Nov 1 I guess I'll start the new month

We had the first killing frost last night we have had light frost for several days now but it froze hard last night I pulled 10 gallons of tomatoes several days ago and a dozen egg plants that was the end of the garden for the year Ill try to pull everything yet this week and run the tiller before it gets muddy so it is ready for spring I've been building sheds and getting the last 40 ft of the big barn done Worked on it yesterday some and will again tomorrow I have enough material to work one more day even if I don't get to Springfield tonight that will depend on how early i get everything done got to put a few does back in with the bucks this afternoon was in the barn for three hours this morning breeding and need to wash nest boxes this afternoon

I am NOT prepared for this winter yet. I can't find half of my winter stuff, my scraper for my truck has disappeared, I need to winterize my truck, and just find my stuff.

Gardenia and jasmine will come in sometime but not yet. I am trying to make them as hardy as possible without killing them. lol. When leaves start drooping then they will come in. After that, everything will be in. Or dead.

I have my little HF Greenhouse packed.. I just have a little space heater in there.. I'm not planning on heating it all winter and will move all the plants in in a couple of weeks.. Just extending my season.. I did some last minute trading and will try to get some of my new coleus and other starts through the winter..

I bought a skid loader ( Bobcat) and have been pushing down quite a few thorn trees.. Hopefully to make better pasture for the cattle. It should make a great garden tool too.

Dave719, I think the name of the plant I got from you at the Spring trade is purple passion or something..? It loves the greenhouse.

KathyJo, I have taken starts from a couple of coleus maybe we could swap some cuttings? I have "Sedona" it is the copper colored coleus. This picture was taken in the beginning of the spring, it got huge this summer. By fall you couldn't see any other plant in the pot, it was beautiful. The red coleus with dark edges in the next pot rotted because for some reason that pot retained too much water...

KathyJo, this is the other coleus and I may have the name at home, this picture was also taken in the spring and it was huge and beautiful all summer long. I probably have a couple others but I don't know if I have pictures.

We do not have much luck with coleus. I think it has something to do with our culture of them. I am going to put some in pots next year and we will see. When we were down at Hiltons Head we seen a whole lot of coleus that were like nothing else i have ever seen for size and brilliant color.

Ozarkian, if in the spring you want to try some and mine survive the winter remind me and I will send you some starts.
Joyce

Joyce those are beautiful! Do you go to the round ups? And if so do you take starts? I would love to have both of those!

I went to my first ru this fall. This year I didn't know what to expect so I will do better about bringing starts and stuff to the spring ru.

I plan on coming in the spring & like you, have no idea what to expect, but plan on taking starts of stuff. Any suggestions?

cat, Looks to me at the ru's you would be hard pressed to bring a plant that someone wouldn't like. The last ru had a great variety of plants in pots, starts in water, and seeds. Everything from the exotic to the normal beautiful plants. Some people are just getting their gardens started and others have had their gardens going for along time, so their seems to be a home for everything. I just love knowing where the plant came from it just makes them more special...LOL

I need to get to Rich Hill sometime, I do genealogy and my family stopped there on their way to southern Missouri. From what I can tell one daughter married and stayed there.

Glad you are going to come to the next ru.

Joyce

I would LOVE to trade coleus.. Are you wanting to trade this autumn or in the spring at a RU..? I have nothing like the Sedona.

Some of my trades are just getting started.. I have a couple of varieties that I could share now. I am hoping to get them going and have starts to share at the Spring RU... But , Since it's a long time till Spring... I don't want to count my chickens before they hatch..

Ok, I finally got my pics on the computer from the RU. lol. I had to get the camera from my dad then I just got really busy. Also a few pics from Spooktacular. None of me yet.

First pic has AuntB, dellrose, tetelytuna, happgarden, and AuntB's daughter.

AuntB is in the tan with her back to me, dellrose in the flowered shirt, happ is in the back with the lavender jacket, tet is in the front with the light blue jacket and AuntB's daughter is off to the right there in the back.

Dave, tet, Fred who is Allysgram husband, Allysgram, and EvaMae.

I have no idea what they were digging up there. lol.

Fred posing for me. If I didn't know better I would say he loves being in front of the camera. lol.

Ok, will post more pics tomorrow.

Well, Pepper23, I did took pic of you already so here's what I took of RU at EveMae's....

Pepper, we had just dug the larger clumps of Comfrey that Ann & Allysgram are holding and I was pruning dead leaves off a smaller root of it.

I'm so glad some of you took pictures. I didn't even get my camera out.

Joyce, I'd like some of those coleus starts if you have enough of them in the spring. I just cut back some really tall ones I got at PG last Wed. and potted. I'll see if they will make it thru the winter in the plant area of the living room. Most of the 4 or 5 had new growth starting up from the base of them. One is deep purple with jagged edges on the narrow leaves, another one is deep purple with lime green on the leaves, and a couple are repeats of some sort of the above. A third one had a kind of bronze on the leaf with some green around it. If they make it and have much top growth at the time there will be at least cutting of it available at the spring SU. Coleus was one of Jack's favorite annuals. He loved the wild variety of colors they come in.

