I have been drying herbs and flowers, planting garlic, planting tree seeds more strawberries, rasberries and tilling up more garden and flower space for next year it is like having spring all over again. Things do come to a end and winter will be here soon hauling wood cut last year and getting ready to cut next years wood today. I would like to hear what other folks do in the fall . Forgive my spelling. God bless and you all are in are prayers Indiana Country Friend Jack Bunyard

-- Jack Bunyard (bunyard@cnz.com), October 05, 2001

Answers

Hi Jack, we do about the same as you. We are "dead-wooding" the trees and gathering the kindling. Mulching the flower beds, and doing bulb planting and transplanting. Putting the insulation back up in the hen house, draining water from the camper and working, working in the garden! Lovely colors in the mountains this year! In His Grace, Sissy

-- Sissy Sylvester-Barth (iblong2Him@ilovejesus.net), October 05, 2001.

Hey Jack, I did not know you could plant strawberries in the fall! That's great news. I just recently started growing strawberries. Can I transplant to another bed some of the runners from this year? Thanks for the info. We too are busy getting ready for winter. The leaves are all falling here, it's cooler and winter is in the air. God knew what He was doing when He made the 4 seasons! Don't ask me what happened in the tropical areas! I guess maybe He just knew there would be some who wouldn't like the cold. Personally I love the change of seasons. I have lived in Florida so I especially appreciate the change.

-- Barb (bjconthefarm@yahoo.com), October 05, 2001.

On September 11 after reading the news, I went out and planted my fall garden. I've been transplanting strawberries and blueberries and putting my container plants into the ground.

It's harvest season, too. Apples, blackberries, raspberries, rosehips, wild plums. Making pies and dehydrating.

Right now is the warmest, dryest time of the year. It is days like this that make living here worth it.

-- Laura (ladybugwrangler@hotmail.com), October 05, 2001.

This is our second Fall in Alabama, and I planted sets of onions three weeks ago..Today, I got to go out on the porch and clip the tops of some of them to chop up in meatloaf ! We will not get a true frost until November I think. Last year we still had hummingbirds around until then. We insulate our chicken coop by piling fresh straw about two feet deep. Because we have three windows facing South that can be opened all the way or closed tightly, the coop can be adjusted for warmish Fall days to downright chilly. The wood is stacked neatly next to the house, but we need a bunch more since we will have our wood cook stove hooked up this year. Never lived in a house which has a combination electric heating/cooling system before. We spent a few puzzled days last year wondering where the furnace was. One of our neighbors enlightened us by flipping the thermostat switch..DUH...We have a small Intrepid wood stove in the living room, a free-hanging propane heater in the hallway and the giant wood stove in the kitchen. No more electric heat..too expensive..I refuse! The free- ranging hens have finished mulching up all of last years leaves this week. Too bad I cannot teach them how to clean the gutters! That's the job for this coming week. I'm looking forward to picking a bunch of wild wheat and making a door decoration in a few weeks. I love Fall!

-- lesley (martchas@bellsouth.net), October 05, 2001.

Hi Jack! This really has been a great week to get things done. I've had to get back to the projects I dropped in August and finish them. Almost have the henhose up to speed for winter. Planning to start a proper garden spot next week. What I have now is a disaster. Not really a garden but a temporary holding spot for all the flowers and berrys I salvaged from the old house. I have a whole bunch of good ash, oak and maple to go get and move over here that I cut last year. The barn here has a great wood burner. Getting ready to go shopping for fence soon & have to find some good posts on the cheap. There was a place full of black locust trees to be had for free awhile back if they haven't been bulldozed while I was gone.

How is it that we look forward to having so much to do? For most of us here it seems that our "leisure" is a lot of hard work. yet we all seem to enjoy it.

-- John in S. IN (jsmengel@hotmail.com), October 05, 2001.

Good Morning!

I've had the urge to tidy up, so have been cleaning up the garden, cutting down some sweetgum trees that are taking over the lower pasture, putting out bird seed in the feeders, and now the nasty job of cleaning out the chicken yards. Plus going to a lot of football games with my son and looking at the leaves falling (gosh they are going into the garden, so that means raking!). I love fall, the weather is so nice and it's not hot (us Georgia folks appreciate any bit of cool weather). Have a good day everybody!

-- Cindy (colawson@mindspring.com), October 06, 2001.

Thanks to everyone who responded to my post I love to hear what others are doing . As for the strawberries I plant in the fall some make it some dont but I had so many runners I just had to set out more Just keep watered till first hard freze and then mulch with straw or leaves. Dos anyone have any bald cypress seeds for sale ? GOD bless! Indiana Country Friend

-- Jack Bunyard (Bunyard@cnz.com), October 06, 2001.