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nhbabs

Late fall chores

NHBabs z4b-5a NH
11 years ago

The recent storms got me to finish up planting and putting away containers, so I find myself with some time during this nicer weather to do late fall garden work. Like PixieLou who mentioned bittersweet on the November photo thread, I've been spotting invasives (buckthorn & honeysuckle due to their late hanging leaves and bittersweet due to its berries) and pulling and cutting them. I know it's a nonending task since I've got over 100 acres to do, but I've found that I can make dents by really clearing an area and then just spot checking as needed. We are considering returning more of our old grown-in field to farming (the local dairy farmer is looking for more land to plant as houses have taken over some of the fields he used to use and he already plants the fields we have) so the amount I need to keep clear of invasives may be reduced in the next year or two.

We have a large old rhododendron (probably roseum elegans) which a PO planted, but is really too large for the spot. I've procrastinated on pruning it until DH, contemplating having to plow around where it had grown out into the driveway yet another winter, threatened to take a chainsaw to it if I didn't get it at least a bit under control. So I spent several hours pruning it, though since I didn't want to look at bare stems all winter and miss out on all the flowers next spring, it will need further pruning immediately after bloom next spring. So here is the pile of prunings:

From Rhodie pruning November 14, 2012

Here is the rhodie post-hacking:

From Rhodie pruning November 14, 2012

and here are the rooted branches I transplanted temporarily into the veggie garden from the driveway. If next anyone wants a potentially huge rhododendron or 5 next spring and is close enough to drive to central NH and get them, let me know.

From Rhodie pruning November 14, 2012

I still need to clean up old foliage on plants like hosta and peonies.

What chores do you do once the growing season is done but winter hasn't really hit?

Comments (35)

  • claireplymouth z6b coastal MA
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I don't grow veggies so I don't have to deal with that kind of bed which needs replanting each year. I do little fall cleanup because snow cover is erratic and often non-existent here in winter, while winter winds are very reliable. Without snow cover the plants are vulnerable so I want to leave what ever natural cover is there and add to it.

    I also don't want to cut back perennial stalks and leave the crowns exposed to the wind and cold. Sometimes I'll cut back stalks (like peonies) if they're particularly ugly, but I wait until all of the carbohydrates are sent down to the roots (you can see the white starch if you cut a stalk too soon).

    Soon I'll be spreading compost on all of the beds, covering the hosta leaves, etc., so they'll compost in place. Yesterday I turned the compost pile again to make sure it's usable. I also organized the compost area so I can dump organic materials after the pile freezes without worrying about wind dispersing the stuff.

    I've already raked a bunch of leaves onto the beds for protection and I'll do that again if more leaves appear, although two windstorms brought down most of the oak leaves earlier than usual.

    I need to tackle the rambling roses that ramble too far, like into the pathway, and try to bring them back to an acceptable space.

    I also will pull out more of the blackberries and brambles that are easier to see now.

    Some (well, many) of the ornamental grasses need to be staked better after the winds. I'm still experimenting with methods of keeping them presentable.

    Claire

  • prairiemoon2 z6b MA
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    We clean up the vegetable beds every fall. Everything but the chives and the asparagus get pulled. Then I add as much grass clippings mixed with chopped leaves as will fit into the raised beds.

    We've put away pots and tools for the season, but we leave the hose going until a freeze. We also leave plastic adirondack chairs out for the winter.

    We have a passive compost pile and I usually empty that in the spring for some reason. Although when I have created lasagna beds in the fall, I have emptied the compost pile to do that.

    I almost always transplant and plant new plants in the fall, but not much of that this year and now I think it is a little late.

    In past years, I've finished stonework projects, created pathways with cardboard and mulch.

    I still plan on doing more cleaning up in the perennial bed, but probably not a lot.

    Doing very little this year, but I am spreading some Planttone and Hollytone around the base of some of the shrubs & trees.

    And I'm not fussing about any of it this year. I am slowing turning toward taking better care of the houseplants.

