For the past few days the HH and I have been in the yard trimming trees and pulling up brush and let me tell you Bob, we are sore! 🙂 Yard work is seriously hard work sometimes, that’s for sure.
While we love the wooded border we have along the sides of our property, we aren’t as excited about the giant pine and cedar trees that are a bit closer to the house. And now that the weather has finally cooled down a bit {mid 60’s, my favorite} we’ve started to work on removing the ones we see being a problem couple of years from now.
We figure we might as well remove them now while we can do it ourselves rather than having to pay someone else to do it down the road.
Yesterday the HH cut down a giant eastern pine and ran all the branches through the wood chipper. We’ll use the logs in the fire pit next summer once they’ve had some time to dry out a bit.
Today we’ll remove the pine tree on the right {it’s only about 12 feet from the garden fence so it needs to go as well} and once we get the area cleaned up, we’ll throw down some grass seed and then I’ll plant some miniature daffodils under the other pine tree and we’ll call it good.
My new favorite garden gloves. They’re thick enough to yank thorny plants out of the ground without getting poked but not so thick that you can’t grip things.
Pretty much the cutest mushroom I’ve seen all year. It looked {and felt} like one of those meringue mushrooms you’d see in a fancy bakery.
We’ll I guess spaghetti squash season is over. Some sort of critter over in the lasagna garden nibbled the stems away from the vine and so I had to bring them up on the porch. I planted the squash in early July, but I think they still could have used a few more weeks on the vine.
Oh well, I’m sure they’ll be fine.
The bees are still at work!
But all that’s left to harvest now are 2 butternuts, 1 delicata {I hope it makes it!} 4 cabbage, chives, thyme, oregano and some cilantro.
I was going to make a batch of green tomato salsa but the HH threw all the green tomatoes I had set aside onto the lasagna garden and I didn’t realize it until the next day and by then it was too late. 🙁
Husbands!
Gardening season, there’s only a few weeks left.
And while I’m happy for the change in seasons and the transition to winter projects, I know I’m going to miss walking outside to check on the veggies and sitting on the front porch with Lucy everyday.
Winter… it’s just around the corner.
Wishing you the best on this cool and sunny October morning,
~Mavis
Lana says
Burning pine in your fireplace coats the chimney in creosote which can result in a chimney fire.
Cheryl says
Pine does cause a build up of creosote in a chimney…guess that’s why Mavis will be burning her pine in the outdoor fire pit. Much safer!
Margo says
While you are putting everything to bed for the winter, yesterday I planted the second raised bed with kales, radishes, and chards. Had to turn the soil, add some compost, and plant. Have a fully ripened dragon fruit ready to pick this morning. Only 3 more beds to go plant and I think I’ll be good for winter. Scallions, spinach, parsley, and a little bit of lettuce are coming up as well. While we don’t get snow I love the cooler and occasional rainy day. Love that we can garden year round, but do miss the peace of winter that you get in the north east.
suzanne says
Can anyone tell me if squash specifically spaghetti squash can be eaten straight from the vine or should it be cured a bit. Some of mine are still a little underripe.
HollyG says
Do you have a good recipe for green tomato salsa you could share? We have a lot of them and I think drizzley PNW autumn has set in.
Ranee says
You might want to throw some lime out to neutralize the soil a bit before putting out grass seed. The soil is very acidic under pine trees and it can be difficult to get anything to grow as a result. Just a suggestion.
Tamara says
Such a feeling of accomplishment and satisfaction (even with sore muscles!) when you tackle a project and it looks so good when completed! The pines looked fine as they were but the area looks so much better now.
I love this time of year!
Marti says
Spaghetti squash should be a creamy color when ripe. Yours looks like it still is a bit green. Can you pierce the skin with your fingernail? That’s how my mom taught me to tell if winter squash were ripe.
Marti says
Guess I didn’t finish my statement. You shouldn’t be able to pierce it with your fingernail if the squash is ready to pick.
Gigi says
Have you ever used a garden cover crop over winter? I’m trying it for the first time this year. I just ordered seeds form Botanical Interests.
OregonGuest says
What’s a little dirt between friends? I’d probably go out and grab all the green tomatoes and make salsa anyway. Your husband threw them in the lasagna GARDEN, not the garbage. Of course, that probably would remind him of dead bodies on the dining room table, and he would refuse to eat it, right?
Zadu Zopracy says
Just curious how you deal with the tree stumps after you cut down the tree? Or is the grass seed and daffodils – with the stump still in the ground – what you meant by “good enough”?
I have a couple of stumps to deal with here (except it’s aspen trees, which grow in groves and pop up EVERYWHERE) and wouldn’t mind getting rid of the stump and roots if possible.
Thanks for any ideas you have and thanks for continuing to share your little corner of paradise.
Jennifer Philbrook says
Do you have a link for the gloves?
Mavis Butterfield says
Here is the link to the manufacture’s website: https://www.radians.com/products/bellingham-c318-gard-ware-glove
I can’t find where to order them online {we found them at Longfellow’s Nursey}. https://www.onehundreddollarsamonth.com/longfellows-greenhouses-manchester-maine/
Patty Mayhew says
Just wondering how your going to get rid of the tree stump. My husband bought a big pipe that is big enough to go over the stump and room for a fire all around it. He burns them out that way. It takes a while but it works.