Master square foot gardening.

Putting the Garden to Bed

Right now is the perfect time to amend your soil and set yourself up for success come spring. I cleared out the beds, left the old feeder roots right where they were, and layered in a thick blanket of shredded leaves. Then I covered the leaves back up with soil.

Leaves are one of the best amendments you can give your soil, and they're free. As they break down, they feed the worms and microbes, hold moisture, and loosen the soil up. And while the bed is open, take the time to aerate it too — run a fork through and loosen things up so air, water, and roots can move freely. That air is what lets everything break down and keeps the soil alive through the winter.

Over the winter, the leaves and roots break down and feed the soil, so when spring comes the bed is rich and ready to plant. The work you do now is what makes next year's garden.

A Wall of Tomatoes!

This is what it looks like when you get too busy at your job and haven't had the time to pinch suckers back. It's a tomato jungle. There's a lot to tomatoes but it's a mess! I would have gotten more if I had kept up with removing the suckers. Lesson learned.

A few more days and temps at night go into the 40's, which change the taste of tomatoes. Time to harvest what's out there, put them on a cookie sheet and then freeze them. In the morning they will be frozen. Pack them up in a ziplock bag and you've got tomatoes to use all winter long. And when you use them in sauces, they taste as good as just off the vine in summer.

A different gardening year

First post on my brand new website. And it just happens to fall during the end of gardening season! It's been a different gardening year for me. A new job has taken me away from my typical time in the garden, but that will change next year. A very long and hot summer stalled all my tomato plants. But the weather has now cooled and I've got so many! Almost time to get the garden ready for winter. This will be the first winter in 15 years when I wont garden during that time. The reason? To give my garden a rest. To open it up to the air, snow, cold weather, etc. Keeping your garden covered all winter does keep certain pests and bugs around. So, it will be a rest period until about mid-February.

I'm posting a picture of these great tasting and looking tomatoes from MIGardener. Heirloom with unbelievalbe taste. Coming on strong now.

Growing from seed

Seasonal field notes on starting well, watching closely, and giving young plants what they need.

The honest harvest

What the garden gave, what it held back, and what the season taught along the way.

Useful plants, close at hand

Simple observations on herbs, everyday growing, and making a small patch work harder.