TexasMadness
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Getting the fall garden in!
When Mexia was born in June, I stopped weeding the garden. I had just enough time and energy to bring in the harvest. But everything slows down by the end of August (except okra...) so we stopped watering the garden and gave ourselves a break.
I ventured into the garden for the first time in almost 2 months this weekend. WOW! What a mess. I didn't get a completely 'before' pic because I was so adamant on starting. But here it is after several hours of pulling out weeds:
Yikes. I've been working on it a bit each day and it turns out that all of the pepper plants survived the lack of water (we had just enough rain) and choking from the weeds. So we will have peppers until frost! I've also cleared half of a row and planted garlic. This weekend I'm going to get the rest of the fall stuff planted (turnips, beets, lettuce, spinach, broccoli, kale, cabbage, carrots, swiss chard and kohlrabi). It will only fill 5 of the 10 rows. The other 5 rows, I plan to finish weeding as soon as possible and get planted with clover, barley or so other cover crop (that will stay until March when the summer stuff goes in).
I'll take some more pictures as things start to shape up!
I love gardening year round!
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10/23/2012, 2:58 pm
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Firlefanz
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Re: Getting the fall garden in!
Yay for the pepper plants! And wow, you already did a lot of work!
And for gardening year round. The garden season is coming to an end here, as night frosts are threatening soon.
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10/23/2012, 5:13 pm
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Queenyforever
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Re: Getting the fall garden in!
One thing about weeds, they will always flourish!
Don't go working yourself to hard getting it done. Pace yourself...
---
“Freedom and democracy are dreams you never give up.”
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10/23/2012, 7:33 pm
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Saijen SilverWolf1
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Re: Getting the fall garden in!
WOW...you had already done quite a bit, looks like!!!
Sometimes I wish we could garden a bit longer, then I realize I really don't need the hassle year round...lol.
Nice that your pepper plants survived, as did the garlic. Like Firle, garden time has pretty much come to an end here, with the exception of some root crops (turnips, potatoes and such) and the lettuces/kale/greens.
We'll plant turnips (if they've not already done that...not sure) and possibly some kale. The last kale we had didn't taste very good, so hoping DH doesn't use the same seed pack.
He likes it cut up with bacon and onions cut up in it and hot grease poured over it all. I usually use the grease from frying the bacon, with some added to it. Up here, they call that 'killed' lettuce.
In the Spring, along the banks of creeks, there is a 'weed' they call Bear's Lettuce. Pick it young and tender, and 'kill' it...good stuff. I think the term 'kill' came from having to 'kill' the poison in poke (or polk..seen it both ways) salat (and yes..it's salat..not salad for those who wonder)before eating it. A lot of people don't realize poke is poisonous, but not sure if it's the entire plant, leaves and all, or just certain parts. Anyway..sorry to get off topic (gotta love those random thoughts )
I do enjoy raw turnips, so looking forward to that. Wadisi, our wolf, LOVES raw turnips. He's such a spoiled boy!!!
--- "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you"
~~@Saijen@~~
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10/24/2012, 4:49 pm
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TexasMadness
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Re: Getting the fall garden in!
Whew. Didn't get as much done this week as I would have liked. This is the LAST few days to get fall stuff in before the planting break until January. So I'm bustling. But we got "stuck" at the farm all weekend getting ready for the first freeze there (it comes a a month earlier there than at the house).
But I did manage to get 30 cabbages in. Got the row weeded, added compost, planting the seedlings, watered and mulched. All while Mexia hung out in the garden with me! It was a lot of fun. Things are still unkempt, but here it is:
It's the row that is just behind the wheelbarrow in my first picture - I had just started to pull out the weeds and you can see about 5 feet of the irrigation tape in that first photo. I got all 30 feet cleared (20 of it still has peppers) and done. But I still have an entire 50 foot row waiting for broccoli!!!
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10/29/2012, 8:23 pm
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Queenyforever
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Re: Getting the fall garden in!
WHEW! I think you actually got a LOT done!
---
“Freedom and democracy are dreams you never give up.”
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10/29/2012, 8:52 pm
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PerpetuallyCurious
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Re: Getting the fall garden in!
It's looking great!!
Sometimes I dream of being able to garden near year round....... but I love my full four seasons way to much.
<snow addict here>
But I sure wouldn't mind taking a trip down south in about January to buy a van load of fresh organic produce from a southern farm/homestead to help tide us over.
As always, I enjoyed the pics
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10/30/2012, 6:12 am
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TexasMadness
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Re: Getting the fall garden in!
Sometimes I find myself puffing my chest up and saying, *I* can garden year round. Ha! But then I realize that northerns still get all the same veggies, but just packed into fewer months...and therefore get to take a BREAK in the winter. If I want broccoli, I HAVE to garden year round. So there while I do get fresh veggies, I have to keep toiling away!
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10/30/2012, 12:54 pm
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Queenyforever
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Re: Getting the fall garden in!
The pros and cons to every place we live.
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“Freedom and democracy are dreams you never give up.”
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10/30/2012, 3:51 pm
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TexasMadness
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Re: Getting the fall garden in!
Planting is done until January!!!
I've been working on the broccoli row for quite some time. It was completely taken over by weeds with no garden plants at all. It was rough going. You can't really tell, but this is looking straight down the row:
I got everything out, amended the soil and put in the broccoli transplants. Here's the row again...with my trusty helper!
And I got the roots in too. I took out all the okra even though it would have kept producing until the first frost (maybe 4 weeks away). We've eaten enough okra for the year though! Before:
I pulled all the plants, amended the soil and planted 10 feet each of turnips, beets, carrots and kohlrabi. I still have 10 open feet...I'll probably stick in some more carrots today if I get a chance.
The other 5 rows of the garden are still a mess. I want to put in a cover crop but that can wait for as long as it takes me. I want to get this half of the garden completely whipped into shape before I tackle the wild half!
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11/5/2012, 5:25 pm
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