    That's about it. :-)

  • prairiemoon2 z6b MA
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Oh, btw, Babs, those two shrubs next to the house look great! I think you did an excellent job shaping the Rhododendron. :-)

  • defrost49
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    You did a great job on the rhododendron. I tried pruning a large one once and made a mess of it. The next owner removed it.

    I'm going to use the birds as an excuse not to clean up the perennial beds. I divided an iris and neatened up one bed quite some time ago. A friend had given me the iris and it turned out to have two colors mixed in the clump. I like to leave anything with seed heads for the birds to enjoy but there doesn't seem to be very many around lately. Didn't even have Canada geese overnighting like last year.

    I pulled some carrots last night and wondered how long I can keep harvesting before the ground freezes. Also picked some spinach earlier in the week. Last year the spinach over-wintered and produced a small, but welcome crop in the early spring.

    We have a yard hydrant in our new high tunnel DH built. My husband has given me lessons in the proper shut down procedures so I don't leave water in the standing pipe where it can freeze. I also have to detach the hose and make sure it's empty. Even if the high tunnel doesn't work out as planned, the yard hydrant puts a water spigot next to my vegetable garden so I don't have to haul lengths of hose across the driveway etc.

  • NHBabs z4b-5a NH
    Original Author
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Defrost - May we see photos of your new high tunnel and hear about it?

  • defrost49
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Sorry for the delay. Needed to figure out how to post a photo but kept getting reject msgs so here's the other option of using Photobucket link.

    My husband decided it would be easiest and cheapest if he built a wood frame covered by greenhouse plastic. You might note that the cushioning material has wiggled loose. The peaked roof is to provide good slope for snow to slide off. The sides easily roll up, then are held in place with bungee cords. You will notice a gap in the front left corner. Before Sandy, my husband put strapping over the loose side edges to prevent the wind from getting inside. The gutter and rain barrel seem to work on the left but the different drip hose on the right isn't working. So much to learn! The opening is large enough for the tractor/bucket to enter. The door handles are bent pieces of rebar which can drop into plastic pipes in the ground to hold the doors shut tightly. The rubber flaps on the bottom also help seal. On sunny days, this heats up but at night it cools back down to exterior temperatures. I now have Agribon fabric over the beds for added warmth. I think our lows have been 19 to 21 but it heats up to 90s on a sunny dy in November. I transplanted romaine lettuce, broccoli, and basil seedlings but the basil couldn't handle the cold nights. A tomato transplant also didn't make it. I was hoping to have green beans until Thanksgiving but haven't learned how to keep them warm enough. In recent years, the trick has been to protect things from a mid-Sept light frost. Now I'm hoping to have veggies all winter. I seeded beets and spinach in late October, about one month later than I should have. There has been germination but we'll see how well they do in the shorter days. The garden hose has water supplied by a yard hydrant which is located inside the high tunnel. A ditch to put the water line below frost was dug last summer. The yard hydrant can be used in the winter. When it is shut off, the water drops back down to below frost level.
    Anyone else experimenting with season extending methods in New England. I have the Eliot Coleman books.

    Here is a link that might be useful: high tunnel

  • NHBabs z4b-5a NH
    Original Author
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Defrost - Thanks for adding info. Here's your image. You want to use the HTML code, not one of the others. (I just did a cut and paste from your photobucket page.)

    Looks a nice size. I'm a bit jealous - I've often thought I'd like a medium-small greenhouse for winter veggies. Maybe some day, though I am not sure it is practical.

    Does it have a single or double layer of plastic? Some folks in the greenhouse forum use a solar pool cover over the outside or plastic bubble wrap stuck on the inside to increase the R value so that it doesn't lose as much heat at night. Do you leave your row cover on all the time? Have you any water containers to try to help mitigate the heat swings? I'd love updates periodically on how it does. Is this the first year?

  • diggerdee zone 6 CT
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Ooh, I'm very jealous! And not just of your great greenhouse but of the amount of land (and sun!) you seem to have (and the great stone wall!)

