REALITY CHECK: It is October 28, and it is snowing. Please send drugs.
in a word: snow
October 28, 2008 at 2:37 pm
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margaret roach, head gardener
MAY GARDEN CHORES
| M | T | W | T | F | S | S |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ← Apr | ||||||
1May 1, 2012seeds and seed potatoesTUBERS AND SLIPS TIME: Are the white potatoes in the ground? They could have gone in in April, but if not, there’s still time. Don’t miss out! CONTINUE SOWING CARROTS, beets, radishes, salad greens, dill. Sow kale, chard. With salad, select heat-resistant varieties as they’ll bump into warmer weather at harvest time. A primer on when to start what seeds. | 2 | 3 | 4May 4, 2012deadhead faded spring bulbsDEADHEAD SPRING BULBS as blooms fade, but leave foliage intact to wither and ripen the bulbs naturally. I mow my daffodil drifts around July 4th, for example. Deadhead spring-flowering perennials unless they have showy seedheads, or you want to collect seed later (non-hybrids only). | 5 | 6 | |
7May 7, 2012a clean edge on bedsEDGE BEDS to make a clean line and define them. A clean edge makes a real difference, along with an inch and a half or two of good, fine- to medium-textured organic mulch. No baked-potato-sized chips, please, and no orange-dyed mulch. Here’s my point of view on mulch. | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12May 12, 2012beans, beans and more beansDIRECT-SOW BEANS mid-month and beyond (a short row every two weeks), and sow pole beans for a later crop. This year I’m trying to grow heirloom beans for drying, too. Wait till month’s end, when the weather is settled, to sow summer and winter squash, cucumbers, melons, or start indoors at the first of month and set out at end. My 20 top seed-starting FAQs. | 13May 13, 2012shop for stocky seedlingsWHEN SHOPPING FOR SEEDLINGS of tomatoes (or really anything), pick stocky young plants about 4 inches high and wide—bigger isn’t better. WITH FLOWER SEEDLINGS in 6-packs, don’t worry about “buying green,” as in you don’t need to buy annuals that are flowering madly in tiny cells. Younger, fresher plants are best. They will catch up. Shop for overall plant health and vigor, not number of blooms. |
| 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18May 18, 2012how’s the heap cooking?DON’T LET THE HEAP DRY out completely, or it will not “cook.” If it wasn’t turned to aerate earlier this season, do so now to hasten decomposition. Pre-shredding with your mower can also speed things along. Use finished, screened material to topdress beds. | 19 | 20May 20, 2012mow regularly, but don’t feed too muchIF LAWN GREENED UP well, no fertilizer is needed; I skip it (and spare myself the extra mowing, while helping the environment with less fuel wasted). If growth or greening was sluggish, consider applying an all-natural organic fertilizer in fall, when lawn grasses take best advantage of fertilizing to grow strong root systems. DON’T BAG OR RAKE clippings when you mow; let them lie on the lawn to return Nitrogen to the soil.
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21May 21, 2012fresh air for houseplantsHOUSEPLANTS can spend the summer outdoors starting late this month (or whenever frost danger is past or at least minimized). Set them in a sheltered location with filtered bright light (not direct sun). Pinch back and repot those that need it as you transition them, and begin regular feeding if you didn’t already in earlier spring. | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25May 25, 2012tomato time!HEAT-LOVERS LIKE tomatoes go out after frost danger is past, but many people make a ritual of it on Memorial Day weekend (technically a tad early here). Use these tomato tips and tricks for best results (or browse my whole archive of tomato topics). Eggplants and peppers can go out, too. Harden off vegetable seedlings before transplanting, bringing them in and out for a few days before setting free for good. | 26 | 27 |
| 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | |||
Get the Flash Player to see the slideshow.
Plant Your Vegetable Garden
- growing and storing a year of garlic
- growing, cooking & stashing asparagus: 12 don’ts
- vegetable-garden tuneup: make room for more
- tomato-growing faq’s
- growing under cover: tips from paul gallione
- celebrating, and storing, the humble potato
- cucumber-growing q&a, and the best pickles ever
- 9 things i needed to learn about sweet potatoes
- homegrown salad greens
- how to grow carrots, with dr. john navazio
- growing and storing a year of parsley
- when to start what: vegetable-seed calculators
What’s This About Woo-Woo?
The Confessional
Some stuff really gets A Way to Garden-ers going. Weigh in, or just lurk while everyone else shares about these hot buttons:
- Your First Time (Plant Lust)
- Why Do You Garden?
- Garden No-No’s (Complaint Dep’t.)
- Do You Like to Mow?
Quotes
…Gardening is akin to writing stories. No experience could have taught me more about
grief or flowers, about achieving survival by going, young fingers in the ground, the limit
of physical exhaustion.—Eudora Welty
perfect for giving
A Way to Garden’s Greatest Hits
Here it is: the top-50 stories of all time, based on what YOU clicked on most. Click on one of the posts below or click here to see the full list.
‘never stop wanting more plants, my garden mentor instilled in me 20-plus years ago, regularly reminding me of another gardener, past 90, who still lusts for every new thing he can get a cutting of. I promise not, until I myself am back in the soil.’
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snow in NJ for us. tons and tons of it, actually!
We too are under siege!
Stay warm.
Holy crap Batman! It’s October! That’s so not fair!
In other disgusted weather news, North Dallas had its first freeze last night, about three weeks before normal. I think we’re in for a doozy this year!
Welcome, Wendy. Glad I am not alone. Do visit again soon, once you are through shoveling. :)
And away we go…into the winter.
I’ll deliver them personally as I must stock up myself. One for you, one for me…
SNOW.Unbelievable.
Melinda, I’m in the burbs east of Dallas and no freeze there. I’m always amazed how temps can be so varied, but I think you are right about the doozy of a winter.
