Post by Clipper on Oct 17, 2020 12:01:09 GMT -5
I actually slept until 9 am. I seldom sleep in but last night I took an oxycodone tablet before bed to try and dull the pain of the neuropathy that has kept me awake the last two nights. Thank goodness I was able to find a new podiatrist who had an appointment open for Monday afternoon. I got a weather warning on the NOAA app on my phone last night warning of a frost. I woke up this morning to frost coating the hood of the truck and the grass. Thank goodness I got the warning in time last night to cover the pepper plants. I have threatened to pull the plants and end the garden for the year, but every time I think of doing it, I walk by the garden and see the plants still loaded with little peppers that get a little bigger each day, so last night I was out in the dark, placing plastic sheeting and a couple of lightweight plastic tarps over the plants.
It got down low enough to have a pretty heavy frost last night, but today it is going to be in the mid 60's and temperatures will rise most of the week with nights in the mid 40's and daytime highs going up as high as 78 later in the week.
We have peppers coming out our ears with an abundance of vacuum sealed packages in the big freezer in the garage and a couple in the kitchen freezer. I need to just give it up and tear into cleaning the garden out for winter. Otherwise instead of being out there in the dark covering plants, I will be out there in a winter, gloves, a coat, and knitted wool cap, freezing by butt off while running the tiller through it.
I need to get an initial tilling done so that I can come back and cover the area with some composted leaves that I have had composting for several years across the road in a pile, and also some freshly mulched leaves when I do the leaves in the yard, so the fresh mulch will loosen the soil making it easier to till in the spring and in future years. Trying to find a balance between mulch and compost and the damned red clay has been an ongoing problem. I would be happy to just be able to easily till 5 or 6 inches deep without bouncing and struggling with the tiller. I want to get it tilled up so I can take some soil samples to the extension service for analysis. That way I will know what supplements are needed this fall. Then I can add whatever nutrients are needed, and be able to achieve proper ph in the spring when I plant.
Yep, once more I threaten to quit planting a garden, and yet once more I find myself looking ahead to what is needed for next years garden to thrive.
It got down low enough to have a pretty heavy frost last night, but today it is going to be in the mid 60's and temperatures will rise most of the week with nights in the mid 40's and daytime highs going up as high as 78 later in the week.
We have peppers coming out our ears with an abundance of vacuum sealed packages in the big freezer in the garage and a couple in the kitchen freezer. I need to just give it up and tear into cleaning the garden out for winter. Otherwise instead of being out there in the dark covering plants, I will be out there in a winter, gloves, a coat, and knitted wool cap, freezing by butt off while running the tiller through it.
I need to get an initial tilling done so that I can come back and cover the area with some composted leaves that I have had composting for several years across the road in a pile, and also some freshly mulched leaves when I do the leaves in the yard, so the fresh mulch will loosen the soil making it easier to till in the spring and in future years. Trying to find a balance between mulch and compost and the damned red clay has been an ongoing problem. I would be happy to just be able to easily till 5 or 6 inches deep without bouncing and struggling with the tiller. I want to get it tilled up so I can take some soil samples to the extension service for analysis. That way I will know what supplements are needed this fall. Then I can add whatever nutrients are needed, and be able to achieve proper ph in the spring when I plant.
Yep, once more I threaten to quit planting a garden, and yet once more I find myself looking ahead to what is needed for next years garden to thrive.
