buds...

it was thirty-eight degrees ( fahrenheit ) when i got home from work today...but the sun was going down and i could see by the standing water it had been warmer...a quick look around the yard in the failing light showed many buds on multiple branches...they'd be there anyway but not necessarily this large...it is forecast to be winter again ( at least temperature wise...this week has precipitation coming but it will be january rain ) so we will be seeing a hiatus in development...but what is in store for february? there's winter vetch poking up through the snow/ice pack ( third photo ) and...unless i a m grossly mistaken that is the intransigent lemon balm next to it ( it lost its battle in the sunchoke bed last summer by the by...the jerusalem artichokes shaded it...and everything else, out )...warmth and sun has the clover upright again along with the winter rye which has never really quit...but the last cold snap has finally done in the yellow peas...the one in the last photo is wilted from freezing and will not be coming back...that's how annuals operate.

seeds on the cusp of winter

the forecast snow has arrived and continues to fall...winter has found the yard...there are still teosinte seeds in the ears and the ramp seeds haven't shattered yet ( what are they waiting for ? )...some will be harvested...some will fall wherever to see if they can germinate in spring and keep the dna chain replicating...the green manures are well established and ready...that yellow pea doesn't stand much of a chance in the coming cold...the winter vetch however is in an element it understands.

germinations

i found a yellow pea germinating on the soil surface in a bed...determined floaters..so i pushed it back down under the surface so it could root properly...there's some clover surface germinating in that photo as well...there some in the second one along with some winter rye...and pretty much more of the same in the third ( i don't see any winter vetch yet though )...there are small forests of well established green manures out there as well...the fourth photo is of some alfalfa and winter rye that have been up and running for a few weeks...the fifth photo is of the only garlic that has appeared so far...this was such a concern to me ( right now i have fifty-two garlic plants up on the south side of the house planted the same day as the community garden ) that i actually dug down in one of the beds to see what was up...they're working on it...bottom photo is of the garden tonight...we still have green in october.

silks, seeds, green manures, and a bee

tramping around the back yard after work it seems evident that more teosinte seeds are becoming visible as ears separate from the stems and begin to shed their husks in preparation for maturation and shattering...the silks in the third photo tell me there are more ears on the way ( which doubtlessly means more photos )...around the corner from the "wild and weedy" ancestor i discovered a nearly inert bee on a sunflower...my friend fern the bee keeper tells me it has to be at least 55 degrees fahrenheit for them to fly...it's 57 out there right now and i am not sanguine about this bee's ability to find the hive tonight...not a good prognosis for a social insect...along side the sunflowers a patch of green manures is rolling right along with yellow peas, winter vetch, winter rye, alfalfa, and rd clover all in that shot...fall is here...we aren't nearly finished yet.

no teosinte tonight

oh i have the photos alright...but there's other stuf going on out there that merits notice ( from, anyway ) the yacon in the top two photos ir robust and booming along in its 210 day season...it will be going inside soon enough to "finish'...the mashua is looking fine as well...it may be able to finish outside...looking forward to peppery tubers...there are some late pole beans going on...took their sweet time they did...there's life in the green manures i sowed saturday...this would be alfalfa i believe and i see at lest five yellow peas germinating...some of the peas floated to the surface ( peas are notorious floaters ) and have begun to germinate there...i pushed them back down so their roots get a better hold ( yes...i separated those four...didn't shove them down in a bunch )...if you miss the teosinte, no worries, there will be many more photos before autumn is over.

green manures and garlic

it's been a busy saturday morning here...there is around 180 square feet of ground on the south side of the house between th ejerusalem artichoke bed and the catalpa tree that gets a lot of sun...so today i double dug it...in about 140 square feet i planted fall green manures ( winter vetch, crimson clover with winter rye and yellow peas ) along with the ubiquitous alfalfa...that i will turn under in the spring and plant..oh..turnips, beets...who knows...maybe some brussels sprouts and peas...the remainder i double dug, turned in compost, and took a half pound of early italian seed garlic and planted seventy three cloves...they may not all survive...but i predict there will be no shortage of garlic in the kitchen early next summer...tomorrow Parker! and i will be planting garlic in the community garden...there will be plenty there as well.

one day later

the differences in the garden between yesterday and today are subtle...and some just may be things i did not notice yesterday...but there are still differences...true the bean wall is still gone, the clover is still ( mostly ) laying down, and the asparagus by the worm tower is still green...but the first year asparagus in some other beds has begun to pull in its chlorophyll for the winter ( top two photos )...cold hardy or not, that season will end soon enough...and speaking of cold hardy, i found a lively looking yellow pea plant ( third photo ) still up and running today...peas are cold hardy as well but with temperatures as low as they have been at night we would have expected this one to be done...not yet though...i shelled most of the bean pods i collected yesterday ( some still need to dry out a bit so the totals aren't final )...so far the unharvested beans have yielded 2 3/8 ounces of seed...that translates into 265 bean plants if they all are viable ( yes, i counted them )...we will not have to purchase bean seed in the spring...and we can share as well...one difference between yesterday and today i am certain of...there was no snow on the clover when i stopped by yesterday after work.

green manures and green beans

lots still going on in the garden...there's winter rye and winter vetch up ( top photo )and there's another yellow pea plant sprouting ( second photo )...and the alfalfa ( third photo ) is coming along well too...the pole beans are continuing to bloom ( fourth photo ) and produce ( fifth photo )...not sure if there would be enough for another pot of green bean soup, but a side dish of green beans is still available for the picking.