Fall Yard Chores

This morning I planned to continue preparing the house for our first holiday. I started last weekend moving furniture, washing wood moldings, and mopping and waxing the floor before I put down a rug in the living room. Cleaning always make the house smell so fresh and clean. Starting now will relieve me of the small tedious house chore that probably everyone having family over for Thanksgiving dinner does. I broke my rule though. I went into the yard first and didn't come in till 7 hours later. You know no house cleaning will be done now as I've had a long, hot soak in a bubble bath and now I'm blogging.  It was a beautiful day to be in the yard and no problems with mosquitoes or other insects.

Planting perennials and pansies, pull annuals, plant the rest of the veggies and putting a frost cover over them, and some raking were on my list. The excitement ended after going to look at the sweet potato bin. The squirrel had been there leaving the end of a sweet potato. Possibly the only one although several large holes are in the soil. What was left, no sweet potatoes only two small wanna be's and the end of a sweet potato. Is that a word? Well a new season is approaching and of course I'll try again. Only this time, I'll put them in the soil when I get them not months later and expect full sized potatoes. I didn't completely turn over the soil but the turning I did only resulted in lots of tulip bulbs. I'll look again tomorrow. 

Not only was there digging in the bin but there was another rampage of the seedlings in my containers. I hope to end that today with some frost cloth and tight tucked in edges. You know squirrels can eat through this but I'll give it a try. I'd like to see their faces when they return for a visit. Can't wait till morning to peak and see. The cloth makes me think of what I could use as a cold frame as I'd love to have some cool season crops till spring and pick off them during the winter. Collard greens would be my choice, something I've never tried. Well let me get started.

Yes the plant died. Maybe the root is alive? I'll plant the pink Japanese anemone and culvurs root today. That's not the name of the plant I think but I have the tag in the yard. The dead topped one was penstemon. Oh well. I'm glad it was on the end of year clearance rack. It was alive when I bought it.

Pansy abuse.

Seeds, seeds, seeds.

What would a squirrel do with a strawberry plant?

Cabbages are surviving. Whether They'll be one head has yet to be seen.

Some people have deer. I guess I'm lucky since squirrels don't eat everything.

Broccoli is growing.

Sweet potato vines and weeds.

Another 3 months and maybe I'd of had 2 sweet potatoes. Sorry for the blurry picture.

A mum from my mom's spring container. I bought it to my house when I changed the plants for summer. It's really doing well. Maybe if I save all the mums I buy in the fall I eventually won't have to buy anymore.

Adding some support for another shelf for more containers.

My homemade PVC support for my frost cloth. I figured if the broccoli gets big like it does in the spring, it'll need room to grow. I need some more PVC for the sides. 

The last of the lettuce in a self watering container. Hopefully it won't keep the soil too wet.

I wonder if the strawberries will make it till spring?

Cabbage. It'll be awful if it grows no larger.

The last six broccoli seedlings planted.

The romaine lettuce already planted is growing. Maybe we'll have some for our salad on Thanksgiving.

Frost blanket or should I say for the critters.

All those sweet potato vines for what?

That's the end of the eaten sweet potato. It might have been a good size.

Elephant ear pulled from ground. It may not make it till next year. It's half the size and looks eaten on the bottom. I've never seen voles in the yard but what could eat it? There was one root. Last year it was huge and covered in roots and had a new bulb attached.

I bought these mums in Georgia in 2014. They're actually done well in the shade. Not as large as ones grown in sun I'm sure.

Fall has arrived to a neighbor's yard.

Tell her it's almost winter.

It's still trying to add leaves. I'll wait till the frost kills it then remove the bulb.

Time for the impatiens to go. They did well this season. Much better than the eaten coleus. I will deal with the snails and slugs in the spring.

Three moon been hosta and 1 other hosta planted. They should love the moisturer in the container.

Seed head of coneflower. I'm going to scatter them on the soil when I finally finish with this bed, adding some fresh soil, compost, and fertilizer.

Bleeding heart still living although it never re blooms after spring. Next year maybe fertilizing it will help.

Concerned that my arborvitae have disease. The one out front is like this too as well as some I've seen in the neighborhood. I read about a virus going around that's attacking them. I'll have to find that article. Would hate to have to replace them.

Lets see if the asters survive the winter. I would love to be able to plant these in the ground. Try digging where there's space. Tree roots, tree roots. The bulbs and any small plant can go in but not anything that needs a deep hole.

I'm going to top off the lirope this fall and see if it performs better.

The rose bush will start again in spring after it's hair cut. I'll save bulb planting for another day.