That's colder than it was here!

I love your butterflies! I have a few here & there, along with the cabbage moths of course. It’s also nice to see that things are getting back to somewhat normal for you, whatever that means. Do you have power back yet?

It’s indoor gardening season here too. Both gardens are cleaned out and put to bed. I’ll cover my garlic as soon as I have enough fallen leaves. It’s supposed to reach 77 tomorrow! Then back to fall, of course.

And I’ll be retired this time next week! If anyone hears a primal scream of pure joy coming from northeast Wisconsin this time next week, that’ll be me! It can’t come fast enough!

With all the work that you have to do there, it's nice to see that you can take pause to enjoy the butterflies.

JayneR13 wrote: ↑Sat Oct 19, 2024 3:49 pm I love your butterflies! I have a few here & there, along with the cabbage moths of course. It’s also nice to see that things are getting back to somewhat normal for you, whatever that means. Do you have power back yet?

And I’ll be retired this time next week! If anyone hears a primal scream of pure joy coming from northeast Wisconsin this time next week, that’ll be me! It can’t come fast enough!

YES! We got power back on Monday, Day 17. Oh happy day!

And congratulations in advance for the approaching retirement day. I remember the big smile I had when I got up the first day of retirement and thought about not having to do anything that day except what I wanted to do.

GoDawgs wrote: ↑Sun Oct 20, 2024 6:32 am And congratulations in advance for the approaching retirement day. I remember the big smile I had when I got up the first day of retirement and thought about not having to do anything that day except what I wanted to do.

Yup! That seven weeks off before this last big job really spoiled me in anticipation. I was not idle, however. I've adjusted my stock portfolio, got a really good grasp of my budget, and investigated Social Security requirements. And spent copious amounts of time playing Magic, of course! I'm sure I'll have a winter job at the food pantry as well.

Today was the perfect Indian Summer day after first frost. Low this morning was 46 and right now it's a gorgeous 77 with cool breeze. Time to get some fall garden stuff done.

All the frosted outer leaves on the squash got clipped off. What remains doesn't look too bad!


Lots of small squash on there. Starting tomorrow they'll have at least nine days of low 80's highs and lows in the 50's to finish up, or so the weather dude says.


These were the last of the peppers and they got pulled out right after I took the pic. Tomorrow I'll plant the third row of garlic on that other side. The poor zinnias are so scraggly but are still a butterfly playground so they stay for now.


And Tomato Row is gone until spring. Pickles pulled remaining plants and stowed away all the cages.


Last night I de-papered the garlic cloves that didn't get planted. There's this reddish silicone heat mat that is perfect for the job.


You put a few cloves in the middle, fold the mat over them and then roll it back and forth with your hand. It really loosens up the skins so that they just about fall off. This morning I shaved the cloves into thin slices with my mini garlic mandolin and got them dehydrated.

Yep, summer is officially gone and fall is here. This year has gone fast.

It's always the squash that get frostbit, even above the freezing mark. That's a great little crop you've got coming on though!

The last hurrah of green beans just might make it. The first planting of Contenders has finished and been pulled and this is the row planted 18 days after the first one.

The plants are covered with little baby beans that I call toothpicks. Maybe the first picking in a week.


I spied the first bloom of Camellia 'Stephanie Golden' by the back door yesterday. This is probably my favorite sasanqua.


It seems the fall garden has survived Helene and marches on. It's a great example of resiliency in the face of tough times! Cabbages in front bed, followed by a collard/kale bed, the squashes, then brocs, kolhrabi and cauliflower in the bed farthest back.

It looks remarkably good considering! What a lot of hard work by you two!

I'm just amazed... you pulled your place back together in no time. Wonderful!!

How are the early Morden cucumbers doing? Did they survive?

JayneR13 wrote: ↑Mon Oct 21, 2024 8:52 pm How are the early Morden cucumbers doing? Did they survive?

I just pulled them. Between the two plants only one cuke (2x4") was produced even though there were tons of flowers. And it seems pickleworms got into it. However I did manage to save 30 seeds from the non-wormy part of the cuke but they don't look good. Immature?


I will do a germination test on them but won't hold my breath.

I will have to add them to the MMMM wish list and hope that there are still some available.

They look more like noon-pollinated seeds to me @GoDawgs, flat looking with no real thickness to them

Well, maybe this is Mother's way of telling us something: grow something else! I agree, those seeds don't look viable. Oh well.