbound so I'm hoping they will be ok.

The old tomato cuttings loved the heavy rain we had and are looking great. I'm very pleased with them.

Hope you all have a good day today.

Well the old tomato cuttings look just fine this morning. Two of the new ones look dead and two look like they are going to be ok. It's early days yet so we will see. I went out to mix the water-keep in with the shade flower bed I've been working on all year and wow what great soil. It's so soft and deep and crumbly I just love it. Without being able to do the chicken poo and cardboard it took much longer and I had to pull the weeds the hard way but I'm pretty sure that the christmas roses are going to be very happy there.

It's rather amazing that I can always use more compost/potting soil than I have but then I am reclaiming the garden one foot at a time. I have started to come across the rest of the shaded area of the second tier. I don't expect to finish that area until sometime in the spring but it is weeded and now I'm beginning to loosen the clay and move it towards the front of the tier and add grass clippings and partially decomposed grass clipping in the back. It finishes decomposing very slowly but I have time fortunately and I want to see how it will hold it's shape without any support.

Well I brought two of the tomato clippings inside. We'll see if I have bleached the spidermites into non-existance or if they are going to munch my tomatoes into non-existance lol. So I still have 6 outside. Two that should be almost rooted and 4 that are pretty new. Those are for the landlord. Hopefully they will do alright. I know he has some kind of bugs in his plants down stairs I just don't know what kind they are. That's why I don't trade with him.

Sounding good, TK! Keep us posted on how they do once they are indoors. I've never thought to bring them in...

Well I don't have a sunny place in back for them cause the building is in the way most of the day and I'm afraid it may get to cold. The east facing windows though should be good if the bugs are gone. Lord knows I've tried.

I'll keep you posted.

Sounds like you're working hard there.

Tomatoes indoors - never thought of that one. Guess it's ok as long as you can keep the root alive.

Bugs, bugs . . . grrrrrr! But we gotta' have them or we'll put the environment off balance.

Well it would be nice to have big sized tomatoes next year and supposedly this is the way to increase yield so I will see. I feel very fortunate that they rooted.

Cuttings are a very new thing to me and I'm just thrilled when they don't wither and die. I have a bunch of questions to research about what I do now that that part is taken care of. The first one being how do I restart my ticker for the cuttings I took yesterday? Can anyone help me with that? I am such a lost cause lol.

The barberry cuttings bit the dust without being the slightest bit shy about it. They just dropped their leaves and said no way. Grrrrrrrh.

I wish the guy that owned the variegated wieglia(sp) spoke a word or two of english but he doesn't so all I can do is hope that plant survives so I can see the pretty flowers. The druggies and malingerers are destroying his pampas grass and he is just letting weeds overgrow the rest of it. It is so sad. I've tried to communicate with him a few times but he is busy with the restaurant and doesn't appear to be interested in talking.

TK - sent you a PM...

Hey the timeline reversed itself that's great when it gets to day 8 I know it's time to let the tomatoes dry out and find their sunny location for the winter.

I planted another mum in the tomato patch this morning very early. I think it's going to be a bronze color but I'm not going to swear to it until one of them opens. I thought I bought white ones and got the violet ones so this time I'm waiting until it blooms lol. I love the mystery.

Well I didn't turn the compost today but I did rake up a bunch of leaves so it wasn't to bad. I still have to get out there and pick them all up and put them in the compost bin.

It's been a busy day.

Hope you all had a good day.

There the leaves are in the compost pile woohoo. I got it done.

The second set of tomato cuttings are comming along pretty good no wilting which is a good thing. They seem to enjoy doing this in the cooler temperatures.

The second shade bed got a dose of compost today which is a good thing.

Other than that I've just been admiring the mums.

Well yesterday while I was waiting for a friend I planted some christmas rose seeds. Hopefully they will do well but from reading about them I'm assuming they are difficult to germinate. Hope you all are crossing your crossables for me lol.

So today is day one of their two weeks of 70+ weather requirements. After that it's 4 weeks of mid 30's temperature and then it's in the garden for the winter. that is one strange plant lol. Hope it grows for me. I have enough for one more attempt if this doesn't work.

Well I planted some wild daisies in my garden today. They were growing in the mechanics weed patch this moring and so I took one clump for me. I doubt he would mind he never pays the slightest attention to the area so I got myself a small slice of them.

A young lady at church had mentioned that when she moved here her's had died and what I wanted was a clump of them for her. But the clump came out bigger than i expected so she got a clump and I got one too. I certainly wasn't just going to let it die they are way to pretty for that. I hope they don't mind the transplant.

