Winterizing

Discussion in 'Fruit and Veg Gardening' started by Sjoerd, Oct 23, 2017.

  1. Sjoerd

    Sjoerd Mighty Oak

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    It's been chaotic here for the past couple of weeks--there has been frequently rain and strong winds with periods of relative dryness in-between. Well, weather or no weather--the winterizing work must be done one way or the other.

    The bees have been treated and their honey stores supplemented with the frames that I had slung the honey out of for myself. They licked the extra bits out of the cells and from the bottoms of the storage boxes. They were wild about that and now the frames are nice and clean and dry. It was a sweet lil bonus for them. I have also treated them against varroa mites. So...that's the bees sorted.

    Next it was the green house's turn for my attention. All the plants and weeds were removed. The tom plants were jerked up and are drying to be taken away to the municipal composting centre. The weeds went in my compost bin and the Afrikaantjes (Marigolds) went to cover/mulch a portion of one of the veggie beds. The right half of this bed was covered with borage leaves.
    IMG_20171014_182707_resized_20171022_040502399.jpg

    Then it was a question of taking the veggie portion of the garden quadrant by quadrant.
    We lifted the green manure, added animal manure and min-tilled the bed. Afterwards the plot was then covered with a thick layer of mulch of green manure and other plant debris.

    A chap came by the clubhouse and was encountered by my bride. He had a wheelbarrow full of large plastic bin liners full of something. The bride asked what it was and he replied that it was donkey manure, and he asked if we would like some. We took the five sacks, invited him to the lottie for a cuppa and that was payment enough for him. He was from the local animal shelter. Gere is the donkey manure spread over a weeded and min-tilled quadrant:
    IMG_20171014_182818_resized_20171022_040903198.jpg

    Here is the full quadrant-- there are three different toppings of mulch on top of the donkey manure which was spread over the entire plot.
    IMG_20171017_135043_resized_20171022_040208079.jpg
    To the right we have used the corn stalks, in the middle our bean vines and all the way to the left are Crocosmia 'lucifer' stems and leaves.

    The quadrant over by the blueberry patch has the Brussels Sprouts and the mulching there is a variety of garden plant stems as well as some Crocosmia stalks.
    IMG_20171017_135101_resized_20171022_040239149.jpg

    So then, those were the quadrants--some fully covered and others with plants still growing in them. The strawb patch is an example.
    IMG_20171015_164009_resized_20171022_040343346.jpg

    The bed of new plantlets has been weeded and hoed. It is ready for the winter now. Some years we mulch the plants and some years not. We are still debating which course to follow this year.

    I mentioned the last harvest of toms and our apples:
    appelmoes5.jpg

    As you guys know we do not use pesticides or any other poisons...so I am well chuffed that these apples are so free from "spots" and other scars or bruises. Its a miracle really. Perhaps not totally a miracle like at Lourdes...because we covered the trees with old white curtains. It would keep out the birds but not the wasps. The wasps (yellow jackets) apparently did not find a way in though.

    We had a ball making apple sauce and had quite a load.
    zz.jpg

    That sauce is so white as compared to the jar over to the right. The darker jar came from the apples of a gardening neighbour. We just made a small amount of that to eat as the feeling arose.

    Here are the stages:
    After cleaning, peeling and removal of the core...they were chipped and put on to cook-down.
    appelmoes3.jpg

    At a certain moment they were mashed like spuds into a sort of puree.
    appelmoes4.jpg

    In the container for eating prn.
    appelmoes2.jpg

    Of course there must be quality control.
    appelmoes.jpg

    It was lovely. But now, it is time to go and have another bowl. Hmmmm, I wonder if I ought to put a dollop of whipped cream on that.....Hmmmmmmmm......
     
    Last edited: Oct 26, 2017
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  3. Henry Johnson

    Henry Johnson In Flower

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    Sjoerd, you have done it again; made me salivate over your apple sauce!
    Thank you for posting pictures and texts about your gardening efforts...
    I do admire your efforts and results...
    Hank
     
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  4. Sjoerd

    Sjoerd Mighty Oak

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    Hoi Hank,
    Thank you so much for your very nice reaction to this thread. It is a very smooth apple sauce with a good taste.
     
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  5. Kay

    Kay Girl with Green Thumbs

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    Very impressed with all your winterizing knowledge and doings! You have really optimized your lottie space to be the most productive!
    The apples are wonderful, and the applesauce has my mouth watering too.:smt023
     
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  6. Sjoerd

    Sjoerd Mighty Oak

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    Thanks very much Kay. Optimization is my goal on the lottie---optimization without soil stress.
    Wish you could taste that apple sauce--it has a special flavour. Thanks again for your nice words.
     
  7. KK Ng

    KK Ng Hardy Maple

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    Looks like next year will be another very productive year with all that preparation. Lucky you to get all those donkey manure :)
    The apple sauce looks delicious and I'm already thinking of roast pork and Yorkshire pudding ... yum!!!
     
  8. Cayuga Morning

    Cayuga Morning Strong Ash Plants Contributor

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    I am VERY impressed Sjoerd with your soil prep! Tell me, what do you do with those mulches on top of your soil? Do they decompose by spring? Do you till them in? I wonder if that would work here in New England. Our winters get quite cold. I suppose a mulch protects the soil durine the winter, right?

    Your lottie looks beautiful. And your late harvest is great. Congrats on those very healthy apples...pesticide & pest free. Very impressive.
     
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  9. Sjoerd

    Sjoerd Mighty Oak

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    Thanks so much, KK--I could go for a Yorkshire pudding myself.:p yum.

