Chores completed through 11/14/10

Here is a list of chores completed in the garden:

• Watered and feed (with liquid food) all vegetables and plants in the back garden.
• Potted up aloe vera, peace lilly, lemon blam, and sweet potato vine in front garden.
• Expanded flower bed next to faucet in back garden.
• Moved iris from pots to expanded flower bed in back garden
• Also planted Muscari, Daffodil, Papewhite, Black Beaded Iris, and Dutch Iris bulbs to the expanded flower bed in back garden.
• Shortened the hoops on the raised beds, 2 of them as the 3rd one currently has tomato plants that are real tall are are currently tied to those hoops to keep them upright (realized that the hoops were way to high and the row covers that I purchase for winter use is not utilized to its best because of all the air that gets in under the cover).  Be careful, got knocked in the side of the face once the PVC was cut, under pressure.
• Layed mulch on the expanded flower bed and already established flower bed.
• Removed the pepper plants, realized after looking at all the plants that there were only few bell peppers and jalapeno peppers, so was pointless to keep that bed dedicated to plants that was probably about to stop producing.  Amended the soil with more garden soil and added compost/granulated food in preparation for more greenery to be added.
• Removed the eggplants (4).  As I was removing the last 2, I found a couple of small ones.  I had already pulled the plants and figured the fruit would not be able to mature before it gets too cold.  Took a long time for it to produce fruit.  Got LOTS of flowers though.  Next year will plant it in a different location and much earlier.  I found the tag for the eggplants they are Eggplant-Black Beauty, the tag says they have a 80 day maturity time frame, think I pulled them to early.  Now I know.  Here is what others say about this plant.
• Moved one of the society garlic planters to the back porch after I found out that society garlic is good to deter mosquitoes (we will see).

Upcoming chores:

• Weed within the enclosed garden bed.
• Lay more mulch (if not more newspaper then mulch to kill off the grass).
• As soon as frost appears, remove the remaining tomato and pepper plants (should be sometime in late November to December).
• Purchase more winter row covers (at least 5)).
• After tomatoes and peppers are removed, top off beds with compost and work into the soil.
• Remove the Zinnias from front and back garden.
• Move tender floral plants to the shed/garage as soon as frost is about to arrive.
• Research why blueberries failed.
• Update garden plan for Spring 2011 along with list of plants that did well this year to purchase again next year.
• Begin list of plants and when to start from seed for Spring 2011.
• Figure out layout plan for possible irrigation system in vegetable garden.
• Research the building of cold frames, ensure the ones being built are interchangeable with existing raised beds.
• Plant the following seeds (may not get good germination, but experiment, it is only seeds):

1. Early Golden Acre Cabbage (sow September-May)
2. Gala Mache (sow September-February)
3. Micro Greens Spicy Mix (sow spring, summer or fall)
4. Kale Red Winter (sow early spring, late summer or fall)
5. Spinach, Baby's Leaf Hybrid, Harmony Hybrid, and Bloomsdale Long-Standing (sow early spring, late summer, and fall in the South)

To aid in germination, put a plastic top over the area for the seeds and then remove as soon as seedlings emerge.