They will probably not even wilt.

I took some pics of some wild flowers while I was out at my farm yesterday...have no idea what they are, and have never seen them before. Need to put them in Mystery Plants.
I have a lot of wild flowers in my yard. I keep a little shovel in my truck all the time...for "those" occasions!

tk...I wish you lived closer, sounds like you and I could really do some "garden things" together I carry a small shovel behind my truck set and tons of plastic grocery bags under the seat, never know when you just might need to dig something up! LOL

Well I have a trowel but no truck are you sure I can join the club? I'm just teasing a little I do that. Sounds like a plan to me. But without a car or money you all are going to have to move closer to here lol.

I got the daisies that have the yellow centers last time but now I see there are some with purple centers that seem to hang down. I want to try and get some of those too for the garden. I'll ask him tomorrow if he minds.

Good luck tk...I know you can convince him LOL!!!

Wow! You and your landlord seem to have come a long way these days - didn't he hold up the shootin' match by not letting you use certain areas in the beginning of the season? I seem to remember you (or somebody else) talking about it.

Your landlord oughta' be done with it and build you a greenhouse - ha ha! I have fantasies of finagling to get a sun room built onto our apartment here at the back of the building. It gets lots of sun there in the mornings and would be a swell place to grow - also somewhere to sit reading in the winter as the snow falls all around me.

Wow that sounds pretty Carly. I don't think I'll try and convince him of that though lol.

I did get some of the purple daisy type plants today. Some went in the garden I bet that's no suprise and I potted some up for a friend that loves daisies. Hopefully she will be at church today and I can give them to her.

Other than that all I did was shovel some dirt up into the space where I want to put the canna. I actually found one canna seed pod that had developed what looked like seeds. I gave it to the landlord to try and plant. My next plan is to take the finished compost put it over where I want the canna to winter mix it in with the soil that's already there and then transplant the canna. I hope the landlord will understand that I will put some of the canna back into the container next spring but that I don't want to leave them there during the winter because there is a chance they would freeze and die. Well I hope you all have a really great day.

A lousy coupla' days here - Sat & Sun rain and cold. We might get a break from it Tuesday. The weather people are saying it all depends on what that storm is going to do - Wilma . . . it seems after she's finished with Florida, she'll be heading up the coast for Atlantic Canada. But first she'll actually join with Alpha.

Rain is about all we'll get in Ontario - I don't think we'll get anything that big in the way of a storm.

I want to get back out there cleaning my plots. The lack of light is making me sleepy.

Fingers crossed for you tk...hoping the best for your seeds

thanks comfrey,

I got a set of the canna transplanted out back where the rain spout empties out. Hopefully that will be a good place for those and the tiger lillies.

I was teasing the landlord about needing more space. I don't think he was amused. But he did bring me another load of grass clippings so I need to be nice to him. Also I want some shelves made and he goes to lowes for me so I need to be really nice.

Yes I would say you do need to be extra nice to the landlord...Is he into gardening or plants??? It sounds as if he is not totally opposed to what you are doing...LOL Hubby seen how gung Ho I have gotten over composting and finally he decided to put in the 4th post where my pile is, there was already 3 posts there is why I choose that location, it is behind a shed and a few feet away from my chicken pen. Tomorrow he says (my fingers crossed) he will put chicken wire around the post and then I can really work with my compost pile better. I finished cleaning the veggie garden today and hauled 3 large heaping loads to the compost pile.

I freaked out today and dug my brugmansias up...
...and brought them inside.


I have no idea what to do with them now!

Wow those look great! We're suppose to be having our first frost tonight, so I covered up what herbs are left and my rose bush, it still has some buds on it. So I totally understand the freaking out part LOL

Well today I decided the chives had to come inside so now I have two pots of them in the kitchen window. And the tomatoes in the other kitchen window and I'm out of kitchen windows lol. And then I mixed the new green grass clippings into the middle of the brown grass clippings pile and piled it real high lol. Hopefully it will cook really good. I don't get over to that pile to often because the elbow gives me kiniption fits often if I shovel or use the pitchfork. And you know I'm still doing the compost bin every week at least.

I was reading some of Bill's fact sheets about what to do each month and thinking seriously about covering the zinnia, mums, portulaca, and roses each night. But that's a whole lot of work and I can't convince myself that I should so maybe next year.

The transplanted little dasies are doing good in one spot and not so well in the other. I hope they pull through. And that's about it for me and the garden today.

That's so funny - you digging up those brunsmanias, or whatever you call 'em - it sounds like something I would do.

