Fall clean-up

Anyone care to start a pool about when I will get it finished?

Last year (well, still this year -- '02) I finished on April 14. April 15 I began my spring chores ;D

Worked outside all day today (with dashes inside to warm up) and got another bed *mostly* complete. 8 down, 15 to go!!!

I would say about March--we are supposed to have a mild winter in the midwest-after the first blast of cold that got all my flowers. I still have to cut stuff back, but then you know the birds need some cover. so.........

March 19. Just because that was the date that came to mind.

What do we win if we hit the right date?

Finished 3 more beds today!!!!! At this rate I will be done with autumn chores by February!!!! Keep praying we get NO MORE SNOW the rest of the winter.

What is the prize? How about a free box of goodies from my garden in the spring (mid-March)?

This message was edited Monday, Dec 16th 4:05 PM

I win I win I win!!!!!!!! Thank you lupinelover for the box of goodies. :)

Boo! Due to the heavy rain yesterday afternoon and strong winds today I lost the 1/2 bed I started yesterday morning. Got to start it all over another day. Boo! Hiss! Unlucky 13 still to go! (But I had a lot of fun cutting several hundred slugs in half yesterday morning *cackling evilly*

Okay, I've just decided I'm being lazy!! I wake up, get the family off and the next thing ALWAYS on my mind is the garden........sigh. I need the swift kick to get me outside. Yep,it's cold! Well, cold for me. Lol??? Days are starting mid 30's and in the high 40's by afternoon. We have had DAYS of rain, but today was nice and clear....I guess I didn't want to swish swish in the grass? YEP, I'm being lazy!! I know that once I get started out there, it will be a good 4 hours till I come in.........now to juuuuuuuuuuuuust get my boots on..........

Oh you sinister person you. You evil slug cutter you. Lupinelover, LOL I do that too but sometimes wonder if they can heal themselves or grow a new slug from the body part that was cut off. Then you have made two slugs. I gotta investigate that one of these days.
Your wind and rain put your yard cleaning back another day so I still win so far. LOL
Sue_WA cleaning up the yard is much more fun than being stuck in the house cleaning it and the public is happy with your efforts too. So rewarding. I wish we had it in the high 40's by the afternoon! Then I could get some yard work done. LOL I havn't even gotten out my Christmas decorations yet. Maybe by spring I will get that done?

Sue, I am like you: I really really hate cold weather, almost never go outside to work when it is below freezing, which is why it takes me so long to finish my fall chores. Even in the 40's I can only take 30-40 minutes of being cold before I come in to drink a big cup of hot tea or coffee, thaw my freezing hands, brrrr.

But all the plants still flowering outside make it more bearable -- maybe that is why I have ferreted out so many kinds?

Pond, cutting slugs in half kills them. Just look (if you can stand to) after you do it. In a minute or so they have turned into little puddles of slime. But I can only stand to cut the (relatively) small ones up. The medium to large ones get drenched in salt. Then a friendly family member removes the salt-encrusted corpse. Too gross for me. In the summer I fling them (still alive) into the middle of the street: if landing (plop) doesn't kill them, the heat from the asphalt fries them. If nothing else, cars driving over top of them finishes them off. But all the young 'uns I am finding now usually survive the fling, the heat is gone from the roads in our overcast fall and winter, and many fewer cars than in summer. Thoroughly evil slug-killer here (evil? towards slugs? nah!!! no such thing ;D

I have watched them continue on their slimy path with their head cocked off in a weird direction and havn't found very many slime puddles of body parts. The salt seems to not kill those here either unless it is a huge pile of salt they can just slime their way out of the salt. We don't have very many but I hate the holes they make in my plants anyway.

This thread turning into slug torture has reminded me of my childhood. My brother and I used to take great delight in frying ants with the magnifying glass and watching them writhe around or we would spend our money on firecrackers and blow up the antholes and watch the ants try to figure out what had happened. Now they have computer games of violence, then we had to design our own violence. LOL

Hmmm I wonder if there is an organization of people who try to prevent cruelty to slugs and ants?

