Now that the days are getting colder, and all the trees are dropping their leaves, my gardeners and outdoor grounds crew are busy with fall cleanup.
To stay organized during seasonal transitions, I create very detailed lists of all that needs to be done. Current projects include cleaning the garden beds, covering the air-conditioning pits and hoop house vents, bleeding and storing the outdoor hoses, blowing and collecting the many leaves, and so much more. So far, this autumn has been quite mild here in the Northeast. The weather has allowed us ample time to ready the farm for the cold season ahead.
Here are some photos, enjoy. And don’t forget, Daylight Saving Time ends tomorrow morning, November 5th, so set the clocks back one hour before going to bed tonight. Those living in participating states across the US will get an extra hour of sleep. Daylight Saving Time occurs in many states and territories except Arizona, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, the Virgin islands, American Samoa, Guam, and the Northern Mariana Island.
It is so beautiful this time of year when all the deciduous trees show their stunning autumn colors before dropping their leaves. Here at my farm, fall chores are now in full swing. This is my long and winding pergola. It runs from my flower cutting garden all the way to my espalier of Gravenstein apples. On the left is a stand of stately bald cypress trees. These bald cypress trees are changing so beautifully. Although many conifers are evergreen, bald cypress trees are deciduous conifers that shed their needle-like leaves in the fall. Their autumn colors include tan, cinnamon, and fiery orange.
One of the biggest fall chores is blowing the leaves. Leaves can change their color from as early as mid-September all the way through mid-November. As colder weather approaches and sunlight decreases, the trees seal the spots where the leaves are attached – this process is what causes them to change color and fall to the ground. Rather than expend energy to protect these fragile organs, trees shed leaves to conserve resources for the next year. Here’s Phurba blowing leaves outside my vegetable garden. He is using our trusted STIHL backpack blower.
I keep all my air conditioners in large pits, where they are well hidden behind each house. These air conditioner pits are covered with industrial strength plastic and plywood to protect them from the winter elements. Covering these pits also makes it easier to maintain. Any snow or debris that falls can be brushed to the side before accessing the units below.
All the hoses around the farm are gathered, drained, recoiled, tied, and then stored away for the season.
Do you recognize this structure? it’s my pavilion outside my pool. During the warmer months, I have a long custom made yew table here and my large staghorn ferns hanging from the rafters. Everything is now stored away for next year.
… And the pool is now covered.
Around my hoop houses, bales of hay are stacked around the structures for added insulation. This is older hay my horses won’t eat, but they still come in very handy.
Any vents on my hoop houses are also covered. Fernando measures the industrial strength plastic that will cover the vent slats.
Pete lines up a piece of wood, cut from a downed ash tree here at the farm, that will be used as a frame for the vent cover. This will help to keep any additional drafts from getting into the structure.
Here is what the covered vents look like. Burlap is placed over the plastic to give it a more finished appearance. And everything is screwed down securely.
The crew blows leaves along both sides of the carriage road to my Summer House. Leaf blowers are noisy, but they are the most effective for gathering leaves into large piles.
Any leftover vegetables in the outdoor gardens are harvested for both me and my hardworking team. We put buckets of fresh peppers and beans on the lunchroom tables for anyone who wants them.
After removing all the old squash and pumpkin vines, this large garden – my previous vegetable garden – is rototilled several times. It is all ready for next year.
Large urns where I display tropical plants during summer are emptied and covered with plywood. In a few weeks, these containers will also be covered with burlap as part of our big “burlapping” project.
Here’s Brian cleaning the dahlia bed. We had our first frost this week. Dahlias are not frost hardy, so when temperatures plummet the leaves and remaining blooms collapse and brown.
While they were still in bloom, I went through all the dahlias and decided which ones we would keep for next year. Others were gathered for giveaway.
Here’s the dahlia garden all cleared. The remaining dahlia tubers are still in the ground and will be covered with burlap and a thick layer of hay for the winter. This method has proven to be a great solution for protecting the plants here at the farm, so we have viable dahlias come spring.
And, more blowing… Phurba and Cesar are now blowing the azalea and daffodil borders. Blowing leaves will continue for a few more weeks.
Once the leaves are blown into a manageable pile, they are directed to the opening of this vacuum tube.
The leaves go through the vacuum tube and into our dump truck. The leaves are then taken to the compost area, where they will decompose and get used again as mulch next year.
Meanwhile, our annual bulb planting project is about to begin. Our bulbs have arrived from Van Engelen Inc., a wholesale family-run flower bulb business located in Bantam, Connecticut, and are ready to get into the ground. We have thousands of spring-blooming bulbs to plant in the coming weeks.