Dave, thanks for starting the new thread. It sounds as tho you have been really busy.

I'm giving up another raised bed for iris and some other perennials in the spring. All I need beds for in the veggie line is potatoes and garlics and maybe some spinach, lettuces, and Bright Lights Chard. I picked some of the BL Swiss Chard the other day and cooked it like spinach. I was suprised to find I actually like it. I remember hating it as a child. My mother always raised it. None of my children or Jack liked it either so I only raised a couple years. I raise the BL for color in the yarden beds.I can mix the spinach, lettuces, and chard right in with the flowers so no real need to save a raised bed for them unless the poultry eat them too much. They may become fenced in or raised in some of the old washer/dryer tubs beside the garage if that happens. I already have permanent rows along the bird yard for tomatoes, basils, green beans, etc. Some of the tomato area is likely going to give way to strawberries tho next year if the few Holly blessed me with this last summer make it thru the winter. If they do it will be a first for me.

I want to get more thornless blackberries next spring. Only 2 of the ones I got from Cockoo at a 2006 RU are still alive. And they are doing quite well. But no sign of spreading from the roots as I expected.

Must give in to sleep. GOD bless and keep each of you.

If the coleus cuttings I took root, which I believe the light green has but the copper one has not yet, by spring I should have tons because once they start growing I will need to cut back all winter long to keep them from getting too leggy for spring.

I have also tried to take cuttings of my mums because I am sick of replacing them every year, so the thought is to take a start and replace them with my own.

AuntB, if you are out there I have question on the brugs, how often do you fertilize and with what? I believe I read people were using miracle grow diluted. I planted them in miracle grow potting soil so I haven't done anything yet.

Happy, why do you replace your mums every year? Are they growing in pots?

I live on top of a hill out in the country and there aren't any wind breaks and the wind blows something awful up here, so I am guessing that is why many of my mums just don't make it thru the winter. All of my mums are in the ground, the one I purchased named "Helen" (which is my Mothers name and it is by an old concrete frog she use to have) has not come back 3 years in a row! But this year I am going to keep my own replacement ready for spring....LOL Several of my mums do come back over and over but some varieties just don't make it and this spring was particularly hard on them. The mum "Helen" every spring will start out with a little growth (like a couple of leaves) and then just die. I have mulched, watered, not watered you name it. If anyone can think what I might be doing wrong I am open for suggestions. Next year the cuttings will come in handy because the mum forum is going to have a swap in the spring anyway.

I got new 2008 Thompson & Morgan - The Seed Catalog... Pretty neat and it very nice flowers too...

I has this before when I was living in Southern California...

My mom teach me to know about her cacti & succulents for years.... Also I just love Number 1 is Thanksgiving or Christmas also Easter orchid cactus... And Epi, too! (Epiphyllum) and some other rare succulents...

I hope really hope for next year which it I trying to get my yard need to be fertilizers first... I try for some herbs, vegetables and some nice plants is coleus. I have purple one and other colors sure it still alive and I bring in before first frost hit... my house is warm enough and in early am it really cold down to 34* outside. Inside is not bad but I need central heater on to keep me warm...

I read some book which I got new 2008 Herbal Almance and sure I try to grow herbs... I did plant 2 sages in square paint clay box pot in attached garage...

I final found more (never be open) seeds in shoe box...

My kitchen is full again with my orchid cactus with coleus and brug also begonia, too...

Well, I just told you before that I was sick that I took flu and pnemonia shot and some medicines... I doing fine but my right side of my pelvis and hip really in pain for while (on and off)... So, my doctor told me to have surgery on my hip NO WAY! I was baby which I have dislocation of right hip (crippled) and put me in cast both legs with bottom metal bar to hold both feet to heal my hip joint back together...
So, I notice one of x-ray showing me it pretty bad but I can't lift any more and I can move around with my both arms... I have to be very carefully with my pelvis and hip nerves easy to break and it pin me down so I keep fight it... No one would not believe me what I am braver! I have enough blah blah for now ...

Take care,
Anna

I love Helen mum. It did well for me for a couple or 3 years, then did what your did for 2 springs. Then it just died. I think it has to do with poor drainage in our soil. I like your idea of taking your own cuttings. I use to get cuttings from PG each year but was never terribly successful.

I've been gone from home most of today. We had 42 at the cafe' tonight. That's a busy night for one waitress. Several groups of 5 - 8 people each.

GOD bless and keep each of you.