    I too would love updates as well, if its not too much trouble. Good luck with it and have fun!

    Dee
    who's still raking leaves...

  • defrost49
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    16x24 seems to be plenty big enough since there's just the two of us (nearby family but don't seem to need a lot of veggies). Yes, this is the first winter. Single plastic with row covers left in place now that nights are so cold. I don't remember the date when we rolled down the sides and left them down. Sugar Snap peas didn't like the high daytime temps so I did not get a late fall crop. OTOH had a nice late harvest of zucchini until the first cold night but I'm not sure I could have done just as well with a late planting outside. Somewhere I got the idea that we would have green beans until Thanksgiving and that didn't happen. I use a low tunnel to protect a late planting of beans since we can get a touch of frost mid-Sept. If I can get the beans thru that early cold spell, we can usually have a few more weeks of beans.
    I hope to get an early start of some things next spring. One of our daughter-in-law's relatives in East Concord is eating zucchini in June with the help of low plastic tunnels.
    Thanks for putting my photo here.

  • defrost49
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Dee, we are very lucky to live where we do. I had too many trees and shade where we used to live. The stone wall is visible because my husband has put many hours into cleaning along the wall, grubbing out puckerbrush, and generally making things look neat. To the right was a former apple orchard. The trees were long gone and everything had grown up to woods again. Since we heat with wood, the cleared trees went into the woodpile. It will now be a future hay field for a neighbor. This year I requested a band of wild meadow to be left. You can't see it in the photo since the area next to the high tunnel was cut to provide space for a 3-bin compost pile. We enjoy seeing birds visit the tall grasses, milkweed, etc.

    I skimmed thru both of the Eliot Coleman books I have which discuss the pros and cons of adding some heat to make it a cool greenhouse instead of a cold greenhouse. I don't think we will do that. I have to learn how to grow leeks. They would be a good crop to have in the GH. I will start some plants indoors to transplant into the high tunnel later. Right now it's the dormant period of short days and little growth. I shouldn't have to water again until mid-March. I have a section of beets and spinach seeded in late October that are tiny seedlings. Not sure if they will make it thru the coldest nights.

    The interior temperature gets as cold as outside at night although the thermometer is on a side post. Hopefully it's a few degrees warmer under the Agribon fabric.

    Thanks for your interest in our project!

  • bill_ri_z6b
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Defrost,
    I had a greenhouse years ago, although it was for growing tropicals and orchids, not winter veggies. But it was extremely expensive to heat, and that's here in zone 6B. May I ask you, being in zone 5, do you find it cost-effective to heat your greenhouse all winter as compared to buying veggies at a market? I'm sure it's a joy to have that and I know the joy of having a greenhouse, the smell of the earth in mid-winter, and the feeling of accomplishment when you gather fresh produce. But I just wondered about the cost of the greenhouse vs. the supermarket.

    {{gwi:5901}}

  • NHBabs z4b-5a NH
    Original Author
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Bill
    If I am understanding correctly, it's a cold greenhouse, so only gets solar heat and is ambient temperature at night. Right now the plants are not really growing, just maintaining, and the plastic skin and the row cover keep the veggies from freezing and allow for easier harvesting.

    Defrost
    I think we devote more garden space to leeks than any other veggie because we harvest them whenever they aren't totally buried in snow. Mine have been under 6-8" of mulch since some time in October. They are easy to grow. When we started from seed we started in February, but the last few years we have grown from purchased plants. I plant them out in May in trenches several inches deep and then as they grow add soil or mulch to pile up to the lowest leaf. Harvest when they get big. Our favorite variety is King Richard because of the long tight stalks, but I think there are other varieties that are supposed to do better in really cold winters. I have't had issues with King Richard not making it through a winter. We harvest in the spring also if there are leeks left until they start sprouting, when they get tough.

