Fall Garden clean-up....

has finally started! I spent a day and a half doing some fall garden clean up. I think that I have about 3 more full days of work to do out there.  I spent at least 4 hours cleaning up behind the shed and messing around with the compost bins. There was a huge volunteer cherry tomato plant by the bins, some left over manure compost (a truck load was given to me in the early spring by an old freind who has a horse farm) behind the shed on the concrete and a lot of trimmings from the bushes next door that had to be bagged. I don't put the trimmings from the bushes in the compost bins. They would take too long to break down. The city picks up the yard waste and makes compost and mulch with it. Residents of the city can go to the yard waste site and pick up mulch and compost for free.

The front bed in the back has only two basil plants, one lone carrot and a couple of dill plants left in it. I added some compost on Monday and it is ready for some veggies to overwinter. Hopefully, we can make some kind of cold frame this weekend to put over part of that bed.

The large bed behind the front bed to the left has two brussel sprout plants, some leeks, mustard greens and peas left in it. I harvested some of the leeks on Tuesday. They were nice and big! I left about ten smaller leeks in the garden for the winter. I also pulled the remaining dry bean plants out of that bed and hung them to finish drying. I really need the room to plant the garlic. I usually plant it in September or early October. The snow peas in that bed are about five feet tall. They have blooms on the vines...but, no pods. If I don't get any pods at least some much needed nitrogen will be added to the soil.

The Brussel Sprouts are finally starting to form little heads. I think that they are a magnificent looking plant. I have two in the back garden and one in the side garden. The plant in the side garden is over 4 feet tall. Hopefully the plants will form some nice little heads for eating. They were put into the garden in the early spring and still are not big enough to eat.

There are about a dozen and a half cayennes on this plant. There are also a lot of serrano, hot cherry, jalapenos and bells out there. I pickled some on Tuesday and will be pickling more soon.

The mustard greens are looking good. I guess "The Italian" better get cooking!!