As the nights began to become successively colder, and frosts began to fall, we all knew it was time to put our garden to bed for the year. We usually begin much earlier, but this year we have been unaccountably busy, and therefore have just finished the important task.
The first part of the procedure, was to empty the garden of all the remaining vegetables. God had blessed us exceedingly and our pepper crop was phenomenal.
We also had piles of Green tomatoes laying around forlornly, and we had great fun finding ways to use them. If you are very patient I might be able to get Faith to post some of our Green Tomato recipes;)
The cabbages quite surprised us this year. Despite all the cabbage moth's flying around, we got 12 solid heads of cabbages! They were of varying sizes I grant you, but up to this year, we had never gotten good cabbages at all.
Unfortunately our fall pea crop suffered from frost bite, and therefore we had to tear them out. But the Goats and my Duckies just loved them:)
There was one last thing that needed to be removed from the garden. That being Faith's cute baby fall lettuce. They were quite healthy, but because of the cold were not growing. So she tenderly transplanted them to our cold frame, where they now happily reside, much warmer, and hopefully growing faster.
Now that everything was out of the garden, the hard work began. Weeding and fixing the rows that our "dear chickens" had demolished.
It took a lot of hard work and time, but such was necessary for a good growing season next year.
After the rows were straight we then had to dump ashes, then manure and finally leaf mulch on the prepared beds.
Now our garden is finally finished and put to bed for good. Winter you may now arrive.
~Chs