Autumn Greetings everyone! November, huh? Gee! Already??? I've been busy at work (and home) lately. I try to check in at least once a day. I've been trying to get the basement plants organized and it's going okay down there. (treated Maya for mealy bug yesterday, ....here we go.....) I potted up a bunch of left-over brug cuttings yesterday and they are on a heat mat in my Big Lots Mini Greenhouse... Out of 3 space heaters I own, 1 works, but it was the smallest so I'm not confident of it running without my supervision...I want to put up some plastic at one end to hold the heat in that area, but that is another weekend. It's really been a great weekend weather wise. We could use some rain, but I'll take these nice temps. I want to get out and take some pictures of the fall leaf colors....Amanda those were nice pics you posted. I'm liking the coleus pics too. I kept a few cuttings of a couple unusual ones, but we'll see if they make it and come full circle back to the yard next year. Joyce, I've always feed my brugs 20-20-20 full strength during the growing season a couple times a week, tapering off and on according to the season, I just sprinkle a couple tablespoonfuls on the pot and water in. This last summer I started trying seaweed extract and superthrive... but not long enough for a fair test, so I'll continue that regime next spring... they are very heavy feeders during the spring/summer. I was able to pick up a few additional kinds of brugs (double pink and a double white amongst a few others) this fall and will for sure have some new stuff for swapping next fall. Best wishes to all! -B

So AuntB you don't fertilize the brugs in the winter at all?
DH got my furnace going in the garden room. I have so many water plants and ee's that it is like being in the tropics. I have been throwing in every lady bug I can find to help me this winter.

Oh, your room sounds like the perfect oasis, a touch of the tropics, right there in Missouri. The brugs, some I'm growing this winter so I will.. but, not full strength. If they are going stay dormant, or even semi-dormant.. I taper off to no fertilizer before (or as) I'm bringing them in.

This isn't the greatest photography, but I wanted to post EvaMae's Mexican Sunflower picture... took at the 07 Fall RU- it's so pretty! Anyway it's what some of the "fuss" was about in other pics we've posted from the RU.

AuntB, my brugs are in the solar room and are getting direct sun from sunrise to sunset, they are all growing and I haven't lost any leaves. What do you think about feeding 1/2 rate of miracle grow? What would be your guess on how often? twice week, once a month? Sorry to be a pest.

Thanks
Joyce

You're not being a pest... I would give them 1/2 strength everytime I watered... or if they are drinking a lot - maybe every other time... NICE room! But that's just me Joyce... they might have a different regime over on the brug forum, but as long as they are showing growth (and no bugs), they are happy. If they are growing tremendously fast like in spring, I might fertilize a little heavier...

I love those Tithtonia(Mexican Sunflower). I'm glad everyone took seeds. I gathered some too but there are still thousands that will fall to the ground. PG staff says they don't think they will sprout in the spring if left outside all winter but we will see.

I'm going to buy bubble wrap to put over windows, and want to try to shut off the dining room for the winter. That will eliminate the wall furnace and the need for large fans to move the heat out of the room into the kitchen. So far the oil filled heater and a 16" pedestal fan is heating the kitchen & utility room pretty well. However true winter has not arrived. I have used a small ceramic fan driven heater in the utility room a few times in the worst of the winter. Worst case senario would find the cats and dogs confined to the kitchen at night and the utility room door covered with bubble wrap so that room would be largely unheated. The water lines wouldn't freeze so no problem there. Time will tell just what will be done and what will and won't work well enough to continue to do.

Must get going. The temps are high enough to work outside and the sun is shining. So much to get done outside.

GOD bless and keep each of you.

I let you all know that weather will get freeze warning tomorrow early morning at 2am to 8 am Tuesday and 10 pm Tuesday to 9am Wednesday... Tomorrow in my area will be 22* at 12 am... I have no problem with all my plants already inside so far except my 4 big brown pots still on the deck I cant move it so I have wait for my helper will come by someday....

Pepper23, about the hosta which you gave me and I did plant in ground and it been get yellow now and it that way to get dormant? It my first time about hosta habit...

Orchid cactus getting buds now and sure I glad it grew good in my attached garage also in my kitchen too... Hopeful it get some flowers by Dec. or Jan.

Take care and bless you all...

P.S. my back is just start to hurt (my lower spine) when it coming soon FREEZE!

Ok, running a bit behind on posting pics. lol. Here is Dave and Fred.

Some of my hostas have gone totally dormant and others look no different. Oz would know better than I but I am pretty sure they are starting to go dormant.

One of EvaMae's flowers. I cropped it to make it look better. :~)

Another pic of her gardens.

another

Rusty---- Those Hosta palnts you have came from my garden. I have about 135 v arieties of hosta. do not worry about the yellow that is normal this time of year. Most Hosta are very tough plants and they will come back in the spring. They are going dormant for the winter now. Worry more about to much sun and slugs than them dying off. I do not remember what ones it was I took up there but I think the green all green ones were Kossers Regal Hosta. If I see a picture of them next summer I will know.

Oz, Okay that all what I know so someday I get new hosta book from Timber Press (very good)...

It 32* now and sure it colder outside when I get my newpaper! Brrrr! I was living in Osgood, MO (up north)
and never forget how colder is! Down here where I live that it's not bad except icy storm first time worst than in Trenton...

Off to clean my house except sooner other storages...

Rusty curl up by the vent to keep warm...

Tonight it will be down to 22* (sorry I didn't read clear that I have get my glasses!)

Here's the pic of orchid cactus' buds (Schlumbergera, Christmas cactus)

Here's mum from Leaflady:

Another mum from Leaflady:

What beautiful colors! Rusty, will you be trading cuttings in the spring? I'll share my bright yellows.