Gardening at the end of November
I went outside after lunch to do some gardening in the sunshine. I found the swiss chard frantically regrowing in Garden #3 over by the muddy gash. I cut everything I could cut to put into a quiche tonight, and then removed the haphazard white row cover I had tangled in that area and put thick plastic down with stones securing it. I doubt I'll get another crop of swiss chard in December, but, hey, may as well try.
Over in Garden #1 I have some surprise leeks peaking out from between the asparagus. I thought those hadn't taken when I set them in five months ago! Apparently they were just slow. They're not really worth harvesting, though, so I left them alone. That garden also still has two stalks of brussels sprouts that I should harvest soon. Lucky thing we like brussels sprouts!
Garden #2 also had a few surprises. The arugula that bolted and went to seed last July has resulted in a new crop of spicy greens growing low to the ground, splayed out like crabweed. I ate a few leaves. Wow, they were tender and spicy and had a bitter edge. I went fishing under the porch for some plastic and hoops and covered them with a thin plastic. I'm wondering if they'll overwinter.
That garden also still has a few tall kale plants and some low stalks of celery and one remaining brussels sprouts stalk. Sweetly sitting in the middle, oblivious to the season, is a single pea plant with a hopeful purple blossom. Purple for advent, apparently. I covered the plants in that corner, too. It's regularly getting down into the 20's at night now, I don't understand why these survive hard frosts. But, hey, I'm not arguing.
I came inside just now to try to figure out where I stand on my compost bins. They were all in somewhat mysterious states to me until I checked my "composting" tag from May.
The garden bin started being filled up in May. I've turned it all summer and topped it off with grass from time to time and it's pretty close to being ready. I just capped it with some of the last of the finished compost from the North Bin #1 and watered it and close it up for the winter.
The same status on Bin #2, the second from the North. In May it was the one being actively used and I don't think it got capped off very well. I turned it and watered it and capped it and it will be the next one to get finished compost from.
Bin #3, the third from the north (second from the south) is the one I just finished using now. I turned it (somewhat, it is very junky) and watered it and capped it.
I finished off the compost in Bin #1 with cappings and mulching the east side fruits and nuts. It's empty today and it'll be the one I start using now. Bin #4, the South Bin, was capped last May and had compost that was ready to use, so I emptied that bin by mulching the fruit and nut trees on the west side of the yard. Bin #4 now stands empty and pulled apart right now. If I fill up #1 this winter I'll start on #4 after that.
So, going into the winter, I have three that are capped and curing, of which Bin #3 is the youngest and the Garden Bin is the oldest and closest to being ready.. I have two that are empty and ready to use. It's confusing have five bins going, but the weird thing is that I use them all, and having two standing empty as I go into winter doesn't bother me in the slightest. I'm still getting the coffee grounds from the little cafe downtown and now they add in some of their salad and fruit detritis. We're throwing some of our paper towels and some clean cardboard in them now, too. I wonder from time to time if I should cut back on my composting endeavors, but dealing with it twice a year for a couple of hours at a time just isn't that bad. And in return, black gold. Not a bad deal.
Over in Garden #1 I have some surprise leeks peaking out from between the asparagus. I thought those hadn't taken when I set them in five months ago! Apparently they were just slow. They're not really worth harvesting, though, so I left them alone. That garden also still has two stalks of brussels sprouts that I should harvest soon. Lucky thing we like brussels sprouts!
Garden #2 also had a few surprises. The arugula that bolted and went to seed last July has resulted in a new crop of spicy greens growing low to the ground, splayed out like crabweed. I ate a few leaves. Wow, they were tender and spicy and had a bitter edge. I went fishing under the porch for some plastic and hoops and covered them with a thin plastic. I'm wondering if they'll overwinter.
That garden also still has a few tall kale plants and some low stalks of celery and one remaining brussels sprouts stalk. Sweetly sitting in the middle, oblivious to the season, is a single pea plant with a hopeful purple blossom. Purple for advent, apparently. I covered the plants in that corner, too. It's regularly getting down into the 20's at night now, I don't understand why these survive hard frosts. But, hey, I'm not arguing.
I came inside just now to try to figure out where I stand on my compost bins. They were all in somewhat mysterious states to me until I checked my "composting" tag from May.
The garden bin started being filled up in May. I've turned it all summer and topped it off with grass from time to time and it's pretty close to being ready. I just capped it with some of the last of the finished compost from the North Bin #1 and watered it and close it up for the winter.
The same status on Bin #2, the second from the North. In May it was the one being actively used and I don't think it got capped off very well. I turned it and watered it and capped it and it will be the next one to get finished compost from.
Bin #3, the third from the north (second from the south) is the one I just finished using now. I turned it (somewhat, it is very junky) and watered it and capped it.
I finished off the compost in Bin #1 with cappings and mulching the east side fruits and nuts. It's empty today and it'll be the one I start using now. Bin #4, the South Bin, was capped last May and had compost that was ready to use, so I emptied that bin by mulching the fruit and nut trees on the west side of the yard. Bin #4 now stands empty and pulled apart right now. If I fill up #1 this winter I'll start on #4 after that.
So, going into the winter, I have three that are capped and curing, of which Bin #3 is the youngest and the Garden Bin is the oldest and closest to being ready.. I have two that are empty and ready to use. It's confusing have five bins going, but the weird thing is that I use them all, and having two standing empty as I go into winter doesn't bother me in the slightest. I'm still getting the coffee grounds from the little cafe downtown and now they add in some of their salad and fruit detritis. We're throwing some of our paper towels and some clean cardboard in them now, too. I wonder from time to time if I should cut back on my composting endeavors, but dealing with it twice a year for a couple of hours at a time just isn't that bad. And in return, black gold. Not a bad deal.