S.O.S. for those plants that don`t like the cold

If you have plants that need to be brought indoors for the winter and haven`t done it yet .... GET TO IT !! ... Transplant all the plants that have over grown their containers, fertilize all your container plants , give them a nice watering and bring them in your garage ...( I water them only once a month once I have taken them inside )to make mine really thrive in the winter I set mine on wheels so that on the warmer days I will open the garage door and just roll them out for the day and wheel them right back in as  soon as the sun goes down . AAAAH the luxury of being a SAHM ! :)


I am already counting the days till I can get back out there and stick my hands into some dirt and get it ready for planting .

Approximate Date/ Tasks(s) for zone 7 calendar

I always forget when to plant what so here is a compiled list I found for zone 7 that I think everyone will find useful .

 These dates are approximations, give or take 2 weeks .


Approximate Date/ Tasks(s) for zone 7  calendar


January 1  - Be sure all your seed orders are placed or place them now
Get your seed-starting area cleaned up
Purchase any needed seed-starting supplies (peat moss, pots, etc.)

January 15  - Start artichoke seedlings
Start cardoon seedlings
Start broccoli raab seedlings
Start stratifying rooted-chervil seeds soon as you get them
Start leek seedlings

February 1  - Start broccoli seedlings
Start cabbage seedlings
Start cauliflower seedlings
Start onion seedlings

February 15  - Harvest & re-plant sunchoke tubers (if physically possible)

March 1  - Transplant broccoli raab seedlings
Start pepper seedlings
Direct-seed Swiss chard
Harvest & re-plant sunchoke tubers (ifyou haven`t  done it yet)
Direct-seed maincrop spinach

March 15  - Transplant artichoke seedlings
Transplant cardoon seedlings
Transplant broccoli seedlings
Transplant cabbage seedlings
Transplant cauliflower seedlings
Start hardening-off leek seedlings
Direct-seed maincrop spinach (second round)

April 1  - Direct-seed fava beans
Start celeriac seedlings
Start eggplant seedlings
Transplant leek seedlings
Direct-seed peas
Direct-seed Swiss chard (round 2)
Direct-seed sorrel
Direct-seed root chervil
Start tomato seedlings
Start hardening-off onion seedlings
Switch lettuce & greens seeding from "cool" to "warm" types

April 15  - Direct-seed beets
Transplant onion seedlings
Direct-seed summer carrots

May 1  - Direct-seed scallions ("Welsh onions")
Start summer-squash seedlings
Start tomatillo seedlings
Start melon seedlings

May 15  - Start cucumber seedlings
Lay down pepper-bed plastic mulch
Start pumpkin seedlings
Lay down pumpkin-patch plastic mulch
Lay down summer-squash bed plastic mulch
Lay down tomatillo-bed plastic mulch
Lay down tomato-bed plastic mulch
Start okra seedlings
(Think about hardening-off tomatoes in a week or so)

June 1 - Direct-seed non-lima beans (if soil T>60°)
Start hardening off eggplant seedling (wait till June 5th or so)
Lay down cucumber-bed plastic mulch
Transplant pepper seedlings (if soil T>65°)
Transplant pumpkin seedlings (if soil T>70°)
Transplant summer-squash seedlings (if soil T>70°)
Transplant tomatillo seedlings
Transplant tomato seedlings (if soil T>65°)
Lay down melon-bed plastic mulch
Start watermelon seedlings
Lay down watermelon-patch plastic mulch

June 15  - Direct-seed lima beans (if soil T>65°)
Direct-seed corn (if soil T>70°)
Transplant cucumber seedlings
Transplant eggplant seedlings
Lay down okra-bed plastic mulch
Direct-seed parsnips
Direct-seed scorzonera
Plant sweet-potato slips
Transplant melon seedlings
Transplant watermelon seedlings

July 1  - Direct-seed fall carrots
Start Brussels sprouts seedlings
Transplant celeriac seedlings
Direct-seed Florence fennel
Transplant okra seedlings

July 15  -Direct-seed root parsley

August 1 - Direct-seed kohlrabi

August 15  - Transplant Brussels sprouts seedlings
Direct-seed fall peas

September 1 - Nothing--so start your post-harvest cleaning-up

September 15 - Direct-seed kale

October 1  - Direct-seed fall spinach
Switch lettuce & greens seeding from "warm" to "cool" types

October 15 - Top Brussels sprouts plants
Plant seed garlic?
Plant seed shallots?

