Things to Do In January

Chickens

• Begin adding light

Events

• Look for rodeo events at http://www.lonestarrodeocompany.com/lonestarhistory.html to see when they will be around

Harvest

• Check to see if temperatures are good for black walnut sap harvesting

Infrastructure

• Build garden beds

Livestock

Breeding Table

	Breeding Date	Birth Date	Breeding Date	Birth Date
Mare	Jan 1	Dec 6	Feb 1	Jan 6
Cow	Jan 1	Oct 10	April 1	Jan 8
Ewe	Jan 1	May 30	Sept 1	Jan 26
Sow	Jan 1	April 22	Oct 1	Jan 20

One Hour or Less Activities

• Take pictures
• Trim up a tree
• Mulch a tree
• Put away cardboard
• Save dog & chicken food bags

Planting

• Blueberries should be planted while dormant, usually from November through March
• Indoors
• Flowers: Dianthus, pansies, snap dragons 
• Veggies: Cabbage, broccoli, onions, leeks (plant out in march), lettuce
• Prune
• Fruit Trees
• Blooming
• Petunia Cuttings taken in August may bloom now

Prune Fruit Trees

• When the temps are going to be below or close to freezing
• When the south or west side is not going to have sap flow

Snow Considerations

• If heavy snow, brush off of shrubs with a broom to prevent damage

Wildlife

• Put out nesting boxes so they will be weathered and ready for early nesting birds

Things to Do in December

Events

• 2018-12-21 Yule - Winter Solstice

Infrastructure

• Build garden beds

Livestock

Breeding Table

	Breeding Date	Birth Date	Breeding Date	Birth Date
Mare	Dec 1	Nov 5	Jan 1	Dec 6
Cow	Dec 1	Sept 9	March 1	Dec 8
Ewe	Dec 1	April 26	Aug 1	Dec 27
Sow	Dec 1	March 21	Sept 1	Dec 21

Plant

• Start sweet potato slips just to have greenery in the house
• Blueberries should be planted while dormant, usually from November through March

Roses

• Then, between the last week of November and the first two weeks in December, cut back the canes to 2' - 3' to keep them from blowing around in the winter winds and loosening the soil around the roots. Remove all pruning debris from the beds. Place a mound of soil or mulch about 12 inches high around each bush to protect the bud union from freeze damage. In addition, if you want to minimize the amount of winter die-back at the end of each cane, you can further protect the canes by piling oak leaves, or loose hay or other loose organic materials about two feet high around the bushes. You can keep these from blowing away with a small cage made from chicken wire or other fence wire.http://www.nashvillerosesociety.com/GrowingBeautifulRoses.html

Snow Considerations

• If heavy snow, brush off of shrubs with a broom to prevent damage

Spring Bulbs

• Plant out bulbs for forcing

Wildlife

• Put out nesting boxes so they will be weathered and ready for early nesting birds

Things to Do in November

FIRST FROST

• Oct 5th - 10% Chance
• Oct 22nd - 50 % Chance
• Nov 9th - 90%
• 2012 - 11/13
• 2017 - 10/29

Blueberries 

• should be planted while dormant, usually from November through March

Bulbs

• Spring Bulbs go on sale at Brent & Becky's Bulbs - they sell out fast
• Plant Spring Bulbs

Buy

• Spring Bulbs Go On Sale
• Seeds from previous year go on sale

Harvest

• Walnuts
• Morning Glory Seeds

Hunting

• Prepare for Deer season
• Wash/Clean dehydrator
• Make sure there is room in freezer
• Sharpen knives
• Buy license(s)

Infrastructure

• Build garden beds

Leaves

• Shred leaves and use for mulch
• When 50% of leaves have fallen, spray with compost tea (Holistic Orchard)

Plant

• Nothing at this time

Roses

• Then, between the last week of November and the first two weeks in December, cut back the canes to 2' - 3' to keep them from blowing around in the winter winds and loosening the soil around the roots. Remove all pruning debris from the beds. Place a mound of soil or mulch about 12 inches high around each bush to protect the bud union from freeze damage. In addition, if you want to minimize the amount of winter die-back at the end of each cane, you can further protect the canes by piling oak leaves, or loose hay or other loose organic materials about two feet high around the bushes. You can keep these from blowing away with a small cage made from chicken wire or other fence wire. http://www.nashvillerosesociety.com/GrowingBeautifulRoses.html

Seed Catalogs

• Printed Seed Catalogs Begin Arriving

Snow Considerations

• If heavy snow, brush off of shrubs with a broom to prevent damage

To Do

Don't need to do everything every time - just a list of things that have been on the To Do list in November in years past

• Trees
• Mulch
• Wrap
• Weed & mulch paths
• Inventory Seeds
• Store Animal Feed
• Write up lessons learned
• Begin planning for next year

Trees

• Plant trees
• Sell firewood right before Thanksgiving - plan a year in advanced