  • spedigrees z4VT
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    We've been very busy this fall with end-of-the-year tasks, to the point where I haven't even visited this (or other) forums in awhile. The clear weather has continued now for several weeks and I feel that I should not waste any of it indoors. Finally though, I am seeing the light at the end of the tunnel.

    Two things happened this fall. First hubby retired, so now we can work outdoors whenever the weather allows, instead of hoping for agreeable weather on the weekends. The second thing was that our arduous and expensive boundary dispute finally resulted in a decision. It was mostly good since we kept our land that really mattered to us on the north side, but we lost a small strip of land on the south side which unfortunately cut off a section of our walking path. Therefore our big project this autumn was to extend our path through the woods so that it curves around in a big circle. It was quite a task, involving the brush mower, cutting trees and planting new ones, but the end result is a longer path with some pretty views at the top.

    Also, with hubby home and the weather cooperating, we mowed the property and trimmed the weeds one last time just as the grass was going dormant, instead of leaving it overgrown going into winter and having to clean it all up in the spring. We also mapped out some large areas to re-forest around the perimeter of our meadow, and left them unmowed. I cleaned out the vegetable patch and gathered pine debris from the trail clearing enterprise, and tossed this on the unmowed future wooded areas to compost. We sawed up the downed tree trunks for fire wood. With the last of our horses gone to greener pastures, we no longer have to preserve all of our few acres as open land to feed them, so it is a shift in focus for us to be cultivating trees.

    Speaking of extending paths, is your monumental bluestone path finished, Claire? I probably need to read through the recent posts. I think your project involved more work than our own. It was turning out beautifully from the last photos I saw.

    Your property sounds/looks wonderful, nhbabs. Clearing one hundred acres of invasives would be a daunting task, but I think you are on the right track just working on smaller areas and keeping them clear. If the arrangment works out with the farmer to cultivate some of your fields, it should be a big help to you. I've never seen bittersweet here; I think Vermont is too cold for it to grow, but I do remember my mom and others deliberately planting bittersweet as an ornamental in the Boston area back in the 1950s. Wow, who knew it would take such a stranglehold on the native trees!

    I am scarred from battling the blackberry brambles during the path project. This past year the bushes had beautiful prolific blossoms and promising looking green berries, but then the dry weather came and berries ripened into shriveled inedible fruit. I tend to look more kindly on the mass of brambles in years when they produce a good crop of berries!

    Defrost, your hubby did a really professional job on your greenhouse/tunnel. Your watering system is very inventive. I'd love to see photos later of the plants growing inside. It looks like a great set-up.

    I've been stringing Christmas lights these past couple days. It makes hauling water to the blue spruce seedlings less of a chore with the pretty visual light effects. I guess I'm going to have to tackle the long neglected housework now that all my outdoor tasks are done! There's no way around it I guess.

  • claireplymouth z6b coastal MA
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    spedigrees said: "I guess I'm going to have to tackle the long neglected housework now that all my outdoor tasks are done! There's no way around it I guess."

    Hee-hee, that's one of the ways I motivate myself to do whatever - if I don't do whatever I have to clean the house. It almost always works.

    I stopped working on the bluestone path for the season for a lot of reasons, but the foremost was that I have to order another yard of sand for the bed to continue and I didn't want to have to live with a half-eaten pile of sand next to my car all winter. I wouldn't have been able to finish everything I want to do before the weather got too unpleasant.

    I also want to see how the path works out when we get serious ice, as we do here. I've tried to leave alternate grassy walking paths if the bluestone gets too slippery so I can get to the birdfeeders and bird baths and mail box and my car without slip-sliding away.

    I think I've graded everything OK, but ice/snow melt may prove otherwise (it did last year).

    The body appreciated my stopping before I damaged myself, and the house appreciates being back in some sort of order.