I hope it works for you - I hope that by spring they'll be healthy and ready to go out to greet the new season.

In fact, I hope you win a million bucks today - anybody that works that hard deserves it.

Well today I planted 20 crocus and 20 daffodils and then mulched them all real well. That should give me some early spring color along with the snapdragons if I can get them the start indoors. Woohoo. I guess now I'm going to have to figure out what to plant for mid-summer. Most of my stuff outside the zinnia and portulaca went pretty much dormant during the heat in august.

Well today I harvested grape tomato seeds out of the refrigerator crisper lol. But a month from now I'll be straining them through cheesecloth and next year I'll have grape tomatoes as well as the roma and cherry. that is going to be so cool. And yes I am still wondering where I'm going to put all of these plants lol. I definitely need to talk to the grease monkey next door about his unused space.

you are busier and more industrious than i am! keep going, you are doing great!

Wow, did I just learn alot, especially about tomatoes! I am amazed at how much I don't know.

*****Steph

I transplanted the tomato plants today because they are going wild lol. I can't believe how they respond to compost but it's great. I used a combination of compost, peat moss, and water-keep polymer crystals. the tomatoes seem to like it so far. Only the largest one went into transplant shock and it got over it in less than 6 hours.

good going... gives me hope!

I can't believe I forgot to mention that I got some seeds from the miniature red rose bush. The hip has to go completely brown right down to the stem but there they were. I have 4 move blooms on the bush so I might be able to get another hip full before they go dormant for the year. How cool would that be.

And I think I finally have the right plan for harvesting the zinnia. I have to wait until they build that cone shape in the middle of the flower and then harvest the seeds inside that. I've been taking them from the petals and I don't think the seeds were mature. That means I'm going to owe many people more seeds next year.

Well I harvested the zinnia, yellow mums, and yellow miniature snapdragons today. Maybe money I'll see how many seeds the pods have in them. I'm to tired today and the rest of this week is packed with stuff to do.

We've had a couple of nice days - windy, but warm. In fact, if not for the wind, I would have been hot.

I've been raking, weeding, raking, weeding.

Yesterday I rescued some stuff from the compost heap - somebody discarded a buncha' plants with roots on them. When I started digging them in, I realized they're likely cyclamens - they look like them.

I just cut back two of mine and put bags over the pot - I'm leaving them on the retaining wall under the forsythia vines. I doubt if they'll make it back, but if they do then that's nature's gain.

The idea of raking right now is to feed my mulch sections - at noon today, my north lot was almost bald of leaves - that all changed, of course - within the hour - ha ha!

The leaves around here are still trying to hold on to their leaves but pretty soon I should have a huge fall of leaves. Then I can build the compost pile way up. Of course I probably won't be able to get anything going really well without some fresh green. Failing that I'll have lots to work with next year when the grass starts growing again.

cyclamens are so pretty I hope you are successful with them. I haven't had very good sucess with them in the past. But chances are that I will try them again. They are just that pretty.

I went to wal-mart yesterday for one thing. That was a really bad idea lol. So the mums were out front and I couldn't resist getting some colors I didn't already have. They are now dotting the garden now lol. I hope they suffer transplant well because come spring I am definitely going to want to move them lol. In fact I'm probably going to want to move almost everything lol.

The funnist part was that while I was planting the mums I found 2 good looking tulip bulbs. So I found spots for them and hopefully they will do better next year than they did this year.

This morning is the last morning I can collect bricks so I will be doing that once the sun is up and then it's off to church for an event.

Hope everyone has a good day.

I'm staying away from Wal Mart - and The Bay and Zellers - until I am assured that The Bay isn't going to be sold out and made into a Wal Mart, I'm boycotting department stores.

It's a Canadian thing.

......................

Anyway, don't worry about that - if those things I found in the discards are cyclamens, they won't grow back. Cyclamens are too hard to keep going - I don't know anybody who has luck with them.

The weather here has been good all week except Monday it rained all day and made me depressed. But since then I have been busy as a bee. I rebuilt my compost pile, I planted some crocus bulbs, and my tulip bed is now double in size and the tulip bulbs are replanted all except the baby bulbs. I figure I will take a pocket full each time I go outside and poke holes around the edges of things and a drop a bulb in until all the babies have been planted..I have a large cool whip tube of them. I've drug limbs cut by the electric company to a big pile out back and cleaned up that mess and put up the rest of garden related tools etc for the winter.

