In an effort to sort things out, as my brain seems to be on overload these days, I decided I needed to get out of the studio. Well not completely, managed to load a bisque kiln and have it going up by 9 a.m. Mop up the studio and walk the garden deciding what needed yanked first. Last year I let things go to over winter........ big mistake! With the mild winter I had more bad bugs than I have ever seen and they seemed to like everything I planted. Flea beetles were crazy this year! This fall everything is gone! Off to the compost pile, soil turned and compost added.
Pulled up the miles of soaker hose and pins, now safely put away with the other garden hoses. All the straw and paper mulch (which saved the garden in the heat this year) was dumped in the way back next to the compost. Today I will go over it with the mulching mower, chopping fine then tossing it in the pile to be magically changed to dirt by microbes and time. Chopping really speeds things up and one never has enough compost!
The past two days have been down right balmy. All that fresh amended dirt, I tossed radish and lettuce seeds in. It's really late but thought if I can get them to germinate a lovely poly tunnel will go over the top. My winter experiment to see if we can have fresh salads this winter.
Dug this garden out by the light of the moon.... Nasturisums are finally looking perky.
Compost pile is getting smaller........ Since the chickens have arrived this stuff is nuclear! I made a sifter that fits over my wheel barrow. Sifting every couple shovels full the wheel barrow fills fast.
Half of the tomatoes that are not going to ripen ...... green tomato relish for some, others will be wrapped in newspaper and tucked away in a straw bed to ripen slowly. Hoping to eat the last tomato for Christmas dinner.
Finally sitting down at the end of the day, I look down and realize it's been a good day. This is a good tired. A dog by my feet, dirty jeans with mud and clay, my belly full of tomato sandwiches on homemade bread. The cranky's of yesterday are gone and high garden satisfaction has set in. Too much time in the studio makes me go off the rails. Too much anything makes me go off the rails.
Once again........ balance.
And the geese are flying!
We are on the Mississippi Flyway, the sky is like Grand Central station at rush hour this time of the year. I leave the windows open at night as they say good bye...... safe travels I breath out as I fall asleep....... yup, been a good day.
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