Late to plant
Juana reminds me that we could use a line of bulbs along the fence that was extended late Summer. Outside the fence is now inside. All of the local stores are out of daffodils filling their spaces with Christmas effluvia, but great deals can be had from mail order companies. I am able to get […]
Ice water
It’s a cold morning outside to fill the bird feeders. I notice that the bird bath is frozen solid; a few birds land on its edge and are thwarted in getting a drink. I wait until things warm up a bit and install a heater so the birds can continue getting a drink as the […]
Stacking wood
It is late in the season to be stacking wood next to the house. We typically do it in early rather than mid Fall. But this year’s spate of warm and active days has let us delay this task. Every year we burn at least a cord and a half of wood so it is […]
Autumn colors
Autumn light is unique. Spaces that have been in constant shade for months now are illuminated with dappled light and colors. The carpet of newly fallen leaves each day changes with the light of each hour. It is noisier season as a scampering chipmunk sends up rustles of sound with every step and leap. I […]
First frost
Walking down the driveway this morning for the newspaper, I see the effects of the first frost. The raised bed where string beans and sunflowers stood tall only weeks ago is covered with a powder-sugar veneer of white. The sunflower stumps stand erect but appear to shiver at the first extreme cold of the season. […]
Stone cold frame
Evening and early morning temperatures in the low 40s and high 30s signal to me that it is time to turn my raised beds into cold frames. Last year’s redesign of the frames with 3/4 inch PVC pipe and couplings let me double their size and create something much sturdier than that I had before. […]
First fire
It’s a cloudy, cool day in Connecticut. Perfect for the first fire of the season. In anticipation of this day, Juana and I gathered branches of varying sizes a few weeks back, storing them in two old plastic milk crates for starter. There is a cord of well-seasoned wood stacked and covered on the property, […]
Tough Winter ahead
I think this will be a tough Winter for the wildlife that frequents our gardens. The hummingbird feeder needs replenishment more frequently than is typical. Chickadees fight for space on the thistle feeder, which we have just put out for the migrating goldfinches and pine siskins. The goldfinches attack, pecking the Swiss chard, whose leaves […]
Starting winter greens
It is time to get the winter greens going in the garden. In the middle of August I start two 1020 trays of arugula, hearty greens and winter lettuces that I will transplant by mid-September. Around Labor Day, I start plugs of individual greens, Swiss Chard, kale, Claytonia (miner’s lettuce) and Verte de Cambral (corn […]
Bright flowers
It doesn’t seem possible but the golden rod has been in bloom for weeks. This typical flower of Fall is not showing off in a typical way with its early arrival. Unlike other wildflowers the drought seems to have little effect on its blooms or bright colors. We let this native plant spread on our […]