Speaking of Wal Mart ....I am so upset with them, I wanted to get some potting soil, and one of those special mixes. There is not one bag of anything to be had at Wal Mart, Left over Halloween and Christmas stuff has taken over the garden center. There is no where anywhere close to get any dirt, Wal Mart is 30 miles away. So I don't know what I going to do, I guess I'll to settle for recycling some used potting soil outside, that had flowers growing in it earlier in the season.

Well for me I just harvested some mums hopefully what I am collecting is seeds from them but it'll be next year before I know for sure. Wish me luck on this one.

I finally feel secure that what I am harvesting is the mums seed so I'm very pleased with myself. I'll probably go out in a little bit and see if I can get some more. So far the portulaca are flowering and acting like they are happy indoors which is great. They are growing well and the stems are red so I assume they are healthy. The stems went pale and I gave them some fertilizer and that seems to have worked. I guess I should have thought about putting a time release dry fertilizer in the soil before I put them in a pot but it didn't occur to me. I'm thinking of making up some potting soil for my avocado seed and seeing if I can get it to grow. I would love to be able to start one. Well that's it for my gardening chores so far today.

TK..I don't know how you find so much energy...If I just had half as much as you do I would be in fine shape.

I don't work or have a family so I have a bunch of time on my hands. If I had to do what wives and mothers do I'd be wiped out before 9:00a.m. in the morning. I did get the potting soil made up and the avocado planted. I know they take like 50 years to bear fruit but that's ok I just wanted to start one even if someone else benefits.

tk, isn't that what being a true gardener is all about? the selflessness of it?

tk, did I ever tell you I got the seeds? My head is still a little fuzzy - I think I did - sorry if I didn't. Anyway I got them and am thankful for my friends here on the forum. I thought you had a job - did I dream that?

You must have dreamed I had a job. Maybe it will be prophetic and I'll get one. That would be great. I'm glad you got the seeds and I hope they bring you a bunch of happiness.

Hey Jiffy, That's a great thought. And it sure seems to be true. I think everyone is happier from a bit of nature to look at.

About the avocado pit . . . one of the speakers at Canada Blooms (from Garden Depot) said that very few avocado's are actually females - yeah, that sounds funny, I know.

But it's not likely they'll grow.

I saved four last year and got nowhere.

I hope you have more luck.

I had totally forgotten that the avocados came in two sexes but your right. I guess I'm going to have to eat a bunch more avocados to make sure I get a female sooner or later lol. Thanks for the reminder. At least I'll feel better if it doesn't sprout. I can blame it on it being a guy. lol

Well I managed to get out there and gather up most of the leaves to add to the compost bin and compost pile. The next bunch I should be able to put in the storage bin for next summer. Or at least that is the plan lol.

I've been looking at all the leaves around in the yard, and the first day that the wind is not blowing to much, I will try to get out there and get some of them into my compost pile...I have tons of them, but not that much energy to get them all, plus I have to leave some of them to burn, I love to go out when it is cool and burn a pile of leaves...I just love the smell and it is warm and you can still be outdoors when it is chilly.

OK - more on this thing about the avocado - no, it's not as we'd like it to be - the one's that are female aren't released in regular food import - natch, they would keep them back to plant more trees/plants - whatever ya' call 'em.

It's highly unlikely we'd get one in regular fruit store shopping - doesn't mean you can't keep trying, I guess.

That's what this speaker said, anyway. I'd like to think he's wrong - I had four of them going last year - they did absolutely nothing plus 10%.

I've heard they come out different for everybody -still, I'd like to try it again - not for the fruit - I can get fruit at the fruit store - but for the scientific curiosity of it all.

So what did I do today? OUtdoor gardening-wise - well pretty well the same as I did yesterday - not much.

Not as rainy here today but the wind was still strong.

Jeff found a perfectly healthy looking spider plant - it was discarded. So I transplanted that (just in case it's been outside long enough to collect bugs). I'll see how it does - I don't really care for spider plants much. If it grows well, maybe I'll learn to like them.

I figure if it takes nicely in the office, about 10 days later I might put a pot of soil beside it and put one of the offshoots in it, still attached to the mother plant and see if I can do another one.

I figure if something falls into my path, I'm meant to pick it up and see what I can do for it.

Now about a few thousand dollar bills? I'm sure I'd find something constructive to do with them - I don't care if it's American money or Canadian bucks either.

Today is our Remembrance Day - when we honour our war veterans - geesh! Why in the hell do we celebrate war? Because that's how we kept our freedom - that's why.

It's just that today's scenario? Good gawd it's getting awful.

I'm rambling - tell me to shaddup!

Shaddup, Carly . . .

Ok, I will - see if I care.

