10/31/11

Went to an annual Halloween party at a friends.  They do up their house and have games ready and we all bring great food and everyone put effort into their costumes this year.  I went as a shaman, crow woman thing, but I couldn't keep the mask on and drink wine, so guess what?

10/30/11

We did get a little rain and now here come the leaves! I love this time of year.  I just feel cozy all over.

10/28/11

It's official, I am ready for rain!

10/27/11

Last deliveries accomplished and what is left out there is ours.  I have some up and coming products that may provide some scant winter income, but not for a few weeks. Gophers have undermined the rows in the greenhouse that are so dry they are caving in.  Not exactly sure about my anti-gopher approach, but I am mounting a campaign.  Deer are passing through and eating the tips of all the raspberries.  They don't seem to really want the berries, but the canes and leaves instead. There are still some berries, but it is a challenge to pick a half a gallon and they are soft and want to fall apart. So they are good for jam if not straight munching. Still quite a few tomatoes ripening.  Hope to can a couple more batches of sauce this next week. Otherwise, it is time to pull plants and clean up, then let rest for the winter.

Diary 10/26/11

Cold start and freeze this morning.  Some basil froze, as well as a touch down on one area of tomatoes and peppers in the greenhouse.  Not supposed to be that cold again for a few days as clouds pass by.  No big change until the middle of next week, but better get my last garlic in and transplant leeks, choi, and lettuce before it does get rainy.  Apples should be sweetening and ready for boxing up for winter use. They need a couple frosts to give them their "sugar core".  We have quite a few Yellow Delicious and I think some Macintoshes.

Diary 10/24/11

Swans on the Deschutes near Cline Falls

Smith Rock, rock climber's mecca, notice silhouette of climber on top of notch straight ahead.

Back from Eastern Oregon, Redmond to be exact.  Enjoyed the company of friends, did a little hiking and sight seeing, and relaxed a bit.  A very nice break.

Diary 10/21/11

Working on cleaning my very dirty, dusty, and cobwebby house.  Got the windows downstairs done, well most of them.  Have organized the kid toy area and put book away to reduce the kid stuff until there are kids around.  Garden Girl has not been here weekly as before, so the equipment is being put away for the time being.  Kinda sad, but the grandkids are changing quickly and their needs along with their age.  Picked a few raspberries and two boxes of tomatoes today with only 3 bags going out. Feels good to be able to still pick a few things.  As the weather stays dry, I have a couple more pickings, but the minute that rain comes, it will all change.  I am ready.

Diary 10/20/11

The annual rye grass cover crop is growing up and filling in. It will be a beautiful green carpet soon.  I have a couple other areas to seed, but with no rain in sight, I am waiting for wet weather before planting; it has dried out so much.  It has been great weather, but not so good for hunters.  Elk have been elusive to say the least. Those deer that keep eating the strawberries better watch out!                                                                                                                                                

Diary 10/19/11

Ready for the cornucopia.

Diary10/18/11

I am torn between emotions.  On the one hand I am relieved to be closing up for the season.  I can work on some other projects and day to day stuff that has been waiting for months.  On the other hand it is sort of sad to pick the last of something or pull spent plants out that I hung out with all summer.  Meanwhile the weather has been mild, so there are raspberries, raspberries, raspberries, so it isn't over yet!

Diary 10/17/11

Town chores this AM and house cleaning this PM.  I have "misplaced" my glasses and have found nothing but dust trying to locate them, so I have armed myself with the vacuum on the search now.  Warm temps today and tomorrow will make for nice bags this last week.  I have tomatoes ripening and raspberries once again coming on strong.  Gophers are moving into the greenhouses.  I will try the gopher sound buzzer in there, but might have to take more dire steps towards thinning them down a bit.  Wish the cat would spend more time hunting there.  There has been a feral cat now and then, but not enough to control population.  Maybe winter will help. Meanwhile, they are eating beets and onions from the ground up.  The grapes are producing a superior crop and the warmth is making them so sweet.

Diary 10/16/11

Tatiana, ever-blooming heirloom rose, gives its last hurray to the year.

Diary 10/15/11

Seems like I am running into quite a few spiders of late.  For the most part, spiders are good for the garden.  I like to see them at work, just not exactly where I have to work, as well! The top spider is in the greenhouse and will continue to grow until it gets too cold. The bottom two have balls of eggs they are protecting.  The middle one would only open her legs for a second before grabbing that brown furry nest of eggs again.

Diary 10/14/11

Nice days with temperatures in the 70's.  Getting the last licks out of the tomatoes, peppers, and plums.  Tore out rotting cucumber plants that despite their terrible state provided a bucket of cucumbers for bags today.  Tilled a few more areas yesterday that I can cover crop today.  The areas planted last week have a green furry tinge as the seeds are beginning to sprout.  Again, perfect weather for it all.

