The Marigold Potager Diaries

While the warmer zones are still growing and planting their winter and spring crops, harvesting their fall crops, for most of us zone 3 gardeners, the season is done.  We had a lovely t-shirt weather day on Friday (20 °C) to help us get the last of our must do gardening tasks done. We may have a few brassicas hanging around, as they can stand a bit of cold temps and snow. If you grew broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, brussels, and rutabagas, they are still doing fine. I did not grow them this year as it was an odd year for us. Next year!  Some of you may still have your carrots, parsnips, and beets in the ground, too, getting sweeter with the frosts.  For all intents and purposes, though, with this last bit of snow and cold temps, our season is done for the year. Mowing✔ Plant garlic✔ Transplanting peonies and asters ✔ One last good deep soak for trees ✔ One last water for perennial gardens ✔ Cut back peonies ✔ Left all other flowers and stems standing for the bees and bird...

  Our October weather has been pretty wonky. A bit up and down and all around. We went from +23°C to a snow day and then right back up again!  All the while, we (mostly hubby) have been working on garden clean up. The snow melted that very same day so was no big deal (Canadian Thanksgiving Sunday, of course), did not slow us down a bit.  As we took down the gardens, we piled the organics in the center raised bed. It was the first to be emptied, so we are using it as a holding area.  This is well after the short snow day.  Perennial 'potato onions' and frosted sunflowers left standing for the birds.  We brought in some compost for the garden beds and mulch for the weeds.  That corner by the trellis is where I used to grow both dill and wild oats for the dogs to eat. They love the 'grassy' bits. However, it was getting to be one heck of a mess as both the oats and the dill were spreading and self seedings happily.  We dug out what we could, layered ...

Well, hi there. Happy Sunday, eh?   I had big outdoor plans for today, but the wind is just too much for me. The wind makes me super cranky, edgy, out of sorts. Part of it is my hair blowing in my face, but mostly it just stresses me out. So, I am taking an inside day.  Do I have loads of stuff to do indoors? Yep. Am I going to do it today? Nope. Taking a vegging out day, a do nothing much day. They are needed sometimes, too.  I woke to the news about the big fire in Wainwright with 7 military members killed and dozens injured. I am beside myself. Even though my hubby retired from the army over 20 years ago, once an army wife, always an army wife. My heart goes out to the families and all the military members.  This fire was spurred on by the crazy 100 km/hr winds that just blew out of nowhere in the early afternoon. Semi trucks and cars were blown into the ditch. trees blew over, shingles blew off houses...   We did, however, get quite a bit done out ...

  Well... Happy Thanksgiving! This is what our place looks like (well, much of it has melted already, but still...) today. Very wet and heavy snow as it is plus degrees. Is like a west coast snow day ; )  We will be back in the garden after the weekend. Snow will be gone, sun will be back, and we still have much garden clean up to do (check out the full wheelbarrow by the bed).  Luckily, we knew the snow was coming so pulled all our peppers the day before and got them pickled up. Here is the recipe (from my old ngp blog) that we used. Tried and true! The recipe makes three quart jars of pickled peppers.  Does My Soil Have Root-Feeding Nematodes?  - Are your plants stunted, not growing well? Check out this video to see if this is the reason.  Fall Soil Preparation: 3 Simple Ways to Build Healthy Garden Soil for Next Year  Harriet Thistlethwayte Creates with Nature  - lovely inspiration for fall.  The Herb Wreath Your Kitchen Has Been Waiting ...

Phew, fall sure did come quickly to the prairies, this year! Leaves were green, gold, and then gone... all within the span of 2 weeks. Crazy beans!  We have been doing a little bit nearly every day to clean out the gardens and yards. Our goal is always to have things buttoned up by Thanksgiving. We are so not there this year! Some crazy fool (ahem) plants so many flowers and veggies, that there is a crazy amount of compostable material to clean up (plus other tasks) at the end of the year ; )  On the island, I used to hold a free 'Putting The Garden To Bed/Planting Garlic' workshop on Thanksgiving weekend (price was a food bank donation of any kind, big or little).  Here on the prairies, we need to get the garden cleaned up soon-ish just in case winter comes early. We occasionally get snow in October, though it usually melts right away, but you never know what mother nature is going to throw at you, eh?  Added at posting time - apparently we are getting snow and col...