I got a hold of one avocado that sprouted years ago and maybe I'll get lucky and find another. I guess it just keeps me going throughout the year to plant something regardless of if it will grow. So far all I've done for the garden is walk around with a warm drink in hand but I plan to turn some compost unless a friend rescues me by taking me shopping. lol. My elbow doesn't seem to want to heal from whatever is ailing it so turning the compost isn't as fun as it was.

Well I didn't do much today except harvest a bunch of the yellow miniature mums for the seeds. The rest of the mums are still showing beautiful blooms so I don't know when I'll be harvesting them. It sure has been a warm fall.

I checked my grape tomato seeds and was so suprised to find that they had sprouted in the water lol. I had to 911 a post to find out what to do with them. I hope they grow. I planted them and gave them to my landlord because I didn't have space for them in my apartment. Fortunately I have more that I started about a week later and I strained them and have them drying so I'll have some to plant next season.

And that is about all for me today.

I still don't have the strength to go outside and do any work. The yard man came and hopefully will turn the compost pile. I noticed I've got some cleome blooming. Maybe I'll be able to get some seeds for the BIG trade.

I have some seeds for cleome hopefully I'll find a place for it in the garden. You take it real easy and if you can't get out there I'll share some of what I get with you and you can pass it on when you are able to harvest next year. Does that sound like a deal? I know I have way more than I could possible find space for already this year.

tk, you are too sweet. I thought I was on the mend but I had a terrible night - may have been what I ate. It's been almost 3 weeks and this is getting old. It's time to either get better or die. It's not like I had major surgery - no muscles were cut - only the skin on my midchest -a tiny spot. I wish I had NEVER done it.

I've been an enthusiastic seed trader this year and everyone has been very generous so I'm happy to share the bounty. And the mums are giving me enough seeds that I should be able to send a second packet of seed packs for the trade. That being the case we will have you well taken care of. I just don't want you to fret because that isn't good when you are trying to recover.

Today I got to show off my garden to a new friend I have made. She likes daisies and I have given her some of the wild daisies that grow around my building. Now I am making up a box of seeds for her to take with her when she moves in May of next year. Hopefully she will join us her on the website. I am giving her it's addy so that she can trade any of the seeds I give her that she doesn't want to plant.

I am so excited to have someone I can drag on back into the garden and show everything. I am so silly. Well tomorrow is another day and this cold/flu/allergies are driving me crazy so I think I will call it a night.

That is wonderful you have a new gardening buddy! Its always nice to have someone to talk to and show off things in your garden to that is interested. Sorry to hear you are not feeling well, its that time of year I suppose.

nah, not silly. we all need someone to share with, that's part of what makes here so great, but a real in person friend is almost better

I'll second the feeling better. I am so tired of runny eyes and nose and blocked ears grrrrrh. I'm suppose to go to dinner tomorrow but I just don't feel well enough. Oh well, I won't stay long and I'll sit in a corner lol. Today I harvested a bunch more mums, made a pile of seed packets, got one seed pod from the portulaca and fertilized the snapdragons again hoping for at least one red flower before the freeze kills it. Oh and I harvested one yellow snapdragon seed pod. It was a nice full one too so that's a good thing. Hopefully the roses will all yield seeds since I only have 4 flowers left on the bush. This morning I pruned it of all of it's yellowing leaves. I hope the soil isn't to acid. I want it to return next year.

Well I guess that's it for me today.

Well one of the rose flowers disappeared overnight so no seeds from that one. Hopefully I'll have better luck getting the other three. One is almost ready to harvest. I did get one more yellow snapdragon seed pod that yielded it's normal amount of seeds so that was a good thing. I also harvested 2 pink zinnia they may have died from the cold or something else rather than having maturing seeds but we'll see after they dry for a bit. And I harvested a bunch of the yellow miniature mums. It's funny but they all get done about the same time so it gets interesting. I also got 3 more portulaca seed pods so that makes one full packet of those of course I'll leave it open just incase I get another one. It has decided to really put on the blooms during this late fall time so I'm enjoying every minute of it and wating for any pods that manage to mature before it dies.

While I was out there I also raked up a big load of leaves and deposited them where I want the walkway to be next year. I hope I get enough leaves and grass to build up that area to where I want it. That is much easier than digging the slope out until I have a 3 foot wide walkway lol.

Then it was indoors to give the caladium one more covering of peat moss to pretty up their area. I know they are almost done for the year but I hate it when the soil looks all wornout and lumpy. Then the far left tomato plant got a stake of it's very own today lol. It was trying to grow behind the refrigerator and I just don't think that would have worked. I have about 9 blooms on it at that moment. And I've been faithfully shaking them each day lol. I can just imagine what this must look like from the street lol. The portulaca inside have decided to have another growing spurt so they will have to be trimmed in a day or too. So that's it for me.

