A CHORES LIST FOR THE AUTUMN GARDEN

Author: Meera, September 24, 2019

Each year on the first day of autumn here on the Henny Penny Farmette, I take stock of my fruit trees and vegetable and flower gardens.

 

The Old Farmer’s Almanac points to mid-October 2019 for early rain in Northern California, so there’s much for me to do over the next two or three weeks.

 

 

 

Nothing says "autumn" like ripe pomegranates

Nothing says “autumn” like ripe pomegranates

 

 

 

My chores list includes the following items. They’re roughly the same from year to year.

 

 

1. Gather seeds from self-seeding or heirloom, open-pollinated plants (flowers and vegetables) for next year’s garden. Dry seeds and store them for planting next spring.

 

 

coreopsis, cosmos, Bee garden in June bloom

Gather seeds from plants such as coreopsis, cosmos, and marigolds for drying for next year’s garden

 

 

 

2. Sow spring-blooming bulbs (such as daffodils, tulips, hyacinths, ranunculus, crocus, and buttercups available in garden centers now).

 

 

Siberian scilla adds a lot of color for a small grouping of bulbs

Siberian scilla adds a lot of color for a small grouping of bulbs

 

3. Turn soil and prepare beds for the cool-season vegetable garden (broccoli, cabbage, beets, and parsnips).

 

4. Inspect and divide perennials.

 

5. Harvest olives and preserve them.

 

 

Bartlett summer pears

Bartlett late summer pears

 

6. Pick late summer pears and ripe pomegranates. The leathery covering of pomegranates already may be splitting open and showing ruby red seeds. The juice of the seeds makes a wonderful jelly.

 

7. Check persimmons for ripeness. Pick if they’re ready. They might need another month.

 

 

Hachiya  persimmons are delicious when they ripen to softness

Hachiya persimmons are delicious when they ripen to softness

 

 

8. Harvest and store pumpkins and butternut squash. Peel, remove seeds, and cut the flesh into squares for freezing.

 

9. Compost old garden vines and vegetable plants that are done bearing for the season. Check tomato plants infected with bacterial or fungal diseases and do NOT add any of these to the compost pile.

 

10. Begin the process of cleaning and storing gardening items not required over the winter.

 

11. Sow spring-blooming wildflowers in prepared beds.

 

12. Schedule time to prune back crop-bearing fruit trees (like apricot, peach, and plum).

 

 

 

I actually look forward to those chores. They’re part of the natural rhythm of farmette life. With a list and plan to get everything done, I won’t be caught by surprise when the weather turns cold, dark, and rainy.

 

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If you enjoy reading about farming, country living, keeping of bees and chickens, and gardening, check out my Henny Penny Farmette series of cozy mysteries. They’re chocked full of ideas, tips, and delicious recipes for country living.

 

Also, take a look at my numerous self-help and wellness books. All are available at Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble.com, Walmart.com, and other online and traditional bookstores everywhere.

 

 

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The second cozy  mystery in the Henny Penny Farmette series, available Sept. 29, 2016

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Packed full of ideas for creating the life you want

Packed full of ideas for creating the life you want

A special book that will be treasured for a lifetime of spiritual pursuits and practices

A special book that will be treasured for a lifetime of spiritual pursuits and practices

 

More than 150 rituals for sound mind, strong body, and meaningful connections to the people around you

More than 150 rituals for sound mind, strong body, and meaningful connections to the people around you

 

 

 

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Critter-proofing Your Bulbs

Author: Meera, January 5, 2017

I planted bagfuls of tulips, daffodils, crocus, and grape hyacinths over the last two years in the autumn. The daffodils are blooming now and the other bulbs in my garden have plenty of foliage.

 

 

Masses of blooming daffodils provide a focus and cheery greeting in a bleak winter garden

Masses of blooming daffodils provide a focus and cheery greeting in a bleak winter garden

 

Because voles, moles, gophers, squirrels, raccoons, and other critters will dig and eat the bulbs and deer will devour the blooms at first blush of color, a savvy gardener must figure out how to protect these beautiful flowers.

 

The bees are drawn to the sweet scent of narcissus that have naturalized in the yard

The bees are drawn to the sweet scent of narcissus that have now naturalized in my Henny Penny Farmette gardens

 

 

Throughout the Midwest of my youth, hillsides, front yards, and cemeteries were always places where daffodils grew in perfusion. Along with the arrival of robins and other songbirds, these flowering bulbs herald the coming light and warmth of spring. I’ve lost plenty of these plantings myself so have some tips to help you prevent such a loss.

 

These fragrant lilies return every year and bloom mid-summer

These fragrant lilies return every year and bloom mid-summer

 

 

Seven ways to protect flowering bulbs.

 

1. Grow them behind a double fence barrier. Deer can jump high and might go over one fence, but not a second one built near the first.

 

2.  Use mesh to deter moles, voles, gophers, groundhogs, and other digging critters.

 

3. Erect fences that are at least three feet tall and with at least a foot buried beneath the earth.

 

4. Plant in raised beds covered with mesh. The bulbs will be protected while the foliage and blooms poke through toward the light.

