Potager Palaver - Early October (Lemony anti-flu brew, saving seeds, flower gardens next year, garden clean up)

We have a reprieve from the much needed rains this weekend, time to get the potager beds cleaned out and ready for fall.....

Removing all the summer veggies and plant material, cleaning up the beds, top dressing them with compost or manure, emptying pots and hanging baskets (on top of the compost pile or the potager beds), putting away all the garden accoutrements, bringing tender plants into the greenhouse, spraying them down for bugs, repotting, and doing up some fall porch pots..... hoping to get it all done before the next rains come ; )    

The two doggoes, Hemingway and Berkeley, are both helping out as much as possible, of course, both in there like dirty shirts. New puppy, Berkeley has tons of energy, lots of zoomies, loves to dig, and is having a blast doing both ... in our no-dig gardens!  

If you missed the news, we lost our darling Penelope girl a few weeks back. She was our sweet and steady rock for many years, poor Hemingway was completely lost without her and terribly sad. I know she was a bit of a nervous Nellie while she circled around you, wanting to be petted but afraid to do so, but please know that she really did love you all, was so glad that you came and visited, she enjoyed it all so much.. was just a bit of a (sweet) weirdo.

 

After she passed, Hemingway did a whole LOT of sad singing for the neighbourhood so momma decided she had best start a puppy/dog hunt before the neighbours kicked us out of the 'hood for good!  

I thought it would take a while, but nope, within two days, we had a new puppy under contract and here at the potager. When it is meant to be, it is meant to be, just falls into place. Hemingway really likes her, they get along like a house on fire. So, now we are busy with fall clean up and puppy training, too ; ) 

Here is the Ramblings post from last October with ideas on what to do now with all your various veggies... to-to list. The new October Ramblings will be out in a few days time. 

Have green tomatoes still? This is what we do with ours but you can find tons of other ideas and recipes on-line. Here is a link  with a bunch of yummy ideas and this one also has a whole lot of information, recipes and ideas.  

Powdery mildewed plants and even blighted plants can be composted, the spores will not survive in the compost bin, says gardening guru Charles Dowding. I have always composted my squash vines with no issues, it is a physiological issue caused by the elements and does not survive in the soil, but I did not know that the blighted leaves were the same. Good news indeed. I do not have blight, at least not yet, but just in case, is good to know. 

Looking for some tea recipes now that cold and flu season has arrived? Here is a whole bunch of herbal ideas   

Here is the lemon tea that I make... Anti-Flu Brew.

Seed saving... this is a great time to harvest the seeds that you want to save. In the picture above, you see my zinnias. Lots of lovely apricot and raspberry hued blooms this year that I would like to save, with a bit of chartreuse green mixed in. As they are all hybrids, they will not come quite true to form, but are sure to be lovely, nevertheless. I have never yet met a zinnia that I did not like ; ) 

You can easily also save your own marigold, nasturtium, and calendula seeds. 

This is how I harvest my zinnias... 

Harvest brown, dry flower heads.

Pull on the petals to remove them from the flower head. The seeds are the arrow shaped bits at the ends of the petals. 

Cut or pull off the dry petal tops, pop the arrow heads into a bowl. 

I then blow into the bowl to winnow out the dry bits and leave just the heavier, viable seeds in the bowl.

You may find some seeds blowing out, too, as you blow on them but if you press on the seed, you will likely notice that it is completely flat, so is not a viable seed. The 'good' seeds will be heavier, will feel fat, like there is something inside of them. 

Here is a more in depth how-to for saving your veggie seeds, from the University of Maine. 

Prep your garden beds with manure or compost now for planting garlic this month. 

Toss in some of these flower seeds this month, too, for blooms already next year. 

Here are some other fun links to check out... 

This fabulous coastal PNW flower garden... 7 Tips For a Fabulous Flower Garden When Transitioning to Fall - Shiplap and Shells

These gorgeous dried flower ideas..  10 Simple Ideas for decorating with Dried Flowers - French Country Cottage

This gardening read about the costs involved in growing food gardens, hmm... The Actual Truth and Reality of Growing My Seasonal Garden - Chas' Crazy Creations (chascrazycreations.com)

We are blessed here on the island, in that we can leave our carrots, parsnips and such in the beds all winter, even our celery, but here is a great read about how to store the rest of your harvest.  

Long Term Food Storage | A Guide For your Vegetables. - (theartofdoingstuff.com)

I guess that is it for this week's palaver. These are the things that are on my mind right now.. seed saving, cleaning out the garden, and puppy... will have the October fall garden clean up post out in a few days time. 

Happy Autumn & Garden Clean Up ~ Tanja