Wildlife

• Hang bird feeders
• Wax Begonias  & Impatiens Cuttings taken in August may bloom now

Things to Do in October

Events

• 2018-10-31 Samhain (New Years Eve)

FIRST FROST - Murfreesboro

• Oct 5th - 10% Chance
• Oct 22nd - 50 % Chance
• Nov 9th - 90% 
• 2012 - 10/29
• 2013 - 10/24
• 2014 - 10/5
• 2015 - 10/17
• 2017 - 10/29

Harvest

• Maybe last of Chicago Hardy Figs (StarkBros) - harvest before last frost
• Late Oct - Missouri Hardy Pecan
• Mid to Late Oct - 
• Kanza Pecan
• Pawnee Pecan
• 120 day Pumpkin & winter squash planted in mid June
• Black Walnuts
• 2013 - 10/03 Began harvesting
• 2015 - 10/12 2 1/2 gallons
• 2017
• 10/11 100 BW
• 10/13  52 BW
• 10/15  501 BW
• 10/16  347 WB
• 10/20  70
• Southern Giant Pecans
• Sunflower Sprouts from spilled seed
• 2017 - 10/20  24 each
• Seed Harvest
• 2013 - 10/20
• Mixed Basil
• 2016 -10/15
• Morning Glories
• Moon Flowers

Farmers Market

• 2013 - 10/12
• Orange Tomatoes
• Red slicing tomatoes
• roma tomatoes
• carrots
• green cauliflower
• fried pies - peach
• Bianca White (Sweet) Peppers
• Green (Bell) Peppers
• Orange (Bell) Peppers
• Hot Red Peppers
• New Potatoes

Blooming

• 2015 - 10/7
• Red penstemon
• Basil
• Little daisy-like things
• Last of honeysuckle
• Last of small yellow rudebekias
• 2016 - 10/15
• Heavenly Blue Morning Glories
• Little White Daisies
• "Ditch" Morning Glories

Garden - Events

• Per Tennessee Gardener (Oct 2011), bulb sale at Ivan Racheff House and Garden in Knoxville. First Th-Fr-Sat each year.
• Last month for the Murfreesboro's "Saturday Farmer's Market"

Garden - Sowing

• Plant winter rye cover crop (chickens can also graze in winter for greens)
• Per Tennessee Gardener (Oct 2011), plant hardy onion plants and sets, winter cabbage and collards (cabbage and collards surviving to 15*F)
• Sow hardneck garlic

Wildlife

• Per Tennessee Gardener (Oct 2011), put up bird feeders.

Roses

• Next, stop cutting off dead blooms in early October; this signals the plant to stop producing new growth so it can be ready for winter. Remove only the petals to keep the beds clean. http://www.nashvillerosesociety.com/GrowingBeautifulRoses.html

Trees

• When 50% of leaves have fallen, spray with compost tea (Holistic Orchard)

February 24

2015

Gardening in middle Tennessee

Record-keeping has been spotty this year as we have been moving. Hope to catch up on that this weekend. I am happy to see that some of my tomato seeds from 2006 and 2007 have germinated, even if rates are low as expected. If I can get tomatoes off of one or two plants, then I can have fresh seed. I am also pleased that peppers are doing well.

I put seedlings under lights this last few days. They have turned from pale yellow to green. Today will be their first full day in light. Hopefully they are a dark greens you in a day or two. 

Moved to The Little Biddy Henhouse 12/12/18

September 25

2012

2012

Gardening in Middle Tennessee.
Changing water every day for the basil cuttings. Rosemary outside for morning sun. Time to start October journal. I hope I can get six or seven years [out of each book], I've planned for seven. We'll see how it goes.

Moved to The Little Biddy Henhouse 12/12/18

August 14

2005

2006

2005

Gardening in the High Desert
[Sunday] I won't be building a garden room any time soon, but I wonder how my garden bench would fare outside all winter.
WINTER THOUGHTS

• Bulbs for forcing
• Don't forget that you got a bunch of Christmas stuff last year
• Bus some music or nature sound CDs

2006

Gardening in the High Desert

• Some of the hybrid popular [trees] are 3 feet tall. so hard to start holding back on water, but if I want to see them next year, I better! [2013-08-11 I presume this is so they will harden off for the winter]
• Mulched the ones along the south fence, but still need to mulch the ones against the west (2006-09-03) [Presume that the date in parenthesis refers to when I mulched the ones against the west fence]
• Need to keep pinching flower buds back on the basil.  They looked so naked after I harvested my little bit, but I hear they will grow back with a vengeance.
• [Check marked] Buy bleach, rubber gloves
• MDH flattened out and graded where the chicken house will be, and also the area he wants to put rock in to store his cars
• I so don't want to work today.  Just want to sit in the mellow sun
• Mulch tress n. of metal building 9/6/2006
• Make concrete Garlic signs 9/2/2006 Made a wood one [not concrete]