the straw coverth

Saturday is the DAY! If the plastic doesn't get on the hoophouse Sat., it may never happen. Busy week at the farm. Bet you thought this time of year we just sat around watching tv? The patch is about 1/2 covered w/straw. The weather has been beautiful for working outside, how long can it last?

.....just settled down for a long winters nap.

This is the tagging I use. I usually purchase new tags every year. Each year they get thinner and more light weight than the year before! Next year they will probably made of tin foil! All the straw is snugged in by hand, as we have to work around the tags, and to make sure each rhizome is tucked in.

Indoor Plant Care

Are you one of those who brings your indoor plants outside in the summer? By now hopefully you have brought them back in and they likely look like crap. My best advice is to leave your indoors plants there, inside. Moving plants to and fro creates a lot of plant stress. Even the brightest indoor location does not match being outside in the shade. Many climate elements effect your plants, especially when you bring them outdoors in the spring. WIND, SUN Strength, humidity changes, cooler nightime temps, more likely to get insects problems. Normally, your plants my have just adjusted to the new outside location, when you bring them back indoors. Never set your indoor plants outside just for a bit of sunshine, they'll fry. Yes, I'll admit to having done this back when I was a plant ignoramous. You probably think I have tons of indoor plants....NOT. I have none. When autumn comes, I need a plant break! I bring in dried arrangments to get me through the winter.

BENDING MY OWN RULES.....a little

In a normal weather year, you should never winter mulch the plants until the ground is staying frozen. Usually that starts about now. Winter mulching is covering your plants with 6-12" of loose material, the crown and all. Not to be confused with mulching around the base of plants to conserve moisture during the growing season. The danger of winter mulching to early, is getting a streak of warm, wet weather that would than be prone to rot the plant crown. But.....the season grows real short, and if I don't start covering my 2 acres of iris soon (by hand) it will never get done. The main purpose of winter mulch is for 'spring' protection, not winter. It helps to keep the root systems from drying in winter if no snow cover for wind protection, and in the spring helps to keep the soil temps more even, stopping the plants from 'heaving' out of the ground. Heaving happens when we get the warm days and frozen nights in late winter/early spring. Normally when possible, thick layers of mulch are removed in stages. If you already have a lot of pale green growth because you are uncovering late, be sure to do in stages, like 3 steps over a weeks times. If you remove all at once it can scorch that tender new growth. Cloudy days better than sunny. Follow my blog throughout the winter for more garden tips and babbling nonsense!