Last day of November and everything is frozen. It got cold, minus 10, and hasn’t really gotten much warmer. Next door is well under demolition. I didn’t get all the pots sorted so bringing them in one by one to thaw and be dumped. The 2014 strawberry tyme catalogue arrived this week. They have an interesting list of fertilizer the one that caught my eye is a 10-31-4. Some of their fruit yield info is amazing and disappointing. One list suggests 15 to 20 pounds per blueberry plant. I’m very very far from that. Oh well, soil test should be in next week.

Big day. First an update on 14. Planted a Bosch and an Anjou pear tree from Beech Nursery three weeks ago.

Ken helped get most of the leaves bagged. Going to keep and compost most of them this year. All the trees are finally bare, except the Cornus Venus. They turned a great shade of red this fall.

Went to Jays to get the front planters for the holiday. 150. Lovely, simply lovely.

The leaf blower gives about an hours suck and blow, then needs about four hours to charge. Doesn’t seem so quick, but when you see the result it’s pretty good. Easier on the back to boot.

Plant saucer water froze last night. Swept the leaves up out front. The maple is completely golden. The Plane tree still has 80 percent of its leaves, the figs have been hit by the cold. Spread straw over the exposed beds. The artichoke are beautiful, regal in height and shape. Went to pry out the fennel with the pitch fork and pop went my back. Not fun.

Spring bulbs. Garlic planted – Music and Mennonite – from East End Garden Centre.

84 bulbs today!

Pulled the tomato plants today. All the fruit were unedible, so into the composter. A light rain ended any more garden work today.

Time to get a million things done in the garden.

Plant spring bulbs
Get a bulb planter .

Leaves are falling. Les feuilles est morte? French for leaf blower.

Wonder if it will be good for light snow?

Garden clean-up. Another mow. Almost too cold for grass seed to germinate. And time to bring in the plants. Mulch the artichokes and strawberries. Half thinking to not wrap the figs this year. I have the potted one I am bringing in.

Oh and fruit trees for 14 and perhaps a cedar hedge.

What fun

Ah the 2nd day of fall. Fresh sod on 14 backyard. Gorgeous.

A little late produce, and maybe with a better managed garden…. Some tomatoes , mostly San marzanos, with a little cuke hiding and the second planting of radish ready to eat and thin.

Time to harvest herb for food and parfum. Ah the whole house will smell so good.

The first real carrots! Rainbow mix. Amazing and the taste variance is spectacular.
White and blue potatoes with BBQ chicken and Ken made a salad from the garden: peppers, cucumbers, tomatoes…. Superb.

Three to four tomatoes a day, a cucumber everyday. Sowed arugula, spinach, and shock out the coriander seeds from this years crop to reseed. Sprouts everywhere.

This wasp landed right on the celery leaf. Did a turn towards a drop of water and drank it up. The way the sun hit the water and his stripes exquisite.

We were in Nova Scotia for Jennifer’s wedding last week. Bill and Craig have an amazing sea side garden.

Back here the girls on the deck have started turning into boys. Cut three and looks like a fourth plant is going that way.

In the veg patch it is cucumber time. One a day. A bit of wilt on one plant, but so far so good. Tomatoes are turning but something is getting into them at night and taking a bite or two out of the
fruit then leaving it. Coriander and arugula in seed. Carrots might be ready to pick. Kevin’s tomatoes look great. Not encouraging to see the patch I stayed away from doing its best…

Pruned boxwoods, a bit late perhaps The wood was very firm.

Watering for 20 to 30 minutes at a time. Have to test out the new water meter.

One new edition, actually two. Lonicera caerulea (borealis + honeybee). “A cross pollinating duo”.