Tuesday, October 28, 2008

Much Ado in the Garden - Autumn 2008

Without the urgency of spring's pace, I have always loved the mellower tone of autumn in the garden. So much of my to-do list can be done gradually - over the next two months. And that suits me just fine these days.

1. Clean out the container garden. Compost plants-past-their-prime.
2. Move a compost container to the back porch - so running out in the winter to a far away compost bin is eliminated. As is the stink fest that results from neglected compost piling up in the kitchen.
3. Shred leaves for the compost bin. For leaf mold.
4. For the *new* front yard - plant that saucer magnolia (for Willa!) and the hedge line of glossy abelia.
5. Put plastic mulch down over raised beds - to prep them for spring planting.
6. Harvest and dry rosemary, sage and oregano from the herb garden.
7. Clean out gardening supplies and post give-aways to local friends.
8. Start forced hyacinth bulbs.
9. Plant bulbs in front beds and more naturalizing daffodils along the wood's edge.
10. Revisit my winter reading: The Herb Quarterly, plant and seed catalogs galore, Second Nature, Rosemary Gladstar's Herbal Healing for Women.

*Bonus wish list item* - A cold frame. After asking me what I wanted for my birthday, I told Corey that I would really love a cold frame - so we could have greens all-winter-long. He paused, looked up and said, "How 'bout cash?" He is stretched thin these days. The cold frame can happen. Or not. There's always next year.

And, what is your favorite fall garden chore?

3 comments:

Les said...

It would be easier to tell you my least favorite, which I just finished tonight. That would be schlepping all of the houseplants back inside before the cold damages them (projected low is 40 tonight).

If I had to pick a fav it would be pulling up all of the rampant, overgrown, tired and spent summer annuals - and filling the void with fresh pine straw, enjoying the emptiness for a week or so before putting in pansies.

Libby said...

Oh, bringing in houseplants is my least favorite too! My basketed geraniums are so leggy, I'm thinking, "Where on EARTH am I going to put these?"

How do you dry your herbs? I'd like to try this with sage and thyme. Hoping my rosemary topiary makes it through the winter indoors (it did last year..)

Tracey said...

True that on the houseplant front, Les and Libby!

Les - The orderliness of your annual cleanup has me jealous. :)

Libby - I am going to post today about drying herbs!