We finally got our first killing frost and I need to add that it made me very happy!!!!! Now I can get after the over due cleanup and once that is out of the way I can start planning the backyard makeover the first step will be a really good before pic , I plan to print it at 8x10 and pin it up over my puter ..That should help me with my Helter/Skelter approach to planning...Wish me luck
Frost
I wish you luck Grits, we are about to get the freeze here, but I am trying to keep a lot of plants alive, so wish me luck too.
Jo I think we need the winter die off as much to recharge our batteries(energy) as to let mother nature correct our mistakes
Well, these are plants that I keep potted for the different gardens I take care of and for the native plant society sale in spring to raise money for the chapter, so it is important for me to keep them alive.
I have many plants potted in gallons which I keep under tarps during freezes, and the little ones I keep in the garage, then i take them out when the weather gets better, it is a real pain, but I am committed to helping as much as I can.
Frostweed, I use to grow for my garden club plant sale, and I finally broke down and fixed a hoop cover for rows. The size of the hoop was based on the sizes of the plants. I used pvc pipe then covered with a frost cover. The pvc supports stayed up year round and the frost cover was taken in during summer as that was too expensive to let lie around during the summer...LOL
But this same thing could be done with tarps to cover if cost for a frost cover is too much, which for me now it would be if I was still living up north, but then again, if I had a job it wouldn't be a problem....
On one of my travels up north and found a large metal supports for a larger greenhouse, and swung by and pick it up for free. The guy was closing down an old greenhouse business, and he just wanted it gone. I put it in the back of the pick up and drove a slower route home from NY to where we use to live in Northern OH. The slower route was great as DH let me pull off at every roadside garden place. It was folks who love plants who then have too many so they start selling the extras that then turn into a business for them....
Jan
Thank your for you report Jan, I have resisted building a greenhouse because the clear space in my back yard, is not very big and i don't want my view messed up with a building in the way.
Jo I use something that might be a help for you ..I have a small area that is inclsed by a short picket style fence it is located along the south side of my house in the fall I put my potted plants in the enclosure and cover with mulch will send you a pic of it as soon as it warms up just a tiny
as far as the mulch goes I use whatever I can get I include the cat just for scale
That looks like it could work, but I have three areas about 10 by 20 feet each, and another 10 by 10.
So I don't know how it would work out.
Also some of the plants are not totally dormant so being totally buried might not be good.
Jo I mostly put my tuber type plants there my achemenes ( i have that spelled 2 way in two different books )and my shamrocks.The little roof thing is for the cat
Well, I guess we will just have to do whatever we can and complain about it to make us feel better.
I had to bring in a ton of plants also. So many that I had to go out and buy shelving for them! Well I put a lot of new cuttings on them also so maybe I exaggerate.. Lol! Anyway, the frost a few weeks ago was pretty boring in comparison to this weekend's. Look what I woke up to, a winter wonderland!
That looks like heavy ice, ours hasn't been that heavy, till I am stuck indoors and it is driving me nuts!!
Haha yes I've gotten used to being out and playing in the dirt, so the cold weather this week has made things very uneventful! It has given me time to update my tradelist though, and I got a packet of seeds from a trader in the Netherlands today! Yay can't wait to sort it all out :)
Anyone start seeds indoors early? I need something to do before WSing begins. As if I have the room..