    CAYUGA--Thanks your your comments and compliments. Glad that you like the looks of my beds. I am aware that my method is not for everyone, but the logic of min-tilling appeals to my way of thinking. It is a logic that becomes believable once one really understands the nature of soil and what goes on in the soil in terms of the relationship between the underground bacterial and fungal colonies and the functioning of plants roots to harvest.

    To address your questions:
    What I do with the mulches-- Come spring, I just roll the still un-composted bit back, exposing the composted mulch layer on top of the underlying soil. I plant my seeds or plantlets directly into the ground. Each time I plant a row of beans, spuds, leeks or whatever crop...I just roll back a layer of mulch enough to plant that one row...I do not remove the entire mulch layer at one go, so that it can continue protecting my topsoil until the last moment.

    Do I till the composted mulch layer in?
    -- Usually not, but sometimes I do if there has been lots and lots of rain or snow, compacting the soil. I do not till it in, in the sense of shoving a spade in and then turning that spade-full of soil over (upside down). I just stick a fork in to the hilt, push the handle downwards enough to loosen the soil (~45°) and then bring the fork handle upright again (90°) and then turn the forks left and right as I withdraw the tines.
    So then, you can see that no, I do not "till it in", in the normal sense.
    This process is called "min-tilling", or minimal tilling. The philosophy here is to keep adding layers of mulch, compost and manure over the years without turning it over.

    Would it work in New England?-- Of course it would. This technique will work in most longitudinal situations. Because you get quite cold winters there where you live; I would say, apply a mulch layer..."the thicker the better".

    Does the mulch provide protection for the winter?
    --The answer is, as you no doubt realize--yes. This mulching is all about protection--protection of the superficial (humus); layer from the elements and solar radiation--both of which will kill the life in the upper mm's of the soil (upper crust). Soil consists of so called "horizons" and this would be the uppermost. Protection is also afforded to the animal and plant life in the horizons under the crust, as well as prevents vertical erosion, where too many nutrients get washed downwards, leaving the topsoil poorer than it need be.

    Apologize for this rather long-winded reaction to your questions. Hopefully though, it was fun to read. Let me know how it goes if you ever decide to try this mulching.

    Addendum: You probably wonder what I do with the extra mulch that had not composted or broken down. Well, some of it goes in the compost bins and the rest we take to the municipal trash collection point, in the Plant Material section.
     
    Last edited: Oct 24, 2017
  10. kate

    kate In Flower

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    Wow, I salute you as far as handling anything with wings go apart from birds...overy brave where the Bees are Sjoerd!

    Some great produce there, well done!

    :smt026:smt041:sete_056:
    K
     
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  11. Cayuga Morning

    Cayuga Morning Strong Ash Plants Contributor

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    Okay. I have copied & printed out your soil care instructions Sjoerd. I like it. I have been contemplating going "no till" but didn't really know how to do it. But it does make sense. I am planning on adding Micorrhizae to the planting holes in the spring to re-establish healthy soil fungi. I have my trusty pitch fork at the ready, I have p-l-e-n-t-y of compost back at the house that I can bring out to the community garden. Ha!!! no one will recognize my soil!! :D
     
  12. Odif

    Odif Young Pine

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    Winterizing here for me means that I have planted my winter crops. I have a lot of lettuces and chicorees. over 100 different brassicas. 100s of leeks, and loads of chard. I also have carrots and beetroots in the ground and pick when I need over winter. We have Rucola and I will continue to plant, and use little tunnels. I have plastic bubbles to put over my lettuces. I have a lot of lettuces that has self seeded and these I transplant as and when needed. Also. I sprinkle a lot of lambs lettuce all over the place. Lambs lettuce is also coming up everywhere and I have been doing a lot of weeding. Mulching is always good, and I have quite a few no till beds that I build up with organic material every year. I have some fruits to transplant now.
     
  13. Sjoerd

    Sjoerd Mighty Oak

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    Thanks so much for your comments on this thread KATE.-- I've missed seeing your countenance on here lately---unseen, but certainly not forgotten. I sure do love my bees.

    Hiya CAYU--If you want to read more about soil and there is a small sect5ion with pics on min-tilling. You may enjoy this. I hope that you will have further success with your soil. Yeah--your fellow gardeners will not believe their eyes after you add your compost.
    http://www.volkstuindersvereniginghoornenomstreken.nl/Page18.html

    Thanks for your comments on here ODIF-- You do lots of interesting things there and are having great success. --Well done, you.
     
    Last edited: Oct 28, 2017
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  14. Cayuga Morning

    Cayuga Morning Strong Ash Plants Contributor

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    Thanks for that Sjoerd. Is EM (effective microoranisms) the same as micorrhezae?

    When I bought the micorrhezae, the store woman told me to not use it on root crops as this would make beets, carrots, etc gnarly. What do you think?

    Odif, I am impressed with all of your planting. I hope you have a fruitful fall growing season.
     
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  15. Odif

    Odif Young Pine

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    Cayuga, firstly em´s are not michorizae, they are a coctail of bacterias and yeasts and fungi. I have never had a problem using michorizae on root vegetables. The main vegetables that do not form symbiosis with michorizae are Beetroots and Chards, spinach, cabbage familly and amaranth and radishes, The rest including carrots and potatoes benefit. I don´t think michorizae will make gnarly vegetables.
     
  16. Sjoerd

    Sjoerd Mighty Oak

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    No CAYU--it is not the same as micorrh. The advice of the woman could in theory be correct. I have never used it on root crops.
    I have made the mistake of planting carrots and parsnips in ground that was a bit too fertilized with stall manure a couple of times and they came out severely forked and gnarly. In fact, I have found that beetroot, parsnips and carrots do better for me in poorer soil. I have also noticed that if there are too many pebbles in the soil that a carrot; for instance, can fork when it comes to it.
     

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