Grande For the Garden

While I try to find a time to make a video on 'breaking new garden ground, the easy way' - I need a time when I'm functional, the wind isn't blowing too hard, and the spawn is available for FlipCam work - I've been changing the garden from summer to winter state.

Tomatoes have been retired, and a kicking green tomato salsa made. I still need to disinfect all tomato related acoutrements (stakes, string) to reduce risk of late blight next year.

Basil has been retired, pesto frozen in cubes, and 2 final quarts of leaves are in the dehydrator even as I type.

Garlic has been planted, early for once.

And I'm working on adding mulch and such to my beds. Much of the mulch is the 'regular' compost from the compost heap. But I'm kicking up the mulch (and the compost heap) this year with caffeine. That is, I'm adding used coffee grounds as fast as I can.

Now, we don't drink huge amounts of coffee here. Only about 6 cups a day. So I have to turn to an outside source for used coffee grounds. Obviously, that means Starbucks. They are happy to give away their used grounds, by the bag full. Well, the one nearest me wants me to bring in my own bucket, but they aren't the busiest Starbucks. The one in town center just hands us bags of them. I'm having the Spawn go there nearly every day as he drives home from college. He also passes a few others on his way home from school, but I figure one bag a day is enough for me to handle. I don't want them piling up during rainy periods or anything.

So far I've added a bit to the compost heap (in the newest cut grass, destined for use next spring), worked it into the bed the garlic is in, top dressed the turnips, and spread it over the bed I'm putting cabbage in (I'm late in planting that) and put some in the bed I'll be using for the cold frame. I'll need to dig them into the last two beds really soon so I can get planting under way. Then I'll add them to the flower beds/blueberries/roses in front, the old potato bed, the pepper beds, and Gods willing and if the creek don't rise, lots more in the compost heap. All that before winter sets in.

That's actually more than I'll probably end up doing, but I like to plan grande .... uh .... grand projects.


Frondly, Fern