Six on Saturday-Nov. 4

Frost has come a few times to central Indiana, sometimes light, sometimes heavy but often enough that the annuals have all turned brown.  I’d love to report that I’ve trimmed all the death and destruction from the gardens and moved it to the compost pile, planted all the bulbs, dug and stored the dahlias, etc. but I’ve been dealing with back problems so ugliness reigns and the job list remains untouched.  I’m crossing my fingers that I can get it done before the ground freezes.  Fortunately, while I’ve been prone things still change.

  My sweet D made this lovely rack for my various allium braids.  I’d moved a few braids of shallots and onions before my back went out, but there are still lots of garlic, shallot, and onion braids to come in to finish filling the rack.  Last year I moved the braids from my unheated Lady Shed into baskets in our unheated, but never freezes garage.  However, several shallots rotted, due to lack of air circulation I suspect.  This rack should fix that, and it makes it easy to check for rot and super easy to “shop” for the items I need.

  Also before my back, I began making a polytunnel, but I didn’t get it finished.  I’m beginning to doubt that I will harvest any brussel sprouts or the spinach from this bed, but maybe……Same goes for these tiny, tiny turnips   which also need a polytunnel if they are going to have a chance to grow in our Zone 5, fast-approaching winter.  Not sure what went wrong, because I planted them as usual in August, but they just didn’t take off.  These carrots   could/should be dug, but at least there will be a harvest, which is doubtful for the neighboring broccoli.  Notice the signs of our recent freeze on the dis-colored broccoli leaves.  Not holding my breath.  And, I hope I can bend over to harvest these lettuces, or cover them before our next cold snap comes the first of the week.    The good news is that the garlic was planted on time  and has emerged.  I’d like to get a layer of mulch over it yet this fall, but if it doesn’t happen there will still be a crop.  While I recover, I’m making notes in my garden journal to plant some of these fall crops earlier, and trying to gradually process the baskets of peppers, tomatoes, and beets that I harvested before the first frost came.  Hopefully by next Saturday, the polytunnels will be in place….if it doesn’t hard freeze before I can do it!