Late afternoon sun in the back yard

Is it just me? Or is fall always the busiest time of year in the garden? This week has been busy – I have been cutting back more dying plants, transplanting lilies and peonies, planting winter crops, adding lime to the soil, giving my driveway a make-over and planting bulbs. Oh yes….and introducing my new secret weapon: the sonic spike.

Highlights:

(1) Winter planting. I planted box A with four rows of fava beans (planted deep), then added lime to the soil and planted several rows of spinach (i cm deep). I know that last year I decided that this type of “underplanting” is for the experts, but I thought I would do it anyway.

Later this week I am going to plant the other  empty bed with favas again, as it is unlikely that I am going to put in a greenhouse this year.

(2) Sonic Spikes. My sonic spikes arrived. Unfortunately, only three of them work (grrrr) so I need to send one back for replacement. Every 15 seconds they send out a sonic pulse which irritates moles and gophers. In truth, the pulse is audible to humans even when fully buried, and is quite irritating. The morning after I installed the spikes, there were two more mole holes in the boulevard, so I moved the sonic spikes closer to the front of the property.

(3) Moving peonies. Finally, I moved the pink peony from the back and transplanted it in three places in the front yard. I didn’t intend to split the peony, but I did a horrible job of digging it up. Hopefully at least one will survive.

(4) Transplanting day lilies. Also in the “finally” category…I dug up the day lilies from the back, split the roots and planted twelve separate root clusters in the front.

(5) Bulbs. I planted a number of bulbs in the front bed, in clusters. I planted a total of 30 “orange monarch” crocus, which are supposed to bloom in January – March and are naturalizing. Below them I planted 12 “Fur Elise” Greigii tulips (whatever that means) which bloom in March-April, as well as 12 “Mango Charm” Triumph Tulips which bllom in April-May. I also saved several packages of tulips and hyacinths for containers.

(6) The fall growing season. This long and sunny fall has been great for extending crops like lettuce, spinach, beans and raspberries. Every few days I have been able to pick about two cups of berries, which have been the best ones of the year. I also notice that the beans are full of flowers, which promises many more beans….

Okay, that is it. More later in the weekend.