Beautiful days, buried treasure, and my nemesis....

October 26, 2026

 What a noisy affair it is now, to walk in the woods. The weather has been very dry, with no rain and warm sunny days for over a week. The leaves on the ground are totally crisp and aromatic. Trees are mostly bare of leaves, except the oaks, beeches, and some poplars, although those leaves come pelting down in a golden shower with the slightest breeze moving through the tree tops. 

With frosty mornings and warm sunny days, the list of outdoor chores is rapidly getting shorter.

The cold frame that was in front of my garden shed has become invaded with roots from the soft maple behind the shed. It seemed a good location at the time we built it there, but in the spring and fall, it is shaded by the trees on the east side for a good part of the morning, so doesn't receive optimal sunlight.  

A major chore on my list was to dig it out, sieve the good soil to remove the roots, save it in pails and move the box. It is now in the SE corner of bed number 7, where is will get full sun all day and be so much more convenient to use, being closer to the back door. 

Hubby built a new base and the box is sunk into the soil of the bed so it can take advantage of the ambient warmth of the earth as well. I'm hoping the small section to the north will be a good place to plant some greens in spring and summer, when there will be less shade than there is now, but maybe enough to delay bolting. 

Within the past week, I went digging for buried treasure, and was successful! 

It is always fun to dig potatoes. You never know how big or how many you will roll out of the soil. 

In the case of these red guys, they put their time underground to good use. 

I have always been confident that I can grow just about anything, but have to admit that I have met my nemesis. Chinese cabbage is it. It bolts to bloom no matter what time of year I plant it. I thought that this fall I was finally going to be successful, as the bases of the plants expanded and the leaves got big. I looked down into the middle, they appeared to be starting to make heads, yeah!.....then little tight clumps of green buds started up from the base. Darn. Those thick white ribs sure are delicious chopped into a salad though!

A recent fall selection of produce; romaine lettuce, green onions, and the last 4 rutabagas. 

The main crop of carrots, some more leaf lettuce and a cabbage that is hinting at heading up, are still in the ground. Time to assess my seed jar and make plans for next season.