Well, it’s sunny & 80 in Buffalo!
Okay, it’s really not sunny, more like 45 and gray (just like me).
But at least it’s not snowing.
I’m psychically sending you the blue sky and 70 degree weather I’m currently enjoying in Northern California. I go back to Washington next week where I’m sure it will be grey and rainy.
We had 2 feet two weeks ago! melted since then, but it’s been in the 20s most nights since.
Snow here in W.Va. too. Not a lot, just some flurries. But it’s only October! Yipes!!! Farmers Almanac predicts a harsher winter for us – I believe it!
49 but sunny in Atlanta.
Snow ?? You mean the white stuff ??
None here yet South Eastern NH.
I think a nice Cabernet is in order!
Margaret…I photographed the snow coming down in New Jersey for my blog too. It jolted me into action. I finally winterized my outdoor shower and faucets.
Rosemary
http://contentinacottage.blogspot.com/2008/10/oh-no-first-snow-of-season.html
We had snow in Philly today, nothing stuck though. We’d had snow in Colorado by this time last year too.
Welcome, Ann, from sunny Atlanta. Good of you to stop in despite our unfavorable weather. Do come again soon, bringing that sunshine w/you.
Welcome also to John, who is pretending he doesn’t know from snow. Yes, the white stuff…ridiculous. It seems to have melted, with the temps now about 37. All eyes are on New Hampshire for various reasons these days, so keep us posted on weather and other happenings.
I just got off the phone with my son. He’s near Corning, NY on an archaeological project. Needless to say, they didn’t have to work all day outside!
He says the snow was really pretty, but didn’t amount to much.
Brrr….
Cameron
Only wind and rain here on Cape Cod but squirrels are busy, furry and fat.
Glad we’re not the only ones..!
Beautiful blog you’ve got here – thanks for sharing..:)
A little bit of snow in the end of October is not too unusual, but the wind is horrible! Makes it feel twice as cold, inside and out!
Poor you! I thought I saw a flake this afternoon but it was just my imagination.
I sure hope this snow will melt soon as I have yet to plant my bulbs. I have been known to plant them in December under a few inches of snow, so I am well within my time frame…
We’re still basking in the warmth of a 75 degree autumn here in the Sierra Foothills of California, but my husband and I did cut up some scrap wood for kindling this weekend knowing that by the 31st it could all change in a minute. Batten down the hatches and get out the garden catalogues…thanks for the tip about Benary’s Giant zinnias…they’re on my “to order” list!
Welcome, Mary C. I was about to make kindling, too, and rake the rest of the leaves, and…. It will melt, and I will get back to the usual order of late-October days. See you again soon.
Welcome also to India J. Glad to heave you here from distant shores. Do come again.
I might be in the minority, but I love the changing of the seasons. Enjoyed the short snow shower. I will miss the greenery but the landscape is so beautiful in a different way.
It was October 28th, and it was STILL 95 degrees. Please send drugs. I’m going to go sit in the air conditioning, now.
So much for global warming, eh? :)
Wow, that looks like our normal Halloween weather but I’m planting bulbs today and admiring the beautiful chinkapin oak the city planted on our median strip yesterday. By the way it’s gonna be 80 here (Fort Collins, CO) today!
:o)
At last I am writing in on the advice of my dear garden friend Terri Clark- She has extolled the excellent information on your site and now I have to agree having read through some of your entries.
Though I garden on the West Coast in Vancouver we gardeners are all linked by a special Karma across the continent.
Congratulations on your blog’s success. I look forward to many more “good reads” and to hopefully visiting your garden, Margaret, when I visit Terri in Falls Village next year.
wow, that’s an amazing capture. I can’t believe how many areas are being hit with snow already.
Welcome, Tom, to A Way to Garden. I know from your book “Shocking Beauty” (and also from your other one, “The Jewel Box Garden”) that you have a way to garden of your own, with a high color tolerance (you make my mild raucousness look positively sissy!) and great plantsmanship combined. Your garden is a favorite of many close friends, and I hope someday we will visit each other in person, not just via our common acquaintances. I am very honored to have your sweet words here. Do stop by again soon.
It was very cold here for two days. (I broke out the wool socks.) Now, it’s warm, but no snow, thank God.~~Dee
We got to freezing once earlier this week. I took all of my herbs and potted plants into the garage and picked all of my green tomatoes. It hasn’t gotten that cool again yet, and it’s 70+ degrees during the day. That’s why we say, “If you don’t love the weather in Oklahoma, wait a minute.”
It was supposed to shower (partly) in Santa Cruz yesterday. Instead: full-blown pelting rain, and even some thunder. (Where was I?)
All of a sudden, someone changed channels and the summer is gone, gone, gone. But we need the rain so badly—I cannot complain.
I’ll go to the garden one more time and pull of whatever remains on the tomato and pepper plants. I feel a little melancholy.
We’re on the same jet stream and there is some beautiful weather headed your way Margaret. It’s 68 degrees here in Wisconsin today with more of the same for the rest of the week – all of it pushing toward you!
I just finished soaking the raspberries, the asparagus and the shallot and garlic beds. Tomorrow the shade garden!
Welcome, Marty, and thanks for sending the gift our way. Feels like sunshine ahead…was very cold this morning, with some very cold overnights forecast coming up, but also some SUN. Did you plant shallots now from bulbs?
Yes, I planted the shallots from bulbs – a little too early I fear – they keep trying to push up green through the straw mulch. Will they do as garlic does and still prosper?
Ooh, ooh… can you send some of those cold degrees our way out here in CA? Its late October and hasn’t chilled down at all.
and re: drugs… would a good book count? I suggest either A Blessing of Toads by Sharon Lovejoy, or the Temeraire series by Novick…
stay warm! Anne