Getting Ready for Frost - October 3, 2024 @goldenoakfarm

Blue heron in front pasture crop Oct 2024.jpg

On Thursday morning I wasn’t moving too fast after the late evening work on Wednesday. I got the kitchen cleaned up and that was as far as I got. I sat and read a book until my helper friend arrived at noon.

On our way over to get the mulch hay, we saw the blue heron hunting in the front pasture. Not the best photo, my helper friend got it on his phone. The contractor had said he saw it in the middle pasture Wednesday afternoon. We’ve not seen it all summer as the pastures were too high for hunting.

Truck load of mulch crop Oct 2024.jpg

We got the mulch hay and I left it sort of by the Small garden.

Little trees II - grape trellis done collage crop Oct 2024.jpg

Then my helper friend and I started filling in the deadman holes for the grape trellis. Once that was done, we dumped the wood chip mulch we had saved but it wasn’t enough. So we brought up 8 more totes of chips with the car. Then we tightened the turnbuckles and cleaned up the mess.

I had 3 or 4 sleds of dirt that I stored behind the woodshed for filling in holes and low places in the flowerbeds. We loaded the car up and took almost everything to the barn and put it away. We forgot a couple things, I’ll have to do them later.

So the trellis project is done, 18 months later.

New Herb - Row 2, hoophouse down crop Oct 2024.jpg

I was too tired to tackle the Small garden, so I decided to take down the hoophouse and move the ginger inside under lights.

Gingers come inside crop Oct 2024.jpg

I planted bare roots in June and these 2 sprouted and grew this much in 3½ months.

Ginger under lights crop Oct 2024.jpg

We went to the cellar and collected all the equipment to set them up under lights in the spare bedroom.

New Herb - Row 3, rosemary crop Oct 2024.jpg

It was only 3:15PM and we still had nearly 2 hours to go. I’d checked out the rosemary when we took the hoophouse down. There was one very nice large one.

Rosemary inside crop Oct 2024.jpg

So I found one more very large pot and we dug it up and brought it inside for the winter. We’ll see how long it takes to kill it…

It was about 3:45PM and I was exhausted. So I sent my helper on errands and sat down to read. He left about 5PM.

On Friday he will be back at 8AM and I’m planning to go out to the Small garden and start cleaning it out. I have to call about the help for windows at 8AM. If they still haven’t sent the referral, I’ll have to go to the office and raise Cain at 9AM. My neighbor said she’d bring me.

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Can those pots actually hold a plant for long?

I've got plants that have been in their pots since 1974, but never rosemary. I kill rosemary after 3 years tops.

What magic did you do to those bare roots that made them grow so well?

Put them in good soil and kept them watered.

We also have Heron here, after a few days more will come from other countries. Very well, will the potted plant get enough energy when it grows up?

All potted plants are fed a special mix once a month, if I can remember.

Finally, everything that is needed is getting in shape

I love the posture of the blue heron. Do you get many visits?

It had typically hunted in the pastures all summer, when we had cows. But this year the pastures didn't get mowed, so it couldn't hunt until they were.

I haven't been active on Hive for some time, so have lost track of your fall progress. Have you had a frost yet? We had one on Sept. 22, and another on Oct. 2. I only planted a few zucchini this year, and they are dead and done.

No frost yet. Our local weatherman says perhaps next week. Climate change has really messed up last frost around here. It used to be the 3rd week of September.

I love the way that potted plant is kept by the window and how it has really beautified the place. Good job.☑️

Getting ready for another season, I can see you loading up on the mulch hay.