Goodnight garden, sleep tight.

The garden is done. We have had two weeks of frosts and freezes, and I finally was able to go out today and put the garden to bed for the winter. I pulled out all the dead tomato and pepper plants, shoveled chicken manure over bare spots, and lamented over my poor peas that barely blossomed before the cold shriveled up the tender blooms.


It always feels good to leave the garden for the winter. The summer maintenance gets to be a drag, and this fall was very dry and I had to do as much watering as I did in the summer. After the first freeze I let the chickens in the garden and they were in heaven. All summer long they stare at the garden, probably dreaming of fresh greens and fat earthworms. They literally ran in as soon as I opened the gate. Now I can leave the gate open for them until late-April when I begin to plant again, and they can dig, scratch, poop, and dust-bathe until their hearts are content. I did cover my garlic patch with a blanket temporarily, and I will have to put some kind of netting over it for the winter so they don't scratch up the cloves.


I still have a little work to do. I am moving my compost pile over a bit, and I would like B. to till certain areas. I also need to find some cement blocks or heavy rocks to hold down the cardboard that I have spread over the grass where I am expanding the garden.

Then I can let the garden get a good, long, restful sleep.