It is About That Time

Sadly, I'm realizing it is about that time.  

Time to put my garden to bed.  Time to write down what worked and what didn't.  Time to clean pots and bird baths and tools.  Time to spray paint the tattered pots or chipped baths and place in the shed for bed.

I have enjoyed this year's additions:

Egg Plant

Celery

Okra

Sweet Potato

I planted the egg plant on a new berm.  It was tucked on top next to a pumpkin and some squash.  The one plant was extremely prolific!  The leaves decompose quickly and will add to the soil structure of the new berm.

The celery surprised me.  In fact, after it took off, I was not sure what to do with all of it.  Some freezing but mostly I've cooked with it.  Next year, I will be more prepared with ideas.

Okra, I planted from seeds along the edges of my big bed and they were voracious.  Not at all sure how to cook okra, but have a bucket in the fridge of them ready to cook.

My sweet potato loves where it is.  I planted it late along the edge of a berm.  The vines have mixed with other annual plants and it is a beautiful combination.

I left the big raised bed piled high and utilized a layered approach.  Cucumbers and zucchini on top; tomatoes and peppers in the middle ring and carrots, okra, celery and even peas on the bottom layer.

This year, I blended most of the produce to freeze and use.  Tomatoes and peppers are blended together to make chili and soups this winter.  Zucchini.  Peppers. Celery and pepper mash frozen in ice cube trays and stored in baggies.

My big blue stem seeded and is growing strong creating a beautiful hide-a-way for summer retreats!

Putting beds to sleep.  

My large bed is pulled, piled and covered with grass clippings, straw and leaves.  I've been watering generously, to encourage decomposing before the winter freeze. 

  

I dig a hole in the middle, and add scraps from the kitchen, cover with soil and water for a composting soup!

Having the soil settled in for the worms, bugs and organisms to create their amazing webs over the winter, is my main objective.  

As fall continues, I gather organic material,  leaves, straw and clippings-adding layers as I go.

I don't want to not disturb or disrupt the soil, until I transplant babies into the soil in the spring.