The fall work continues

Pam schlepping pots

Worked yesterday with Pam potting up the spring bulbs. Took it easy after the surgery and only did 40 or 50 pots but we got them all tucked into the new cold frames. Pam was a trouper and got all the soil - 15 heavy bags - out of the car by herself. What a gal!

Planted today and tucked in a few more perennials: veronica, coreopsis, mums, peony, forget me nots and primrose into a few bare spots. Also put in a few daffodil bulbs, Golden Harvest and one of my favorites - Professor Einstein. Should have great color and variety all season.

Bed one after six weeks

The green house beds continue to produce lots of greens. I figure if I don't have to buy any lettuces or greens all winter the beds will have paid for themselves. The other harvests are just a bonus!

Bed two after two weeks

Bed one is pretty lush even after the severe thinning that Vicki gave it. I'll have to sow some more arugula as Vicki kind of almost wiped out the patch and it is my favorite green. We've still got an aphid problem though, despite spraying by the greenhouse managers. The little buggers are down in the whorls of the leaves and very hard to get to.We've got lots of golden chard, baby spinach,dill, basil and thyme, a few radishes and lots of lettuces. Been having a salad every night thanks to the bountiful crops.

Bed two is looking good as it starts to grow in earnest. I fertilized this week with a fairly high nitrogen fish emulsion and kelp mix. The peas are about an inch or two tall and the lettuces are just starting to do their thing. Carrots and scallions are slow to emerge, but the beets and kohlrabi are on their way. Can't wait to get a harvest from something other than the greens, it should be exciting. Love snap peas, they probably won't make it out of the greenhouse!

The flats are making out a little slower. I wonder if we didn't cover the seed on this last sowing if that made the difference. The tomatoes are just starting and I just cleaned up the outdoor tomato beds so now I can repurpose the couple of tomato cages I want to use.

Gotten a lot of nice comments on the garden totems. I still want to visit a few estate and garage sales looking for odd pieces of glass to make a few more. Wish I had the gal's name from the Armada Flea Market where I got these two and I'd promote her great craft, but we just knew eachother by "hello".

Think I'll be setting up Thursdays at the Oakland County Farmer's Market until Christmas if the market proves successful for me. Friend Janet Macunovich, dropped off a giant load of fresh evergreen boughs that are just dying to be made into wreaths and swags. Looks like I'll make my own roping this year. I just need to get faster at crafting these things so my time can be a little more cost productive...