I cleaned and prepped my indoor tent this week. Examined and sprayed my citrus and some other plants with insecticide and fungicide today, and then lugged those and the bananas in for the winter. I’ve carried them in and out each of the last two weekends, but I think it’s time for them to just come in and stay put, since I believe I have a strong chance for some frost Sunday night, and possibly Monday, nights. I’m hoping the citrus make the transition with less pouting than last year, since most of them have made lots of large sized leaves during the lower light levels of autumn, and since they went directly into the tent instead of first staying under the windows through December. My main hope is that the lemons, limes, and navel oranges retain their blooms and continue to carry their young fruit. I’m less concerned about the ones carrying more mature fruit. I’m also hoping that by pre-treating them I won’t wind up having to drag them outside once a week all winter for the neem oil/insecticidal soap treatments fighting spider mites and scale like last year. That’s a PITA.
I spent much of the week ripping out wild blackberry thickets and removing weed trees from two areas. One of the few advantages of this awful, soggy ground we’ve had for two straight months is that I can actually get that stuff out, including the deep roots. There’s so much that needs removed now because it couldn’t be done at all with the hard ground in the heat of this summer. Now, I’m clearing one area at a time, as weather allows.
We got another 2" of rain Wednesday night. This time I finally got my blockading right and prevented the runoff coming from the field from getting into the pool. I’ve spent too much time this fall repeatedly getting muddy gunk out of there.
I spent last weekend and early this week ripping out Bermuda grass, blackberries, and other weeds from wide circles under most of my fruit trees and around all the grapes. I raked pine straw and piled it 6" deep or more around trees. I still have the apple trees to do, but they are both smaller and also have a layer of bark mulch already around them.
I haven’t posted much lately. Autumn is a high pressure busy season for me, both outdoors and in. I never complete as much as I want to as well as I’d like to, but I do feel like I’ve gotten a tremendous amount done this year. There’s still much more to do.
Wow! I have it easy compared to you! My wife complains constantly about the indoor plants, and compared to you, I don’t have any! Next year I’m cutting back tomatoes, just because I have no time to deal with seedlings this coming spring. I have a roof to put on my cottage and a new floor too. I mean the basic floor, let alone any finished flooring. The place needs ton’s of work. My house too needs enough work to keep me busy all winter and then some.I just want to get it done, so next year I can go back to my hobby!
We had just a skiff of snow last night. Just enough to stick on the mulch around the plants. It is really windy here today too, I’m glade all of my grafts have lost their leaves, I hope I am past blow out season.
Planted three J plum seeds from large nearly 3 1/2"-4" fruit, planted honeycrisp seed, and planted arkansas black seed. Plan to grow off fast and june bud in 2016 if all goes well.
Snow is pretty to see in other people’s pictures. I’m hoping we get as much snow and ice here this winter as last. Which is to say, “none”. Our long tem stats are that we get accumulations of an inch or more one year out of ten. The winter before that we got one nasty, wet and icy snow of 8", which is a mess to clear in areas where people just don’t own snow shovels. But worse, later we were hit with over 4" accumulation of ice pellets. That was awful and dangerous and had to be chipped away. However, we were fortunate that it was pellets and not the 2" of freezing rain that had been forecast. That amount of freezing rain destroys trees, power lines, and roofs. Parts of the state closer to the coast did get the freezing rain. Some areas took a couple of weeks to get power restored, because the downed trees and limbs had to be taken care of before the power lines could be repaired. I dislike coping with snow, particularly since some family members’ jobs are in the critical service category. So, they must report to work regardless of conditions. I fear freezing rain worse than hurricanes. It’s deceptive, severely damaging, and stealthily deadly.
I know other people love snow. I’m glad for them to enjoy it. I’d much prefer for it to stay north where it more welcomed and enjoyed.
Sorry to hear of your back pain. You might want to get a copy of Healing Back Pain by John Sarno M.D. He taught me how to cure my chronic back pain, and that was 30 years ago. Pain free since. Book is on Amazon. Highly recommend.
Mrs. G, I also think it must be a regional term; I don’t remember hearing it before I moved out here. To me “skiff” meant small boat. You might compare it to a dusting or scattering. Chikn got it right.
Gave away four Blueberry plants to some friends,which will free up some space for other things.Now there are only about forty left.
Also put a Pakistan Mulberry in the ground,from a half whiskey barrel.Hopefully that will cure the unripe fruit drop that has happened the last two years. Brady
I have a compression fracture from falling. I also had my lumbar muscles give out with L-5 to s-1 about to fuse naturally. The disk is gone. It got out of alignment and I had pinched nerves. I felt like I was cut in half! I couldn’t sit or do a sit up for about three weeks. It’s all pain free now for the most part. I just hope it fuses in the right position. I also have cusp and bone spurs where the nerves are. I’m already old at age 51. I’m doing well now working and getting bills paid finally. I was off work for eight months this year one month delay with my back just after returning. I’ll have to take a look at the book. I have had back problems for a long time.
I feel your pain Johnny! I wish i didn’t! in 1995 I was in a head on crash. A car hit my right rear quarter of my car and pushed me into oncoming traffic. I took out the windshield with my head. I truly thought I was going to die. My life didn’t flash before me though I was so happy when i woke up to discover I was still alive.
Anyway about every disc in my back was damaged. As I age it is more difficult to walk. I had to retire early. So the accident was life changing for me. A host of secondary problems developed like pain killer addiction etc. So now no pain pills, I just live with the pain. It may explain why at times I’m so easy to set off. I refuse though to give in, I keep as active as possible.
I was so happy when i woke up to discover I was still alive.