Well everyone have a good day.

Well today was planing out the walkway and the next tier for next year. I layed out about a 1/4 of the length of the tier with the bricks I got from accross the street. Knocking off the old mortar is as easy as I thought it would be so no problem there. Of course it doesn't take long to wear me out tossing bricks around but I have plenty of time. It's to cold to work with mortar now so I can't actually make the brick edging until spring. So I'll lay it out now and get the tier as dug up as possible until the ground freezes and then start back at it next year. It is going to be so great.

TK, I've been planning a walkway for my garden for years. I've collected a bunch of bricks but haven't gotten any further. I'm going to have to dig out to make sure the water will not run toward the house. Just can't get motivated to do that.

Johnny went out last night and cut my 2 gourds - cause it was 29 degrees this am. I've got them hanging up to dry.

I'm not sure what to do with your homepage. When I went to what I thought was the next page it was Carmen Electra.

I just love anglefires since of humor. I don't have anything on my homepage yet so they fill in the blanks lol.

I know what you mean about getting motivated. I am definitely taking it in steps. I've been adding filler to the third tier so I didn't have to dig it out. And the concern with that is if the bentwood edging will keep the extra dirt in place.

Then come spring the question is going to be if the filler is going to be firm enough to support the brick edging that will form the boundary for the forth tier.

And then it's back to trying to make enough compost to fill the forth tier so that I can put out the seedlings that I start indoors. Needless to say there is a whole lot of faith being exercised here.

What is actually yesterday now, I was out taking off the mortar on some of the used bricks and moving them up closer to where they will go. I take it in stages because my elbow still has not healed and handling the bricks hurts. But I really want the additional flower beds next year so I do alittle bit each day.

At least you have a plan. I don't have a plan right now. I've been sick too long and I can't seem to get a plan together.

What type of website are you planning to do? Carmen's looking pretty good there. Maybe name one of your plants after her.

lol once the garden is finished up for the year I will begin learning my website program and then what I hope to create is a series of pages that take the viewer through the garden in monthly increments. So you'll see what is blooming at each stage and what is starting and what is dying back. It's an ambious plan and will probably take years but that's what I hope for. And then maybe some of the more interesting journal enties at appropriate points.

As far as today goes, I lifted the canna and boy are their alot of them lol. Then I had to put the marigolds in the compost pile. I told the landlord to stop forcing them but I don't think he listened and they all died grrrrrrrh.

But I have seeds so it should be ok. So then I headed for the back garden and pruned the white, yellow, and burgancy mums for the winter. I'll mulch them with leaves tomorrow after I rake up a bunch.

I also pulled up the tomatoes that finally gave in to the weather. The zinnia also died with this last frost. They had a couple of blooms on them that were pretty close to producing seeds so later I'm going to check out how it looks. I have my fingers crossed.

The portulaca are still trying to hold on but they will be gone in a day or two no doubt. After that it's just getting the last seed pods from the miniature snapdragon and rose and then the garden is asleep for the winter.

Then it's time to work on christmas...ok I confess I'm already working on christmas. lol.

That's a great plan for your website. You could start with areas that are cleaned up for the winter and take us through an entire year. I can't wait to see it. Your so industrious.

Your enthusiasm is wonderful. I will try not to disappoint but remember I haven't even learned the software yet lol. Mary D was kind enough to put my opening page up for me. Angelfire had taken down my old stuff and put something up about that actor that used to play on C.H.I.Ps. I will try to get to it this year but It could be a while so be patient with me please.

Today I got a load of grass clipping the last of the year the landlord says.

So the compost pile got the lions share and then I turned the pile good to mix it all up. The I put as many in the compost bin as would fit. Not all that many lol. And the rest went on tier three to help increase the height. It's a waste I know but I don't have any fill dirt to put their and I have to have something so there it went.

It decided to rain so I'll have to rake another day. Today I grabbed a pile of leaves to put over the mums that have gotten frost bit but the rest are still going strong so I haven't even pruned them yet. The calendrum are doing great now so I guess the reason for them not blooming earlier was the heat so no more of those for me. But I have plenty to take their place so no problem.