Diary 10/12/11

The raspberries are laden.  Probably picked over 4 gallons today with more to pick tomorrow.  Warm days in the 70's will ripen a few more tomatoes and urge the new greens along.  Have a white fly problem I need to spray BT for tomorrow also before it gets totally out of hand.  Never had white fly until I brought home some plants from a nursery in Eugene.  Did not quarantine the plants as I know better than not to do.  Now, I have been fighting white flies on cole crops ever since. Have 9 bags on Friday and then only ten all next week.  Ahhhh, I exhale.

Diary 10/11/11

First color of autumn.  I love this time of year, not just the end of the hot and dry summer, but the way the world around me readies for winter's rest.  Last big CSA drop tomorrow and then I, too will change my activities.  Looking forward to a serious house cleaning, writing, and doing some reading.  It has been a long garden season even if it took awhile to get here. I had awesome helpers this year which brought down the stress level many notches.  I will fence an even smaller area for next year and farm that interior intensely.  It may be one of my last years of growing on such a large scale.

Pumpkin bouquets

Here are the results of this year's pumpkin bouquets.  Fun was had by all.  Good friends, good food, a bit of wine and a beautiful decoration to celebrate the season~ it's all good!

Diary 10/10/11

Columbus Day!  Weird since we now know lots of folks were already here, and Columbus didn't even make it, really.  Rain.  I made my way out between showers to pick Starking Delicious red plums which are going to fall off if they get much more moisture on them.  I also picked tomatoes to bring inside where they can finish ripening without splitting.  All the plants are tenuous now; they are on the brink of deterioration. Searching through the wet and slightly rotting cucumber leaves for a few remaining cucumbers, turning them up on top and away from the wet soil.  Have plenty of raspberries on the vines if they can hang on until after this rain stops and a clearer trend comes for the next few days.  16 bags on Wed. and 9 on Friday will be a challenge, but then I am only doing 10 bags next week, and the following week is the last.

Diary 10/9/11

Busy weekend with baby shower, 2nd birthday for Garden Girl and pumpkin carving. Two gallons of soft raspberries for our freezer and a trickle of tomatoes to can.  Slowing down and I love it.

Diary 10/7/11

One of the last Friday deliveries, Phew!  It is kinda sad, but at the same time exciting to think of all the plans I have for my time when I am not in the garden all day.  I have a bathroom to renovate, two rooms to paint, ideas for the upstairs.  Too bad I am not "handy" at all.  Most of the garden is harvested except those darn onions that don't have time to finish and these poor peaches that are still waiting to get ripe.  Not sure if they will have any flavor.  Suppose they will just fall off at some point, ripe or not.

Diary 10/6/11

Harvesting seems like it is taking twice as long to get half as much.  Ah well, luck it didn't freeze last night and grapes and berries like the cold.  9 bags tomorrow will be their next to last delivery.  Not sure what they will get at the end of next week, but I will fill that bag when we get there. A warm greenhouse is a good place to nap whether you are a dog or a bumblebee...

Diary 10/5/11

Wildflower luncheon today.  Our little group or retirees and a mean age of 74 probably gave were able to give the fire department chief a check for $3000.  That gives us some money to work on next year's show and nothing more.  Even with the economic difficulties and the size of our community, we still were able to add to the many items the local fire folks need. The high blood pressure chair at the grocery store came from funds we donated many years ago.  It is old school, and even if Chief had to renovate it a bit last spring, it works fine. A few bags of produce today, but it is slowing down.  I have figs.  Boy, do I have figs.  They are in the greenhouse, so I can pick them until they freeze. A few tomatoes still trying to ripen, but this cold weather may promote mold soon.  If I keep it very dry in the greenhouses, I can get a few weeks more of tomatoes before the moisture cracks them all.

Diary 10/4/11

Planted 2/3 of the tilled areas with annual rye grass seed to act as a cover crop adding nutrients to the soil when tilled in next Spring and holding the soil for next year against erosion, compaction, and weeds.  It was sort of in between today, still dripping from last nights rain, but drying out a little.  We picked 2 gallons of raspberries for jam.  They are tenuous, but can be used immediately or frozen to make into jam or ? later.  Figs are going crazy and will do so until it freezes.

Diary 10/3/11

There is alot of red around here.  No leaves on the trees have changed locally as of yet, but many red items coming from the garden.

Diary 10/2/11

Here comes the leading edge of the cold front that will bring us the first rain we have had in three months.  Although it took summer quite awhile to get here and autumn has just begun, it is so dry and dead around the edges here, I am ready for a change.  Harvested some more melons, winter squash, and onions.   Pulled drip lines out of areas that are ready to till.  Hope to get it planted on Tuesday. Made a bed for garlic, another planting project on the docket for the end of the week.

Diary 10/1/11

Random harvesting to clean up beds, move drip lines, and till for planting over-winter cover crop of annual rye grass. Picked 4 gallons of raspberries off the vines today ahead of tomorrow night's rain. Drying pears, plum fruit roll-ups, canning salsa, and freezing melon chunks.