Wrapping Up Fall Projects

 I have been wrapping things up for autumn, figuratively and literally.  We may hit 32 for our first freeze this weekend.  I still am hanging on to one tomato plant.  It has become a game to see how long I can keep it going, even if it never has another ripe tomato on it.  Today we hit the 70's again after cool temps and lots of rain.  Tonight I wrapped the tomato in a wall of plastic, topped with heavy frost cloth so it has some ventilation.

I followed through on my plan to wash my pots before storing them this fall.  I brought up hot water from the basement to fill my largest tubs on the driveway.  I added bleach to the water to sanitize them with a 10 minute soak (or so).  It worked out nicely to have so much room to work.  It was hard on the back, but I can think of worse ways to spend a gorgeous fall day. (Like the two days my husband and I worked in a very large, very loud costume warehouse to help the band raise money.)

I have a good variety of pots salvaged from other gardeners as well as ones I have saved myself.  It was good to have some help re-stacking them all back together when they were dry.  It will be much appreciated when I am not doing it in a 6'x6' area this winter.  I also don't have to worry about filling the drains with excess soil.

I kept around some of the flats that have broken corners.  I double them up to compensate for their weaknesses.  Many garden centers box plants, so acquiring more flats is not as easy as pots.  I even wash out cell pack to reuse for planting seedlings.

I am also coming along in the cutting bench.  I root some plants in glass jars in water while others I use a sand/sand mix kept moist.  Most cuttings that require a period of callousing off (letting the cutting lie exposed to air over night) I will also use a rooting hormone powder before sticking them in the sand.  Geraniums are one plant I root in sand.  Coleus have been rooting in the glass jars very well.  I also start some of my vines and small flowering plants in water.
The kraut is also coming along well.  It has been fermenting for about a week and is bubbling well.  I push out the excess "air" each day.  I think there must be at least one more week before it is ready.
Now that the plants are in and the cuttings are started, I have some time off to enjoy a few days off.