TK, I would like to ask you a few questions.
So you are building the tiers on the slope by filling it with leaves? Do you mulch the leaves? How do you keep the leaves in their place without being blown by the wind?
Today I try to find some seed from the mums but I don't find anything that look like small wood chips. Could it be they all fall to the ground?

well of course first I had to put up some kind of edging to keep the soil in place. Then I have a clay slope and I dig out the back of the tier area and that's where I put the leaves and grass clippings and half decomposed compost. What happened with the third tier is that it is very steep in that area of the slope and I need to have a walkway there so I can take care of plants on the second and forth tier. So rather than digging it out I am building up. I'm alittle unsure whether it will work. But that's what I am trying. Come spring I'll put up the brick edging around tier 4 and fill it in with compost.

I use leaf mulch on the mums and my dwarf evergreens. I used hay for the gladiolas, decorative onions, crocus, and daffodils.

It's a seed head. You have to wait until all the petals turn brown and the seed head bends over. Then near the edge of the seed head you will see the mature seeds. They have a stripe on them.

Thank you TK.

Your welcome.

It's still raining out today so I can't rake or turn the compost bin whaaaaaaaaaaaaa. Maybe it will stop later.

On Monday, I was looking up a link for Barbarajmck on overwinter care for hibiscus when I saw some information on mandevillas too and realized I hadn't dug mine up yet!!! So, I immediately went out and potted it up to bring inside. It had gone through several freezes, but the roots looked fine. It was planted right up next to my concrete front porch, so I think it's okay. I had already pruned it back when I cleaned the leaves and dead impatiens out of the front bed.

Today, I went out to pull a big sheet of clear plastic over my 3 lettuce beds to protect them from the coming cold weather (16 degrees tonight) and got my gloves all wet from the water that was still sitting on the plastic from all the rain we got Monday. Then I pruned my 2 fig bushes to get them ready to cover for the winter. I should've changed my wet gloves first . Hopefully, next week I can finish up the figs.

Obywan, are fig bushes little fig trees? My fig trees are big. I've never pruned or covered them. They produce every year but I want them to be healthy for a long time.

The weather was nice enough to get out there and rake today but guess what. I got lazy lol. I decided to do my turkey and dressing today. I'm actually going out to dinner tomorrow but I like having the leftovers so I'm doing one anyway. And since I have to do the traditional thanksgiving side dishes for the linger longer on Sunday I thought I might as well have the turkey too lol. I know I'm just plain weird sometimes. I have three baby roma tomatoes on my overwintering tomato plants as of this morning. I am so thrilled with that I just had to mention it. Even though I did up in veggies.

TK, are you having family and friends in for dinner?

Got your card. Thanks a lot.

I have got to get my compost pile turned. It's growing grass on the top.

Bestofour, I'm in zone 6b and my figs will suffer substantial dieback over winter if I don't protect them. Because of this I now prune to multiple stems to keep them shorter so they're easier to protect. I used to put up wire fencing (tomato cages) around them and then fill the fencing with leaves. Then I would put a garbage bag with the base cut through around the base of the tomato cage with another uncut garbage bag over the top to keep the wind and cold out.


I've also tried cutting through the roots halfway around the plants and then pulling the plants over and burying them in a trench. That works well but is a lot of work!!

Last year though, I tried a method that works better. I prune my fig bushes to have open centers pruning out all the old wood, and some of the new so that I have only a half dozen or so new stems sprouting from the ground in a vase shape. Then I bend these stems to the ground and weigh them down with bricks and cinderblocks before completely covering them with leaves. Then I put old carpet scraps and large sheets of row cover over that with clear plastic over the top.

This spring I had the least dieback I've ever had. Only I uncovered the figs too soon in the spring and a late frost got them and set them back.

As for me, I have decided that I will still be doing my fall chores in the spring. I have about 400 dahlia tubers to finish up for winter....what a chore. That is the biggest garden chore I have left.
Darlene

Wow you all have much much more to do that I do. The hospital stay has set everything back. The two largest tomatoes got end rot of course since I wasn't here to water them. So I am still pruning the tomato plants to get off the leaves that died during my absence. Even with the water-keep in the pots those tomatoes still want daily care inside the apartment lol. But I love having them completely cover my kitchen window so I'm not going to complain. The outide portulaca got froze out and the first year hollyhocks also died back. It was more than time for them to do that but I will miss their big leaves waving about in the container. Now the barbarry is all by itself in their and it looks lonely.

Hey Sheri, Sorry to hear your compost pile is growing grass that isn't good. I wish there was something I could do to help but their isn't.

You know I'd always heard that fruit trees took a bunch of care. You are awesome Terry to take care of as many as you do.

