Winterizing

This is a little late, but I've been busy. I'm not sure what I've been doing, but I've been busy doing it. We started the woodstove this weekend for the first time- not bad since it's already the first week of November! I think we had snow this time last year, so I won't complain. Much.

It's getting closer and closer to freezing temperatures and winter, so I thought last weekend was a good time to plant my garlic. I was behind in purchasing my garlic, so I ended up with "Chinese Purple". I don't know. It sounded like it might be good and tasty, plus I didn't have a lot of options, so there you go. Garlic is a bulb and, much like tulips and the like, it should be planted in the fall. I've read that you can plant it in the early spring as well, but it generally does better when over-wintered in the ground. I bought my garlic from We Grow Garlic out of Wisconsin but you can buy regular garlic bulbs at the grocery store and plant the individual cloves. I haven't had much luck with it coming up in the spring, and the flavor is too bland for what we like so I stick with online purchasing.

I also spread a big pile of compost on the garden (now nicely tilled under!) so it will be ready for planting next spring. I only did the first garden because I'm going to try really, really hard not to over extend myself and use only the one garden plot. I can tell you right now I probably won't succeed, but I have to at least make the effort, right? Right??

All of this accompanied by Crafty Hour makes me feel very 1960's happy homemaker...