And here’s Blackie, our greenhouse cat – tired after watching all the activity. What autumn chores and tasks are you completing this weekend? Share your comments with me below. And, if Daylight Saving Time is ending where you live, don’t forget to “fall back” and set your clocks back one hour before going to bed tonight.
Here at my Bedford, New York farm, we've just had the first frost of the season.
Supporting a working farm is a lot of work. In order for it to thrive, there are many things to keep track of, especially in the gardens - when to prune trees and shrubs, when to fertilize all the plants, and when to prepare for the season's first and last frost. Frost dates are important for all gardeners to know, as they indicate the start and end of the gardening season. A frost happens when the air temperature drops to around 32-degrees Fahrenheit. A freeze happens when air temperature dips below 32-degrees Fahrenheit. A hard freeze is usually between 28 and 25-degrees Fahrenheit, and a killing freeze is 24-degrees and colder. Earlier this week, various areas of my farm were covered in ice crystals - our first frost, and the start of the cold season ahead.
Enjoy these photos.
This is my long pergola the morning after the first frost. Ice crystals can be seen on top of the boxwood and the grass below.
Here’s a closer look at the frost covered ground. Frost is essentially the layer of ice crystals that form from water vapor on an area cooler than 32-degrees Fahrenheit.
Early in the morning, one could see the frost in many shaded areas of the farm. This is frost in my living maze.
Here is another pathway covered in a thin layer of ice. Frost dates are based on historical data compiled by the US Department of Agriculture. We always pay close attention to the forecasts around this time, so we know when the first frost may come. The probability of frost or freeze is largely affected by an area’s elevation, the direction of sunlight, and other topographical factors.
There are also different types of frost. A rime frost occurs on foggy nights when moisture deposits create spiky formations on cool surfaces. A hoarfrost forms on cool, clear nights rising from moisture near the ground and has a fluffier appearance. Wind frost or advection frost refers to tiny ice spikes that form when very cold wind is blowing over tree branches, poles, and other surfaces.
This time of year, with the cooler temperatures and shorter days, hormones in the trees are activated to begin the leaf falling process. Chlorophyll production stops and the green pigment degrades, revealing bright reds and yellows.
One of the prettiest times to walk the four miles of carriage road around my farm and through the woodland is now, when the foliage on so many trees and shrubs show off their fall colors. This Nyssa sylvatica, commonly known as tupelo, black tupelo, black gum, or sour gum, is outside my Winter House kitchen.
I like to plant climbing hydrangea at the base of some of the large trees. These plants are true climbers, using the suckers on their branches to climb. These large plants sometimes reach 50-feet tall or more at maturity. They look so pretty under the changing leaves of the sugar maples above.
Ginkgo biloba, commonly known as ginkgo or gingko, and also known as the maidenhair tree, is the only living species in the division Ginkgophyta. It is found in fossils dating back 270-million years. Native to China, the ginkgo tree is widely cultivated, and was cultivated early in human history. This giant ginkgo is in my Summer House garden.
This ginkgo tree outside my Winter House has dropped many of its leaves leaving a carpet of bold yellow on the ground below.
This tree on the right is one of several Liquidambar styraciflua ‘Slender Silhouette’ trees, American sweetgums, planted in my maze. As these trees mature, they will maintain their erect, columnar form, growing up to 50 feet tall and only about four-feet wide.
This is one of the most popular views here at my farm – the old corn crib adjacent to an allée of lindens not far from my pergola.
This is my Basket House – a structure I use to store all the baskets I’ve collected over the years. It is located in a spot shaded by the mighty bald cypress trees across from my winding pergola.
Here are the weeping hornbeams, Carpinus betulus Pendula, on one side of my “soccer field” where my grandson plays whenever he visits. The branches of these trees gracefully weep creating an umbrella of foliage that reaches the ground. Look closely, the leaves are changing – the foliage turns a bright yellow color in fall.
Here is my Allée of Pin Oaks, Quercus palustris. These have done so well over the years. The leaves are changing to yellow and reddish bronze. Once its fall color display is done, pin oaks often retain brown leaves, which persist on the trees through winter.
Lindens, Tilia, are medium to large sized shade trees that are easy to maintain and attractive in any landscape. I loved this allée so much, I continued it in the opposite direction all the way to my chicken yard.
Here is the older allée of lindens outside my stable. My outdoor grounds crew has begun the task of blowing all the many leaves that have fallen to the ground.
The large obovate leaves of the Pawpaw tree display yellow to golden brown colors in autumn.