I was able to get some more leaves bagged yesterday and today. 7 of them were whole leaves I raked from the beds around my house and my azalea bed and 2 more I mowed off the yard so they're shredded. That gives me a total of 96 bags of leaves so far, most of them shredded and in 55 gallon bags. I'd guess I still have as many as 50 bags worth of leaves on the ground. I got one of my figs covered with leaves yesterday and put plastic over it today to keep the leaves from getting wet. I hope to finish covering them tomorrow. I also plan to give the yard it's November fertilization as well as spread Holly-Tone around some trees and shrubs and fertilize my bulbs, perennials, and fruits (except for the apples and peaches) They are calling for rain for the next couple of days, so that should serve to water the fertilizers in.

My figs grow on big trees so I don't do anything to them. I don't even prune them.

I was going to try to do some stuff outside today but it's raining.

Tk, you keep your holly hocks in pots? I've never tried that. Hope you're feeling better.

I wish I could let my figs grow into trees, but it's too cold here, and we're very prone to late freezes. There's a guy up in Pennsylvania who builds a frame big enough to enclose his fig trees. In late fall, he covers the frame with plastic and takes barrels he's painted black and puts them in with the fig tree and fills them with water to act as a heat sink to protect his fig. Seems like a lot of work to me.

I just finished fertilizing my yard. It was raining the whole time so I was wearing my rain jacket, but I still got wet I was sweating so much. I'm taking a break for lunch, then I'm going back out to fertilize some more stuff.

That is a LOT of trouble for figs.

It's raining here too but it's 70 degrees.

Terry could you post the link for over wintering Hibiscus please or PM me with it. I have been over wintering mine with good luck for a few years but always open to new or maybe better ways of doing it. My sister lost some of hers last year she said her house was too warm. She lives in N.M. I live in Texas with my tropical birds and Iguana's my house has to stay warm although the Iguana's have automatic heat and lights. I would really appreciate it if you did.
Thanks
Jimmy

Here you go JV, this site makes me want to go and get some tropical hibiscus myself. (as if I need anything else to overwinter :rolleyes: )

http://trop-hibiscus.com/gindr.html#bay

The hollyhocks got put in the 3 ft cement container this year because the marigolds got spidermites so bad I pulled them up and had a barespot to contend with lol. Wether they will come back next year and flower I have no idea. Some times I just stick things in places and hope for the best lol.

I cleaned up my asparagus beds today. I cut off all the dead branches and then raked the old leaf mulch off and hauled everything to the compost pile.

asparagus that takes two years to start right? An ex-boyfriend of mine tried to start those but we weren't together long enough to see if they actually came up lol. Isn't that just my luck lol.

I still have not been able to do a thing outside. It's beginning to get to me so I take that as a sign I'm getting better. This time last week I didn't even care.

Yep sounds like you are getting better to me.

Well today I raked alittle but not much compared to what I needed to get done. Atleast most of the leaves are off the tree now so once I corral these I'm good to go for the year. I don't have enough to carry me for the entire mowing season but I'll do the best I can I guess.

TK, don't have enough what?

leaves for compost, Sheri. T, I have a shed full now - let me know when you need some, and I'll squarsh them down and shove em in a box and send them your way! Gardeners are so weird, aren't we?

lol you wouldn't believe what I just did. I made arrangements to buy a car on Monday. It's an old clunker van but it runs. Hopefully it will also pass the emmissions and safety tests. Anyway with that I can go down to the park 3 blocks away and bag up a bunch when I need them. Can you believe I bought a car. I can't believe I did that. But I want to be able to get to church by myself and to the Shoppers Food Warehouse. That trip was costing me 20 bucks a trip.

Anyway that's what I did so now I've just got to do all the inspections and insurance and getting a Virginia Drivers License (hope I pass the test) and then I'll be legal. Maybe then I can find a part time job to help ends meet alittle better. I would so like to get off of social security and on my own. I guess I'm alittle crazy.

I finished carting the old leaf mulch from the asparagus patch to the compost pile, then I hoed the asparagus and then spent several hours mowing and bagging leaves. I'm trying to take advantage of the nice weather before the rain and perhaps snow??? starts coming in Saturday afternoon.

Is it expected that soon? I guess I shouldn't have wasted most of today. But I just didn't feel like raking. I guess I'll pay for playing hooky later lol.

Enjoy your day.

We have so many leaves it's unbelieveable. I wish someone would come get some of them. It's a full time job blowing the driveway. The people who lived here before we did didn't keep up the yard and there were little 4 and 5 ft tall dogwood trees hidden and bent by leaves. We didn't even know they were there until we started cleaning up.

Great about your car TK. Are you going to post that in the Coffeehouse. I've got a few questions that don't fit this topic.