November 1 - Mulch asparagus beds for winter
Plant seed garlic (round 2)
Plant seed shallots (round 2 )

November 15 - Plan Thanksgiving dinner around your garden produce!
Direct-seed  - second growth of kale

December 1 - Clean up all garden detritus.

December 15  - Review seed catalogues and get your orders in for next year's growing

PERSIMMON TREE

Hachiya Persimmon Tree(large variety)


Persimmon fruit is sweet and unusual


Digging the hole to Plant our Persimmon Tree 


Yes, That hole is big enough ! 



A few weeks ago my Brother and his Wife (Carmela ) gave us a PERSIMMON TREE on Diwali .
I just love love love this fruit !  This is the nice large variety which is  the astringent type needing to grow soft before it is sweet enough to eat.  The small varieties are non-astringent types and  offer fruit that is sweet even when firm. If you want seeds you will need to plant another tree for cross-pollination but most Persimmon varieties will still bring fruit but they will not have any seeds.



A persimmon tree is planted much like you would any other tree by digging the hole and loosening the dirt  wider and deeper .  Allow the  bottom of the root ball to sit firmly on the soil. Persimmon trees have a delicate and somewhat brittle root system so move them carefully.
Plant your tree so the soil line matches where it was grown in a pot. Water your tree well after planting.


Go light on feeding persimmon trees !  Too much nitrogen can sometimes cause the fruit to drop. Once established  they can be quite drought-tolerant.  

Lemon tree - end of October

The new flowers on the tree will end up falling off because the bees are gone and therefore they will not pollinate the flowers.



Lots of new lemons 


beautiful healthy lemons 

This is a look at how slow an orange grows . If you look back at my previous post and look at how small the lemons are and compare them to today , You will notice not much grouth in the 4 months .

I am out there in the rain snapping these  pictures ! :) I picked the 1st lemon off this past Sunday .  

AUTUMN COLORS

This is one of our favorite , so colorful!


So pretty ...from yellow to orange


These leaves almost look like flowers


I was amazed at how the bushes on the bottom are totally green yet if you look at the top of the bushes they have turned a red ...so cool


Our grasses are just starting to turn yellow

Autumn is my second favorite season of the year( My favorite being SPRING :))  , not to hot , not to cold . Makes you get ready for the colder days ahead , but what is most fascinating is the Autumn colors that surround us . I think that most of us forget to enjoy the colors as they change around us . 

Today I took a walk with my husband in our back yard to look at all the variety of trees that we have and to see all the beautiful shades of colors  that each tree has. Some are just breathtaking .

Some of the leaves are so vibrant while others are still green .

Flowering Bulbs

   If you live up North like I do (New York) This is the time to get your bulbs in the ground so they will be ready to bloom in the spring . Remember to plant  the different colors in bunches so you get that WOW effect.  

   A few of my favorites are the Iris, Tulips , crocus,Hyacinth,Grape Hyacinth,Daffodil,... okay , what bulb don`t I like ? !!!   

they are easy to plant ... you don`t even have to turn the soil over , most will flourish just by making a hole and placing them in , cover them up and forget about them . When spring comes you will be surrounded by their lovely colors and great scents .

COFFEE TREE

COFFEE TREE



 Love the shiny leaves

My sister N law Carmela gave  me this little tree . 
How neat is that ??? I don`t know if I will ever see a coffee bean from this little tree but I am just happy to have one even if just for an ornamental plant in my house . I love the shiny green leaves .
Its just about ready to be transplanted into a bigger pot so next year I should see more growth .