    Claire (admiring all the industrious folk on the forum)

  • defrost49
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    spedigrees, it's great to have extra time to work outdoors. DH is semi-retired so usually available for projects. Retirement is still a future for me. Glad your boundary dispute is settled. Last year my husband found survey flagging on our property in an isolated area. We have no idea who put it there or why. It was very unsettling.
    Bill, as nhbabs explained, this is an unheated plastic "high tunnel" using ideas from Eliot Coleman's books. He market gardens in Maine so we should be able to do something similar. Basically, in the coldest part of winter the veggies should be things that can freeze and thaw without turning to mush. I'm ashamed to say I haven't learned how to grow leeks yet. Transplanting tiny grass-like seedlings scares me. An internet friend said she dibbles a holes, drops in the seedling, fills the hole with water and that's it. Due to inexperience and failure to study the book, we're going to have to eat a lot of beet greens and spinach this winter. I didn't plant any mache or claytonia. Hopefully, extending the season on other veggies i.e. lettuce and getting an early start on couple of tomato plants and one hill of zucchini will help justify the cost. Fortunately, DH's labor was free and even the yard hydrant was an old treasure found in the barn. The interesting thing is that season extending methods are very popular in Europe but not here. Why not? In fact, I don't see why people give up on the vegetable gardens about the time of the first frost. There's still more growing season.

    We haven't started to put up Christmas decorations yet. I love to see a lighted spruce tree in yards. I think I've seen one in New London NH that is in the middle of a field. Usually we gather some pine and branches of those fat red berries (alder?) but this year I don't see many red berries at all. The few bushes I have seen seem to have plenty of berries. Maybe somebody has already picked them all. I buy some fancier greenery from the nursery to add to some pine branches, add red ribbons and hang under the first floor windows on the front of the house. I love the battery operated candles with light sensors so they come on automatically when it gets dark. It's so nice to come home to see the lights on.

    Donna

  • NHBabs z4b-5a NH
    Original Author
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Donna -

    If you're worried about the tiny seedlings, try leek plants the first year - it's easier. I always order with a friend since Johnny's bundle of multiples are much cheaper. Then the next year you can start from seed (though we started from seed before we ever bought plants.) DH made me a multi-pronged dibble that was set up for our previous house which had raised beds. I'll take a photo and post it, but if you want to see it in person so you or your husband can copy it, I think you're close enough for a visit, and it makes planting of onions and leeks much easier. And yes, you just drop the seedling into the hole (in my case the holes are at the bottom of my few inches deep trench) and then water. The soil just slumps or filters in around it.

    Your berries that grow in the wet areas are winterberry holly (Ilex verticillata), a deciduous native holly. It grows fine in ordinary soil as well as in wetlands, and like all hollies needs a male to go along with the females if you want berries. I think you can order unnamed/unsexed seedlings from the NH State Nursery over in Boscawen most years if you have a spot for them.

    I try to deal with winter decorations Thanksgiving weekend since if I wait much longer the soil in my buckets freezes and I can't bet the branches set. This year I added my red and green tomato spirals, some wound with lights, to my buckets. I also do window candles with blue bulbs per DH's request. I also found one more of my favorite type of trellis and will be winding that with lights I think to make a sort of outdoor tree. Our spruces are all either too big or too scraggly to put lights onto. I don't do much holiday decorating indoors usually, though sometimes we have a tree, so my outdoor decorations are how I celebrate the season. Having the extra light outdoors makes the winter darkness a bit easier to bear.

  • spedigrees z4VT
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I hope that the surveyor flags found on your property do not ever lead to any kind of dispute, Donna. I wouldn't wish that on anyone. Often surveyors place temporary markers on adjoining lands to those they are hired to survey, for purposes of measuring from known pins or markers, so probably that was the reason for the flagging.

    I don't blame you, Claire, for taking a break from the bluestone path building. The digging may be easier in the spring too, when the ground is softened by melting snow. Yes, slipperiness is the one drawback to paving stones. Sand would probably be your best friend if they get icy.

