OK, I'm going to start complaining about the cold, and I won't stop till March. Sorry. I don't live in New York State anymore for a reason! Friday night was our first real official hard frost / freeze, so that now I can quit wondering if I should try to save this or that veggie in the garden. That much at least is a relief. And we do need cold weather to kill off the bugs. But beyond that, I don't see any good use for the stuff - especially not the foot or more of snow that fell on the East Coast last night. Thank goodness we don't have to deal with that just yet! But the perennials in the greenhouse are still snug and warm. Come visit!
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It sure has been another lovely fall week... but today we need the rain, and
that's what the Lord is providing. I'm glad I got more work done cleaning out the second greenhouse on Wednesday, but I won't be doing that today. This weekend and early next week should be more beautiful weather for fall planting. Fall planting of perennials is beneficial for many reasons: 1. The warm soil encourages root growth until the ground freezes. 2. In early spring, roots begin new growth at a faster rate, and top growth begins earlier on fall-planted perennials. 3. The fall-planted plant is far better equipped to deal with next summer’s heat and drought, because of its well-established root system. 4. Dependable rainfall & cooler fall weather mean less watering is needed. Plants also use less water since photosynthesis is slowed by shorter days. Evaporation rates slow down so water in the soil lasts longer. 5. There are fewer pest and disease problems. 6. It is easier to plant perennials & bulbs together. This saves transplant shock on sensitive perennials, as well as time and energy for the autumn gardener. For these reasons, browse through the perennials offered by Dogwood Valley Greenhouse and choose a few to add to your garden now. What a beautiful day today! It barely made it to 60*, but felt much warmer with the bright and beautiful sunshine, such a contrast from the last several cloudy days. My friend cut down half-a-dozen tall, spindly saplings that have been shading the south side of the greenhouse, and already the plants inside are thanking us. Another friend had tipped me to seal the greenhouse end with Velcro, so that's what I set out to do today. And don't you know... it works like a charm! I used the heavy-duty staple gun to fasten one side of the Velcro to the doorframe, and the regular desk stapler to fasten the other side of the Velcro to the doubled plastic. I am amazed at how securely the end is fastened on! I cut it down the middle and taped it shut for tonight, but I plan to Velcro the two sides of plastic together tomorrow. What an amazing invention!
Yesterday about 3:15, Jordan & I headed up to Sewanee to make a large plant delivery at the Cumberland Farmer's Market, where it was sunny and 70*. Like it had been earlier in the day in Hillsboro! On the way, we noticed huge black clouds following us up the interstate. We were pretty thankful to arrive in Sewanee ahead of the storm. We made the delivery, which took a while, then shopped for some Boy Scout things at the Army/Navy Surplus store in Monteagle, and still were enjoying beautiful weather. We returned to Hillsboro, where I dropped Jordan at home & went on to pick up Alyssa at the library in Manchester.
Why is there fog floating around in the parking lot at the post office? And at that store, and that one? What is this? It looks so strange to see fog at 5:30 in the afternoon! Oh... and what are those strange piles of white stuff along the sidewalk at the library? And a huge one under the drainspout? I asked the librarian, who said there was a fierce hailstorm in Manchester, and possibly the sound of a tornado, about 3:15. Boy, we *just* missed that excitement! Thank You Jesus, that the storm seemed to have missed my greenhouse in Hillsboro. I'm not sure the plastic would have withstood that onslaught! Those were good-sized "rocks" I saw, 2 hours after the storm! Somehow you don't really expect the weekend to be as beautiful, weather-wise, as this one has been. The weather was perfect for the boys' soccer games, and I had a little time this afternoon for greenhouse cleanup. I'm thankful to be selling a good number of plants at the Cumberland Farmers' Market in Sewanee. This Tuesday I will deliver 28 plants there! For this reason, a couple of the perennials I had listed for sale will have to be removed from the "available" list till I can grow some more to a marketable size. Tomorrow I hope to get some more worktime outside, after the homeschool co-op, in the afternoon. It's time to batten down the hatches in preparation for cold weather midweek.
'Twas a grand and glorious gardening day today... but alas, I spent it on two soccer fields in different states. Jordan played in the morning in Tullahoma, and Jonathan had another all-day tournament in Huntsville. Tomorrow promises to be just as beautiful. Perhaps I can get in some greenhouse time in the later afternoon, after the tournament ends. I've about finished cleaning out the second greenhouse, neglected for over 20 yrs now, and am eagerly anticipating a load of gravel for its base.
... and sometimes in the same day. Tues & today were both rainy, and the ground is soaking it in, storing all that life-giving moisture to nourish next year's crops. Tomorrow & the weekend promise to be sunny and beautiful. Today I was in Tullahoma all day, and had a chance to work on the website quite a bit. I hope you like it. Tomorrow I'm going to have a chance to work in the yard/garden/greenhouse all morning & early afternoon. I will like that!
There is still plenty of time to plant perennials this fall. Give me a call & come pick up a few If you missed it, that's too bad. Try not to miss the next one!
On Saturday, some of the Tullahoma Locally Grown producers conducted a "Meet & Greet & Eat" at the CW Stamps Community Center in Tullahoma. Many thanks for the great publicity by the Tullahoma Parks & Rec Department. We noticed folks sitting in the parking lot waiting for our 1 pm opening time, and we were busy for the entire 3 hours of the show. Other vendors sold grass fed beef, homebaked goods, and homegrown vegetables. My table was by far the prettiest (if I do say so), and generated a fair amount of interest. I handed out quite a few plant lists, and when those ran out, several hand-written cards with my website and phone number. Several people expressed interest in visiting the greenhouse in spring. I'm already looking forward to the next "Meet & Greet & Eat! I will try to let folks know ahead of time, and I'm sure it will also be advertised in the Tullahoma News, which did a fantastic job of spreading the word via their "Lifestyles" section. ...and this succession of nearly-perfect fall days continues. I'm blessed to be able to get outside for an hour or so about every day, some days more. Today I assembled a few more container gardens (mums, herbs, sedums, and the like) for the Meet & Greet sale for the Tullahoma Locally Grown market in Tullahoma on Saturday. These little baskets and containers will really brighten up someone's table or desk. And they are fun to put together.
I can sure stand a few months of days like today: high in the low 70's, and not a cloud in the sky. It was just perfect for working in the new greenhouse area after our morning homeschool co-op group meeting. I'm keeping a sharp eye out for poison ivy, now that I'm mostly healed from a very bad rash on my right arm. The poison ivy plants I "painted" with RoundUp a few days ago have succumbed... but there are still a very few to be treated. Guess I'll have to get my bottle back out tomorrow. I'm anxious to finish cleaning out the second greenhouse area so that we can get it covered with plastic before the weather gets cold, which can happen very suddenly here. Saturday night was forecast to be one of those early frost nights, so I picked the few remaining green beans & cucumbers from the veggie garden. But evidently it didn't go below 40* that night, thank goodness. We're not forecast to have another such cold night for a week or more now.
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AuthorI'm finally putting my college training of (several) years ago to work! I wanted a combined degree in horticulture and journalism so I could write about the plants I grew, and here I am! Archives
November 2011
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