PETA. I have gotten hate-mail from them.

Since slugs are canibalistic, when a slug is cut in half, it brings others to the scene of the crime and they eat it. Those you see sliming away halved, only try to get someplace to hide, as it hase not flashed through their heads yet that their backside was cut off, but know something is wrong. They also get eaten by the others.

This is the method I use to catch slugs in the summer: Cut one in three pieces and place each piece strategically so as to attract other slugs, which are in turn chopped up, and also placed in strategic points. A slug can 'smell' food from up to 35 feet away.

*slug-hunter General*

Wintermoor

When I lived in western Washington state slugs were a major problem. I declared war on them and went out slug hunting morning and evening, chopping them in two with a shovel. Their bodies attracted other slugs that also got the chop treatment. The first 2 or 3 days I chopped about 200 each session. By the end of a week it was down to about 50, and in 2 weeks I could hardly find a slug. These were the kind that are about 2 to 4 inches long. The smaller gray ones would be much more of a challenge with a shovel. When I find any here (little gray ones about an inch long) I squash them under my shoe, or put them in a plastic yogurt cup and put the lid on and leave it in the sun.

I know all about that hate mail from PETA. I have also poisened the red ant mounds in my yard since I am not able to legally buy firecrackers and my brother no longer lives with me to help me torture the ants. LOL

Pond, I found a really great way to kill the ant colonies without firecrackers (they are legal here but the colonies are close to the house).

Soak tiny pieces of cotton balls in 1% boric acid solution mixed with sugar. The ants take the balls to the nest, and within a couple of days the whole colony is dead :)

A higher concentrate of boric acid kills the ants before they get back to their nest with the "treats" ;D

Even the strict organics people approve of the above method. Best of all, I don't have to worry about getting chemicals into my body as I use a spray or other thing.

Thank you for that recipe. I will try it on these blasted sugar ants that frequent my kitchen counter looking for my sugar cannister and in my pantry looking for my syrup bottle if my DH leaves a drip on it. I get so I am cussing ants on a daily basis in the spring when my counter is covered with them and I have just killed hundreds an hour before. Now I only have to figure out how to mix a 1% solution. LOL I have gotten the big ants in the yard under control after three years of fighting them. This year there was no sign of them. The commercial mixes for sugar ants don't work on these tiny ones here.

Pond, if you can find a 5% boric acid, just dilute it down to 1%. I have crystals of 50% solution, so it is really easy. (my aunt is a bio-physicist, so it is easy to get almost any type of chemical I want: I just don't want many chemicals ;D Mostly an organic gardener.



Sunday afternoon the sky cleared, it went to almost 50, and the snow all melted again. I spent 2 hours outside. So nice *sigh* Got a bed finished, and discovered a groundcover still blooming under fallen leaves. Also got a pretty big area in back raked, now just wait for the leaves to dry to grind up (dry? it has rained almost non-stop since then). With this weather, I think it might be mid-March ...

mid-March, just in time to mail me my prize. LOL I will pray for snow for you. :) Lani

Gee, thanks Lani ;D 3-5" forecast for tomorrow, rain/sleet until then. Can I borrow some snowshoes? And a snow-blower? And someone to work it for me? Maybe a grand prize will be awarded for a volunteer to PREVENT the snow!

you CAN'T do that. You have to award the prize for the date of you getting your garden cleaned up. You gave your word and I have it in writing. LOL My snow blower is busy for the next few months (I hope, as we need the snow) and you CAN'T have my DH. LOL

We got a gorgeous sunny day today, mid-40s and all the snow melted!!!! I actually was able to go out and sneak in a few hours of winter gardening!!!!! Got another bed started, maybe I can finish it tomorrow? Here's hoping, anyway.

