With Halloween right around the corner, it’s a good time to mention that here at Gardenerd HQ we’ve been dealing with our first-ever Chicken Mite infestation. 10 years raising hens, and this creepy crawly experience has never happened. I’m covered in bites, we’re laundering everything every day, and spraying down the coop and hens with various and sundry things. More on that later.
As we return to status quo, we remain in the “between times”. Here’s some inspiration to get you through the rest of this month.
Fall Flowering Abundance
Rutgers Devotion basil just keeps on giving. It outperformed every basil we grew this summer. Opal basil reaches the end of its life. The flowers attract pollinators in the meantime. Rosemary is blooming for bees this fall. These sweet potatoes will be ready for a November harvest. Then we’ll plant peas, herbs, and celeriac in this bed.
Honey Harvest Time
Mittens inspects the bee smoker after our recent honey harvest. We leave the bee harvesting equipment out for the bees to clean up. They’ll remove every drop of honey and most of the remaining comb.“Slum gum” is what’s left after crushing the honey comb. We’ll melt this down and strain it to extract the last of the honey. This was from a very old super, and it was time to remove the old wax to keep the hive clean. Gardenerd Homestead Honey 2022. If you’re on our gift list, you might get one of these.
Anticipation – Fall Check In
Our tangerine tree is ripening. They will be ready to pick in early winter.Ladybug larvae hanging out in the asparagus patch. They love to live there over winter. Fall crops are nearly ready to plant out. We’ll thin them this week, and prep beds for planting.
Fall planting is underway in most gardens. Enjoy this transition to cooler weather, shorter days, and a whole new set of crops to enjoy. How is your fall going? Share your fall check in below in the comments.