    I love to see a lighted spruce tree too, Donna, and the one in the middle of a field sounds beautiful, but like NHBabs, I shy away from attaching lights to a tall tree. Adding to that, all our evergreens are a good 300-400 feet from the house. It is my dream to one day have electricity back there, but for now that is just a dream. I did run underground wires to our picnic area, halfway between our house and the trees, so I have lights out there, but it was a monumental project. I'll need a professional electrician to install outlets further from the house.

    When the crabapple tree in our front yard was small I used to light it up, but alas it's too tall now. In past years one could just plant a cut Christmas tree in a snow drift and string lights on it, but with weather conditions today I think that option is gone for good. The crabapple is usually decorated with pretty red berries, although this year the birds picked off many early on.

    I thought I was done with the fall chores, but yesterday remembered that I needed to dig out the gladiola bulbs and spread lime on the vegetable patch and lilac bushes. It gave me an excuse for one more day's respite from the dreaded housework!

  • NHBabs z4b-5a NH
    Original Author
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Here is the onion planter.

  • claireplymouth z6b coastal MA
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    As I went to bring in my lawn dragon for the winter, I realized that it had suffered badly from having squirrels and birds jump all over it for a couple of years. Sort of looked like it had a rash with white sores all over it.

    So I repainted it. It's not quite as nice as the original paint job which had two tones, but it's better than white spots. It's warm enough today to touch up the places I missed a few weeks ago (when It was also warm enough to paint).

    When it's dry I'll put it on the porch in a huge baggie for the winter. Unless I decide to decorate it for Christmas...

    Claire

  • defrost49
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    NHbabs, thanks for the photo of the onion planter. That is a beautiful gadget. DH and I have already discussed if there are any broken wooden handles around. He saves them because he finds uses for them. About what diameter are the dowels? I'm guessing maybe 5/8"? It would certainly make work easier to poke a row of holes into the ground instead of one at a time.

    Claire, that is a wonderful lawn dragon. He is gorgeous.

    Spedigrees, my husband has had surveying classes and helped a relative do surveys so he would be able to identify the reason for flagging. This didn't make sense. It may have been left by a hunter. Made him grouchy, though.

    More fall chores: there's a terra cotta planter that I still haven't emptied that will get ruined if I don't clean it out and put it away. There's a package of tulip bulbs bought at Agway that were half-priced. The ground seemed like it was starting to freeze and we still have a row of carrots that we didn't cover with mulch. DH has volunteered to dig them up but we might have to put them in sand. The fridge is full. The last bit of garden spinach was covered in snow on Sat so I picked a large bowlful inside the cold house/ high tunnel. It was slightly frozen but defrosted nicely in a sink of cold water.
    The seed starting stand was a struggle to carry into a 2nd floor bathroom but it was the right spot where I could check daily. We never put it away so it already waiting for 2013 seed starting!

  • NHBabs z4b-5a NH
    Original Author
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Donna -

    I just checked measurements on the planter. The tines are 3" long, they are 3/4" diameter and the end is tapered or bluntly sharpened. The whole thing (43") is just shorter than the raised beds at our previous house so that in alternating rows I could bump the ends against first the right and then the left so that the leeks or onions were in evenly staggered rows with the holes 2" offset. Our pegs are 4" apart since we did intensive planting. In our current garden I tend to plant 2 of every 3 holes so they are a bit wider spaced since the soil isn't quite as good so I go closer to recommended spacing. I also use it to lay out the rows so that they are evenly spaced.

    Claire -

    I like your lawn dragon; what a great face! If you are feeling artistic, you could take an ordinary kitchen sponge and acrylic paint and sponge on a textured layer where you want your second color by just pressing it on.

    This post was edited by nhbabs on Sun, Dec 9, 12 at 5:23

  • claireplymouth z6b coastal MA
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Nice idea, nhbabs, I just might embellish the beast.

    Claire

  • claireplymouth z6b coastal MA
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Continuing with the late fall chores, I finally admitted it's too cold to eat out on the deck, and is likely to remain so for a few months, so I packed away the table and chairs (sob).

