I was lucky that Monday was an unseasonably warm day. It allowed me to do my cleanup without my hands getting frozen. I was also lucky it hadn't snowed yet as you just never know here in November. The only bits left there are a big clump of Italian parsley, some lavender and thyme.
What a glorious vegetable patch it was this year though. All of the heat and sunshine gave us more and bigger tomatoes than we have ever had. Everything was a little larger than our past crops by the end of season--beets, turnips, carrots. My only regrets? That we didn't realize the cucumbers were there until it was too late. The vines had snaked up through the shrub behind the bed and by the time the cucumbers were visible, they were beyond eating. Also, I meant to resow mâche seeds in August so we could have fresh autumn salads from the garden. Maybe next year.
I don't do a full cleanup in the rest of the garden. I empty fragile flower pots that won't winter well, trim long rose stems that will get whipped around by cold winds and remove certain things from the flower beds like peony stems and leaves. But, all in all, I leave a lot of the brown and wilted perennials until the spring so that the birds can perch on stems and snack on seed heads through the winter. As for me? Now I start to dream of my spring garden.
 |
| The square-foot garden just after it was planted in May. |
And here I am bracing for a summer that will be a scorcher!
ReplyDeleteThe garden waits for no one, miss something for a little while and it's too late. I bet you won't forget your cucumbers next year!
I have planted lots of chillis in readyness for summer stirfries - the latest is Black Pearl, and it promises to be an inferno in your mouth!
Are you counting down the days until spring already?
I love our topsy-turvy world. :) It's true. Any regrets left over from this season will be soon forgotten with the excitement of the next.
DeleteI love hot chillies too! I grew mini hot peppers this year--fuego del infierno. They looked like little red beans and packed a punch. I always try new tomatoes and peppers each year.
I'm definitely counting the days garden-wise but I am also looking forward to snowflakes and crunchy walks in the winter forest with Meeko. :)
I still need to do my clean-up. procrastinating, procrastinating...
ReplyDelete...until the snows falls and then, oh well, it's too late. I've done that too. :)
DeleteDear Kathleen, stumbled upon your lovely blog...your art is beautiful and inspiring. I too love gardening. Been doing some cleanup as well...November chores. Thanks for letting me visit. Took time to look over your studio...so nice and welcoming. Have a great week. God Bless!
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed seeing your blog too and knowing that we share a leaf obsession! :)
DeleteHad a tidy up in the garden a little, AND planted some winter flowering pansies and those little pink pom pom daisy flowers (bella ?)forgot the name, but, the darned little black slugs have been at em, ggrrrr, I've been out with my torch at night to get em. :)Put some new spring bulbs in too, always love them!! Have fun planning for next year,such lovely promise it is.
ReplyDeleteI haven't planted any new bulbs although I had big plans in the spring when I was noticing gaps. Not too late though--the ground isn't frozen yet. We'll see. :)
Delete