So, the summer veggies are in swift decline, the weather man is teasing us with “chilly weather” ahead and my Fall To-Do List just keeps growing and growing.
Clear the Beds – Tomatoes, carrots, beans, potatoes, corn, cucumbers, bell peppers and jalapenos all still need to come out of their beds. The problem is, a lot of it is still producing (and potatoes still haven’t died back), so I’m balancing clearing the beds with trying to harvest as much as possible.
Plant Cover Crops – All the ground level beds in the front and back yard, as well as the two raised beds in the back yard should be planted with a cover crop for the winter. The problem is, I have to clear the beds before this can happen.
Plant Remaining Fall and Winter Crops – The two raised beds in the front yard morph into hoop houses/”wagons” in the winter and this year will house garlic, onions, carrots, turnips, kale, spinach, radishes, beets, broccoli and a few other veggies to get us through the snowy months. The problem is (you guessed it), I have to clear the beds before this can happen. One of those beds has been mostly planted, but the other bed is still overflowing with tomatoes. Uuuggggghhhh. Once the fall veggies are all (finally) in the ground, they will need to be heavily mulched. Then we’ll need to pull out the plastic and cover ’em up!
Bee Care – We will need to insulate the hive as well as feed our little friends throughout the winter since their food production has suffered from the drought this year. This is all brand new to us, so we’ll see how it goes.
Chicken Care – We learned last year that the chickens greatly benefit from a wind break in the winter and spring. This is created using bales of straw stacked up on the outside of the eastern side of their coop. The wind whips from that direction and is nasty! It saves their little feathers from some ruffling if said wind stops at the straw. We will also insulate their coop with bunches of straw, as well. Happy chickens = yummy eggs!
Oh…right! There’s also the pantry that needs to be organized, the swamp cooler that needs to be shut off (I hate getting on the roof!), the closets that need to be cleaned…and I’m sure I’m forgetting lots of other To-Do items!!!
Yeah…at least they’re enjoyable tasks 🙂 To answer your chicken question…We don’t actually use artificial light throughout the winter to keep them producing. Their egg production definitely goes down, but we feel it’s just part of the natural cycle of things and we usually get enough eggs that it doesn’t become an issue. We do have a heat lamp in case of emergency/super cold temperatures, though 🙂
Now that’s the kind of to-do list I could enjoy keeping! We do exactly the same thing with our chickens for the winter months. I take it you’ll use artificial light to keep them laying through those months?