Killing Frost

The week before Halloween this year. They seem to be getting earlier and earlier. I planted some spinach last week in the hopes of having some green  veg over the winter. I even improvised a cold bed for them. I have a bunch of pics from this very unproductive season. I think it's time to let the main bed go fallow next season. Or at the very least just plant beans. Going to try my biochar as well. Hmmm, guess I need to buy the pieces for the kiln. Ok let's see if I can put up some pics.

 Baby green peppers. Everything was dwarfed this year.

Tiny, but tasty corn. After replanting from a hail storm in July.

Dragon chillies. HOT!!!!! I have no problem growing anything spicy.

Beans drying nicely on my twine trellis.

The only pumpkin that made it. All of my other 8 vines died. This one is in my window now, still green.

Volunteer cherry tomatoes. They were still growing until this morning.

The ones I did plant. The Wife and the Littlest Giant loved them.

Regular yet dwarf tomatoes. Apparently they tasted good too.

I had dozens of sunflowers. This one is drying on the porch so I don't have to buy new seeds.

So that's pretty much it for this season. Pretty disappointing as I got none of the potatoes I planted. Only 1 pumpkin. Oh but I did get a bunch of watermelon but they were really tasteless. Might just buy a sweet one and replant the seeds. 

Hopefully I can get some pics up of the cold bed I am making. But who knows. ;)

The smell of a good crop

What does 20 bags of manure smell like? Like 20 bags of horse poo. ;) But it also smells like completely full beds that I will probably never have to fill again. I didn't take pics of it yet, I probably will today and then put them online. Its supposed to be in the 70's this week, so that's good to warm the ground up (since the manure is black) and warmer ground is better in the spring.

The plants in the grow house are coming along slowly since it has been so cold until recently. The sunflowers have popped up, and so have the pumpkins, also the cat grass went nuts, and of course the cats ignore it. Still quiet on the tomatoes and peppers, but they don't germinate until the soil hits 70 or so.

I have a bag of seed potatoes, but they don't have any eyes yet, as soon as those come up, they go in the ground. They aren't going in the bags but rather will be planting in rows to see if I can get them in larger quantities. Also, they are red potatoes which seem to do better in my soil than russet potatoes. Keeping my fingers crossed on them.

I need to order my bird poo and then that's pretty much it. I may get another compost tumbler and leave it next to the main bed, simply because its easier there for garden waste. I have to get creative with the water barrels since the termites have come back and the bug guys tell me to get all sources of water as far away from the house as possible. Maybe some underground hoses I'm not sure yet.  Sunflowers and pumpkins should go in the ground on the 20th.

Pics soon!