Still gardening even after the first snow.

While the rest of the crew went hunting, my oldest sister and I set out with leaf blowers to clear off their lawn before the first snow.  It is a pretty big yard, so it was nice to do it together.  

My own yard is not such a monumental task, but there are the beds to clean up and all the corners to clean up.  I mulched the healthy leaves into my compost bin.  The tar spot on the maples, apple scab on the crabs, and black walnut leaves all went to the curb.  The weather forecast for this past week was not good.  My goal on Sunday was to get it all to the curb to make the November 15th cut off for city pick up.  I was so sore at the end that I had to push through.  A hot shower followed by ibuprofen and a heating pad were so welcome.

When we got our snow on 11/11, I was glad to have it done.  The rest of the week was pretty cold and windy.  The flowering kale pulled through but it was pretty frosty after the snow.

The leaves droop and sag with the cold, and perk up as the temperatures come above freezing.  It is fun to watch them come back each day as it warms up just enough.  I still have some edible kale in the garden.  This cold should add sweetness to the plants as they produce more sugars as anti-freeze.  There is also parsnips and carrots to dig up.  I need to get the garlic in the ground this weekend as well.  I regret that I did not get my pot washing done this fall.  It is time to put away the garden tools and make room for a car for the winter months.