Open today at 10

Despite the wind and chill we will be open today as I will need to be there to cut flowers for the market tomorrow. Hope it has dried off out there. I have landed on my rear-end in the mud about 6 times already. Maybe I need better traction on my worn out shoes, maybe I need to slow down a bit when I walk, or maybe it is just the law of averages....I probably spend more time walking in the mud than the average person. Mind you.....I am not 'really' complaining about the mud........because as far back as I can remember.... I have loved it!!!!!

As the weather declines....

we will try to have our farm market set-up as self serve. We will attempt to have everything priced, leave your cash in the box. So come with change and small bills! We will be there when weather is decent, but can't sit out there when it's wet & cold and nothing else we can work on out there. Until hard frost we will have tomatoes, rasp, green beans just starting again, herbs, flowers. After hard frost we will still have squash, pumpkins & russet potatoes, broccoli. We will likely be open thru Sept., and may continue the Mankato Farmers Market into October.

Closed today unless....

it suddenly stops raining, warms up, dries up. The bright side for us is we needed the rain, and we have rarely had to close this summer due to weather issues.

Don't forget to water.

It seems when it gets cold and folks stay indoors, they often forget about the plants that are stuck in the ground w/o rain or water. Even if the tops are fading, the roots are still growing and they are the part afterall that need the water! Watering should continue until the ground stays frozen, like late November if rainfall is not adequate. Obviously not as much watering as hot sunny days call for, but do not let them completely dry out. Mums are shallow rooted plants, that need more water than most fall plants. Evergreens especially need water going into winter.
Their needles (their leaves) transpire (breath) all winter. The evergreen trees & shrubs will have a lot less browning on their leaves if they are full hydrated going into winter. There are some sprays for evergreens, but I have heard they are not effective. Adequate water this time of year is about 1/2 - 1 inch per week.

Fall Planting info

We will NOT be selling bareroot peonies this fall as we just moved and divided our 'patch' last year. We do have several types in containers ready to go home with you. One of the questions I always get asked at the Farmer's Market about our potted plants....."is it okay to plant these now?" If it wasn't.........I wouldn't be selling them!!!! We are a responsible plant nursery, and don't sell plants out of their planting season (if they have one). You should stop digging & dividing plants if you have not already. Moving an entire plant without ruining the rootball can still be done for about 2 more weeks. Dig the new hole first, then dig plant, leaving the plant on the shovel when possible and slide into new planting hole. Too much soil disruption from the root ball, and it's just like planting bareroot. The attached soil is the 'roothairs' lifeline to water. Just because you water a plant right away, it doesn't mean it has the ability to 'take up' water until it's root hairs get established again. A plant in a container (pot) can be planted into the ground as long as the 'soil is workable.' So normally thru October, but the sooner the better. KEEP THE ROOT ROOTBALL INTACT. If it is tightly wound at the bottom, a few gentle cuts with a scissors or tickling of the roots to encourage them to grow out, the less you disturb it the better. Had a new gardener tell me this spring she always had trouble with her veggie plants. When I asked her how she planted them, she replied " I remove all the soil off the roots and plant them in the ground" enuf said!!!! =(
(reminder....garden classes in the spring, details will be posted later)

Closed for Labor Day

No, I am not taking another day off, heading out soon to water, mow and unload the truck. A farmgirls work is never done. Open T-F this week from 10-6. May shorten the hours as fall closes in, we'll post here and on the farm sign if we do.

Fall is coming....time to read!

Truth be told, I only have time to read the new seed/plant catalogs. This farmer does not get much of a winter break! Anyhow, on the radio show last week I mentioned my 3 favorite garden books and thought you should know too!
1. Encyclopedia of Gardening: AHS (American Hort. Society) edited by C. Brickel
'IF' you can have only one gardening book....get this one. It has a little bit of everything from rose gardening, bed design, woody plants, vegetables, hardscapes, herbs, propagation etc.
It also has great photos.

2. A-Z Garden plants: AHS also edited by C. Brickel
This book will have care & cultivation information on any plant you will likely ever grow.
Great info and photos.

3. Woody Plant Manual: Micheal Dirr
Dirr is the foremost authority on trees & shrubs. I believe there was only one plant I was researching that I could not find in there. No photos, only line drawings. He does have other books with photos however.

Put any of these on your Christmas list! They run between $30-70, depending on where you find them. All 3 are very large reference books. Be an informed gardener!!!