Goodnight Garden

GOODNIGHT GARDEN
The garden has been tucked away for Winter in it's beds,
straw as a blanket and with compost, it's been fed.

Garlic and asparagus sound asleep underground
and tools wait patient while cold silence resounds.

Wrapped and snuggled for the long winters night
the Hydrangeas hibernate, impatient for Spring light.


Ok, that's enough of that terrible nonsense! In reality we have been working hard to get everything prepared for Winter. I got my garlic in the ground just in time. The soil was just a little icy from the frost but warm enough to dig around in.
With those in the ground, we were able to add compost and straw on top. I didn't bother mixing the compost in, because the nutrients will naturally trickle down with the rain and melting snow. The 6-8" of straw prevents snow from compacting the soil, and helps keep an even temperature for the garlic and asparagus underground. (Too many freeze-thaw cycles can heave the plants toward the surface.)

While I was back there, I tried my best at a quick organization for the shed. I didn't have time to clean all the tools or oil them like I should, but sometimes there is only so much you can do. We need to fit our bikes in there for the winter so that there is room for a new snowblower in the garage!

We also wrapped the hydrangeas in burlap and filled them with leaves and straw. We didn't get many blooms last summer because the previous winter was so bitterly cold. (I'm just glad the plants themselves survived.) So in a test to see if we get more blooms next year, we have wrapped and insulated them. I have seen this done on a smaller scale with normal sized hydrangeas, but ours are giant so we will have to see how well it works.



Eva had to stay inside after she was naughty and ran after a neighbor!




The other project I just finished up was fences for the raised beds. I had started these fences in Spring, and it has taken FOREVER to finish them. I would do a whole post on them, but honestly I am kind of sick of them right now. They have been the elephant in the garage for over 6 months. Uh!
Here is where I got the inspiration from, but I replaced the wooden dowels with more PVC.









I finished them off just in time to get them out of the garage and into the shed for the Winter. At least they are out of view and off my "To Do" list!

On top of all this, Eva celebrated her 2nd birthday! She's not a big fan of wearing things on her head, so she found a different way to wear the tiara. Just look at that pose!