Clearing out the garden

There are still a few colorful elements in the garden, so I am taking my time tearing out the spent plants. But it’s a pretty big job, so I have to do it a little at a time.

Steve blew out all of the irrigation lines before our last frost warning. We are leaving the pipes in the raised beds, but we will pick everything up from the in-ground rows.

I started by pulling out about half of the tomato plants, finding yet another trove of tomatoes, both ripe and green.

The green ones will fully ripen inside without any special treatment. 

The cleaned-out half of the tomato bed. 

We took down the hanging baskets from the porch, but I can’t bring myself to compost them yet, because they are still quite pretty!

The older chickens make a full circle around the house when they are foraging. They are welcome anywhere EXCEPT the garden (because we have mulched paths in the entry, and chickens DESTROY mulch.)

Maybe not my most inspired outdoor decorating ever, but I picked these up from a neighborhood orchard, and they do the trick!