    I also took the bucket of dirty garden gloves and tossed the contents in the washing machine. Found nice gloves I'd forgotten about in there! Along with a lot of Home Depot specials that I've begun doubling up.

    I'll pull out the warm ones I need for winter bird chore maintenance and store the rest for spring.

    Claire

  • gardenweed_z6a
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    claire - how gratifying to see I'm not the only one with 2 dozen+ pairs of assorted gardening gloves!

  • diggerdee zone 6 CT
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Wow. I've only got one pair of gloves... barely. The fingertips are gone from at least two or even three fingers on each hand, and there are gaping holes in the area between the thumb and the index finger. Nor really sure why I even bother wearing any when they're like that...

    And they're not nearly as clean as any of yours, lol!

    Dee

  • claireplymouth z6b coastal MA
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I like wearing gloves, they prevent a lot of pain (rose bites, heavy buckets, etc.) and keep the fingernails somewhat decent. I also have a hard time passing up sales on gloves. Ocean State Job Lot and Home Depot have really cheap gloves although the gloves I've bought online have usually been the ones that fit best.

    If a pair gets really dirty I just stick the hose in them and put them aside to dry, and pull out another dry pair. Downside is that a few times I've gotten insect bites when I dug too deep into the glove bucket so I tend to just pull from the top and shake them off. That's how I buried the good ones.

    Claire

  • defrost49
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I finally started wearing gloves. I like the inexpensive rubber coated ones you can get a farm and feed stores. If I don't wear gloves, I get very awful looking callouses on my index finger. The gloves also give me a better grip on weeds.

    NHbabs, thanks for the measurements. I like your technique of alternating the holes.

  • ejr2005
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Wow Claire - where did you get that dragon??? It's amazing. I do pottery and have been thinking of making a small dragon for my garden. But yours is amazing.

  • ejr2005
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Wow Claire - where did you get that dragon??? It's amazing. I do pottery and have been thinking of making a small dragon for my garden. But yours is amazing.

  • claireplymouth z6b coastal MA
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    ejr2005: I got it from Wind & Weather (windandweather.com) a few years ago. Pricy, but it was a special treat I'd wanted for a while. Sometimes you just need a dragon in your life.

    Claire

  • ejr2005
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Absolutely Claire. He or she is very special. Enjoy!

  • claireplymouth z6b coastal MA
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    This pic, taken on April 26, 2012, shows the original color of the dragon. You can already see the white rash on the head and it just got worse, leading to my painting it (I haven't decided yet if it's a he or a she). Sometime this winter I'll probably try nhbab's idea of adding headlights.

    Since the dragon was protecting a big red egg, it might be a she. Although male dragons are supposed to be good fathers...

    Claire

  • ejr2005
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    It is difficult to tell the sex of dragons.

    Is yours in three separate pieces? What is it made of? About how long is it? This is giving me some great ideas for ceramic dragons. Do you mind if I copy?

    I've been thinking of trying to make a mold for a garden dragon, but I'm new to molds and have been stymied. The design of yours I think would make a mold easier.

  • claireplymouth z6b coastal MA
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    The dragon is made of three pieces and, when put together almost touching, it measures about 3 ft long, nose to end of tail. That's the footprint on the ground, not the body length measurement. The dragon stretched out with its belly flat to the ground would be longer.

    You also don't have to put the pieces close to each other - last spring I had a birdbath interspersed with the dragon.

    I once contacted Wind and Weather Customer Service to ask about how to store it for the winter, would the covered porch be OK, and they replied:

    "It is made of fiberstone, a mixture of fiberglass and stone, storing it on your porch should be good for the Winter. It is not a porous item and does not hold water so you should not have to worry about cracking."

    I certainly have no problem with your copying it, but it's not my product. I assume yours would not be an exact copy anyway, just something similar.

    Claire

  • ejr2005
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    That's huge - and wonderful. Mine would be much smaller and of course different, but I love the idea of three sections, and your design lends itself well to making a mold for each side (rather than top and bottom molds). Thanks for the great ideas!