Putting the Garden to Bed

The last few weeks have been a beautiful blur of activity here on the farm. With the autumn equinox and first few frosts already behind us, it’s finally feeling like winter is imminent.

Our first frost came on the early side this year, October 19, and I was heartbroken about the dahlias! Three weeks later and our 500 tubers are finally all dug, processed and safely tucked away in storage until we divide them in early spring. Digging and storing dahlia tubers is a HUGE job and I hate it every time we do it, but the extra work is so worth it when you have all those extra (free!!) tubers to plant in the spring!

With the help of a small crew we’ve also managed to tuck away 6,000 tulip bulbs and 1,000 narcissus, the most we’ve ever done! And we are working on getting 400 peony roots in the ground before it freezes, we’re definitely cutting it close!

We have been hard at work tidying and cleaning all the garden beds too; irrigation is all pulled up, stakes, roping and netting are broken down, bundled up and packed away in the shed, landscape fabric was pulled and cover crop is seeded. We’re adding a bit of compost and leaf mulch to some of the beds as well so they start to soak up some new nutrients over the winter.

In a few weeks we will also be laying our silage tarps on current sections of grass that will transform into more beds for cut flowers next spring! The idea with laying tarps is to kill all grass and weeds over time, it’s easier (and better for the environment!) than tilling.

I’ve learned so much this season, especially about no-til farming and using more sustainable practices in general, and I can’t wait to share more about the process with you in the future!

As you put your garden to bed this autumn, I highly encourage you to set aside some time to take notes:

What worked? What didn’t?
What do you want to change for the coming year?
What new varieties do you want to try next year and which won’t you include?

It’s so easy to forget all of the successes and failures if you don’t write them down while you’re clear. I’ve been busily taking mountains of notes before the frosts wipe away all evidence of this year’s garden. I hope you’ll do the same.

Wishing you a happy late autumn,

xo, christine