 

5. Clean up the area in the fall after planting the bulbs. That way, critters won’t be attracted to your bulb beds.

 

6. Consider using deer-repellent sprays on tulips and growing deer-resistant bulbs.

 

7. Use ammonia-soaked rags in coffee cans or old planting buckets around the garden to repel pests with a keen sense of smell such as rabbits and opossums.

 

 

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Enjoy reading about farming topics? Check out my cozy mysteries–A BEELINE TO MURDER and also THE MURDER OF A QUEEN BEE  (both in the Henny Penny Farmette series from Kensington Publishing). Kobo Books has A BEELINE TO MURDER on sale. Check out this incredible deal on https://www.kobo.com/us/en/search?Query=Meera+Lester

 

 

My farmette and bee-based novels are chocked full of recipes, farming tips, chicken and beekeeping tips, sayings and, of course, a charming cozy mystery. For more info, click on the links under the pictures.

 

The books are available through online retailers such as Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Target, BAM, Kobo Books, and Walmart as well as from traditional bookstores everywhere.

 

 

The first novel in the Henny Penny Farmette series

See, http://tinyurl.com/hxy3s8q

 

A Beeline to Murder is the debut novel that launched the Henny Penny Farmette series of mysteries. Initially released as a hardcover novel and in e-book format, it is now available as a mass market paperback.

 

 

 

 

The second cozy  mystery in the Henny Penny Farmette series, available Sept. 29, 2016

See, http://tinyurl.com/h4kou4g

 

NEWLY RELEASED! This, the second cozy mystery in the Henny Penny Farmette series, is garnering great reviews from readers and industry publications.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Gardening Tasks for Late Autumn

Author: Meera, November 20, 2015

Falling leaves, shorter days, and colder weather signal that winter is around the corner. With roughly a month left before winter officially begins, there are plenty of tasks for the home gardener. Don’t put away your boots, buckets, gloves, trowel, and spade just yet.

 

 

After the grape harvest, the leaves change from green to gold or brown and become dry

After the grape harvest, the leaves change from green to gold or brown and become dry

 

 

 

If you grow grapes and raspberries or blackberries, now would be the time to prune those back before mulching with compost, leaves, or sawdust. Composting suppresses weed growth.

 

 

Pick and pumpkins, apples, and winter squash. Store them in a dry area at temperature of about 50 degrees Fahrenheit.

 

 

 

This young rhubarb flourishes in rich soil and some protection from intense, direct sun

This young rhubarb flourishes in rich soil and some protection from intense, direct sun

 

 

 

Rhubarb plants can be divided now. Make sure there’s an eye on each new plant and tuck into rich soil and mulch.

 

 

 

This candy-stripe rose was a gift from a friend--a cutting from her rose that became a large bush in my care

This candy-stripe rose requires a good pruning in the fall to generate a large bush with beautiful blooms in the spring

 

 

 

Remove leaves and prune back roses to 12 to 18 inches. Add some bone meal to the base of the bush and work into the soil.

 

 

Plant bulbs that will flower in the spring such as daffodils, tulips, hyacinth, crocus, and scillas.

 

 

Prepare a bed for onion seedlings or sets and plant them now for spring harvesting.

 

 

Plant red, yellow, or white onions in the fall for spring harvesting

Plant red, yellow, or white onions in the fall for spring harvesting

 

 

Fill bird feeders, hang a warming light in your hen house for the freezing nights ahead, and put blankets around your bee hives.

 

 

Transfer potted mums into garden soil. Most are perennials and will return year after year.

 

 

Plant kale, ornamental cabbage, and winter-hardy plants such as pansies in the garden or window boxes for winter color.

 

 

Move cold-sensitive houseplants indoors.

 

 

 

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These fragrant lilies return every year and bloom mid-summer

These fragrant lilies return every year and bloom mid-summer

 

After the recent rainstorm, I walked around my farmette and noticed small slivers of green sprouting up. They seemed to be everywhere.

 

 

I could understand the grass coming back, but the sight of summer-blooming lilies shooting through the soil was quite surprising. The sight of them got me to thinking about planting some bulbs for a springtime bloom.

 

 

The bees are drawn to the sweet scent of narcissus that have naturalized in the yard

The bees are drawn to the sweet scent of narcissus that have naturalized in the yard and bloom in the spring

 

 

Over the weekend, I dug a bed for some tulips and planted nearly 100 bulbs–some early and others late-blooming.

 

 

I also will plant some sweetly fragrant grape hyacinth. The bees are attracted to the pollen because of the scent. Honeybees especially love foraging for pollen on violet-hued tulips.

 

 

Honeybees need to find pollen all through the year, so planting bulbs that bloom before the spring wildflowers makes sense for those of us who care about the bees.

 

 

For tips on farming, raising chickens, keeping honeybees, and creating farm crafts as well as having a good mystery to solve, check out my novel, A BEELINE TO MURDER. It’s available everywhere and also online at Amazon.com and barnesandnoble.com.

 

Meera Lester's debut novel (release date 9/29/2015)

 

 

 

 

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