Our frost line is about 1" deep, so frozen ground very quickly thaws. Pond, you may be a month off *grin*

Thinking again, well, maybe a month in the wrong direction. I have barely started cleaning out my veggie gardens! They are still mostly full of dead plants from last year, lots of fallen leaves, pest eggs and larvae that must be exposed before the end of winter, etc. And next week (Jan 15) I will be starting preparation for spring planting! Aaarrgghhh! Don't know if I can get it done in time. Hurry, hurry hurry

ok then mid April. Now I have two votes in. End of March, end of February, third week in March, First week of April. Hmmmmm maybe I should just say when you are about done just send me your plants. LOL As a relatively new gardener I need all the help I can get!!!!! :~)

I got 3 more beds finished yesterday!!!!! It was a beautifully sunny day, mid 40's, some wind, but not bad in the protected back yard. So my veggie gardens are on-track for their March planting.

The only areas left are the very time-consuming ones -- the one under the honey locust tree is the one I dread most. Anyone up-to-date on their tetanus shots want to come and remove all the fallen thorns so I can get to the plants? Then the fruit bush garden (really challenging working in the gooseberry area) and the strip along the rear of the property.

Sounds like you need to put on a suit of armor and chain mail with welders gloves too and then you will still be removing stickers from your person. Good luck but don't go too fast as I (need) those plants. LOL

Pond, you win! I sent your box of goodies today :) March 24 I finished my fall chores!!!! Does March qualify as being fall?

But of course I had long before started my spring chores; got my veggie garden planted on St. Patrick's Day, even. Spent yesterday starting to uncover my roses!!!

Now I get to spend the next 3 months trying to recover from all the winter damage. Yep, lost a lot of stuff because I couldn't get the fall chores done in time. Lost about half my thyme lawn, lost my biggest lavender from the weight of the snow, lost my 3 new crape myrtle bushes, lost so many dear favored plants from the incredibly horrible winter. Oh well, just gives me room to try new things!

Must be a lovely box of goodies.

Adam.

Lupinelover-I think I lost my crape myrtle's too! I sure hope not, but they are not budding yet....and everything else is. My veggie garden is started too. I can't wait until the busy busy time of summer.

Yippeeee!!!!!! I won the prize. (Now I sure hope that it isn't a box of compost.) LOL I already have 12 yards of that stuff in my driveway that I need to get moved around the yard.

I am sooo sorry that you lost your crape myrtles and the other treasured plants. :( It is hard to figure out what to do with an area after you had it planned one way and that one doesn't work out. At least it is for me. I am one to make up my mind and stick to it in my garden LOL

This was fun. Now that fall cleaning is over with shall we try to figure out when spring will begin in your yard LL??? LOL

We still haven't finished our fall clean-up! :S

me either. sigh!

Sue, don't give up on your crape myrtles; even if they die to the ground, the roots usually survive and will put up new shoots in mid-spring. I know mine died because I found mouse-holes underneath, and all the roots were eaten. Sigh.

Adam, you have mail :)

Pond, spring already sprung in my garden. Got my veggie garden planted, including my early 'maters. My winter-blooming bulbs are mostly done blooming -- very short season this year because they didn't start until March 10 or so. My daffodils started blooming yesterday, hyacinths today!!! I adore the aroma of those. Hellebores started blooming last week, all kinds of wonderful blooms. Even my forsythia is in full bloom. Forsythia bronxii. My flowering quince should open tomorrow, and maybe my magnolia! I adore spring.

Wow, the only thing we have blooming is crocuses, and we're just a short bit north of you. Shows how microclimates can go!

I would be patient with the crape myrtles. In my observatons, they are the last to show their spring outfits off, specially if they had a trauma as yours did.

I had a minor miracle along the same lines this winter. I
usually always have a jasminum around, for scentimental reasons. During t he summer the plant/s will be outside untilt he first hard freeze warning comes out on TV.

Well, this past fall I was in Mexico and DH was at home but forgot about it. When I came home a week or two later, it and some other tenderlings appeared to be dry brown toast.

But I brought the jasmine in anyway, put it in a plastic dollar store dishpan, and kept it watered. I had it in the pantry with low natural daylight, but kinda forgot about it.

I check two weeks ago, and lo and behold, it has a new central leader branch about two feet tall! So it is still alive! Makes me so happy! and now it has some buds.

Hey Lupy,
It seems like our areas are at about the same level this spring. I have had hyacinths blooming for a few days in a raised bed under my bamboo. Most of my daffodils are blooming beautifully some are about done and my early tulips are gorgeous. The hellebores have been blooming for about two weeks now, the forsythia is about done around town and the magnolias that are blooming are the star magnolias which are my favorite anyway. Buds on the big magnolias will open in probably a week or two. Spring is great!
Lavanda, isn't it nice when you get unexpected treats like your jasmine making it to bloom again? I wish jasmine and gardenias would make it through winters as I would have a yard full of them.
Spring is so pretty and fragrant. sigh

I finally got outside and did some clean-up in the front beds yesterday. We were working in the basement, and when I carried an armful of trash to the dumpster, I again had a pang of guilt about how shabby the beds still looked. So...I took a break from the basement and did some cutting back of the plant material that had died-back over the winter. Boy, it sure felt good to get some of that done!

Best yet, we got the basement all done except for two piles: Trash and Goodwill. Once those are cleared out of the front of the garage, we'll be all ready for the contractor to start.

Howie said he'd work with me out in the yard this Saturday, so we ought to make some good headway, I hope!

Lavanda/Lupine - I snipped a couple of the crape myrtle branches yesterday and they appear to be green. I'm not experienced with them and I'm glad to know they are the last to bloom. I just wish they would put out a 'bud' or some life sign...lol!

Poditus-do the star magnolia blooms look sort of like witch hazel blooms? Costco has some magnolias that have those type of blooms. Hope that made sense?

Gardenwife- One day last week, I went outside to walk around the garden and pulled 1 weed. 2 hours later, I'm still pullin weeds! :-D

Here is a photo of Tulip 'Purple Prince' yesterday:

Sue, patience! I am rootin for your crapes. I used to thinkt hat willows were the most cautious about coming out in spring but Crape Myrtles are even more so, IMHO.

They all look dead here too. (but everytihng else is out or has bllomed and stopped already (daffs, crocus, flowering quince, etc. Bradford pears are almost all finished, and are leafing out. Redbuds are blooming but will be finished ina wink of the eye. Bluebonnets are just starting to show a little blue, so it is not TIME for the crapes to bud out yet. I promise.

Love, Lavvie Pooh

Sue, that is great they are green wood! They survived!!!! Mine never come to life until late April. Just look like a dead plant until then. Then... boom!

The reward comes in late summer and on into fall when it keeps blooming and blooming and blooming, way beyond when almost all woody plants have long since stopped.

Pond, you are head of me! My earliest daffodils just started a couple days ago; most are still in tight bud. I have had exactly one tulip bloom so far, and it was on Saturday. Poor thing opened on a cold day, so it had no admirers until today. Hyacinths are still mostly in bud, not bloom. This spring is a lot later than usual -- most years the early spring bulbs are done by now. Even the lilac hasn't shown purple yet; other years we have them in flower in early April.

Lavanda & Lupine-Thanks!! Makes me feel better to know these are just late bloomers. And will make note to self to remember this next spring! :-D

Sue_WA, the star magnolias look just like a loose white star. I have never seen a witch hazel bloom but from the pictures that I have seen of them the star magnolia looks like that only much larger (about 3 inches across)

Kimberley, I know how you feel about leaving things neglected and feeling bad. My back yard is like that right now. I haven't gotten out there to do anything yet and the hot summer sun is coming fast at which point I am done in the west yard so this week I am going to try to get out there and get it cleaned up and the weeds sprayed. No flower beds out there yet but the lilacs have grass and dried weeds galore in them.

Lupy, My almost gone tulips are sheltered by the house and heated by the concrete of a huge fireplace and the other stuff that is blooming is all in raised beds which tend to bloom earlier than in flat ground. The tulips that I bought last fall (in sealed packages) are blooming and they are NOT what I was supposed to be buying but they really are prettier, red with cream stripes.