The perimeter around my paddocks displays shades of amber, brown, orange and green. I also get many compliments on the fencing – it is antique spruce fencing I bought in Canada, and it surrounds all my paddocks for the horses, pony, and donkeys.
The various layers of the trees around the farm are so eye-catching. I planted many different types of trees in hopes that they would shade, provide climate control, and change color at different times, in different ways. It’s so beautiful to see them change through the seasons.
Just a week ago, these ginkgo trees were filled with bright golden yellow leaves. Now the trees are completely bare. It won’t be long before all the deciduous trees around the farm look like these two, but it’s comforting to know this doesn’t last forever. Come spring, after the last frost, all the trees, shrubs, and plants will start showing beautiful colors once again.
All my dwarf citrus trees are now safely tucked away for the winter.
I have quite a large collection of warm-weather plants at my Bedford, New York farm, including citrus trees and a vast array of other tropical specimens. During the colder months, these warm-weather plants must move indoors, where temperatures and humidity levels can be controlled. Fortunately, I am able to keep them in high-grade greenhouses, where they can thrive for seven months out of the year. This week, my outdoor grounds crew and gardeners moved the last of the plants into their designated enclosures, grooming and feeding every one before it is brought indoors.
Here's a look inside the citrus hoop house. Enjoy these photos.
During the summer, I bring all the citrus plants outdoors. Dwarf citrus plants can be kept outdoors as long as temperatures stay above 40-degrees Fahrenheit. This year, they were displayed outside my vegetable greenhouse, all well-spaced so no two specimens were touching to prevents diseases from being transferred specimen to specimen. Here, they can be closely maintained and protected from any high winds.
Once it gets cold, the citrus plants and other tropicals are stored in one of five greenhouses. This hoop house down near my chicken coops is mainly for the citrus this year. The entire structure is built using heavy gauge American made, triple-galvanized steel tubing covered with heavy-duty, woven polyethylene.
These are very young white pummelo grapefruits. The large, round fruit is also known as the Chinese grapefruit or shaddock. The tree has dark green, glossy foliage and produces fragrant white flowers in the spring that give way to large, juicy fruit in the winter.
Also growing nicely are these blood oranges, which are still green, but will be bright orange in a few months. The blood orange is a variety of orange with crimson, near blood-colored flesh. The dark flesh color is due to the anthocyanins, a family of polyphenol pigments common to many flowers and fruit, but not common in citrus fruits.
These are growing oranges. Most citrus fruits are harvested in winter. These will be ripe for picking around February, when they are also bright orange in color.
This is Citrus sinensis ‘Parson Brown’ – known for its cold tolerance, often surviving to the upper teens. The fruit was one of the leading sellers in Florida until around 1920. They’re large, very juicy with a mild sweet flavor.
Calamondin, Citrus mitis, is an acid citrus fruit originating in China.
Calamondin is also known as kalamansi, Philippine lime, or Philippine lemon. It is native to the Philippines, parts of Indonesia, Malaysia, and Brunei, as well as parts of southern China and Taiwan.
In the front of the house is this citrus limon ‘Ponderosa’ or ‘The American Wonder Lemon.’ This plant produces a thick mass of highly fragrant flowers, which become tiny lemons. Those lemons get bigger and bigger, often up to five pounds!
These are baby Meyer lemons. Citrus × meyeri, the Meyer lemon, is a hybrid citrus fruit native to China. It is a cross between a citron and a mandarin/pomelo hybrid distinct from the common or bitter lemon. The Meyer lemon was first introduced to the United States in 1908 by the agricultural explorer, Frank Nicholas Meyer, an employee of the United States Department of Agriculture who collected a sample of the plant on a trip to China. Citrus limon ‘Meyer’ is my favorite lemon because this thin-skinned fruit is much more flavorful than the ordinary store-bought. I love to use them for baking and cooking.
These are more mature lemons. Dwarf citrus trees require at least eight to 12 hours of full sunshine and good air circulation to thrive. I am fortunate to have these hoop houses to keep my citrus collection in excellent condition.
Many citrus specimens have thorns on their branches. Some of the most common citrus trees to have thorns are Meyer lemons, most grapefruits, and key limes. Thorns provide protection from predators, specifically animals that want to eat the tender leaves and fruit. In here, they will be very well protected.
This is Citrus limon ‘Pink Lemonade’ – it produces fruits with pink flesh, and little to no seeds. The fruit grows year-round, and is heaviest in late winter through early summer.
I also have a couple grapefruit trees. As many of you know, grapefruit is a subtropical citrus tree known for its relatively large, sour to semi-sweet, somewhat bitter fruit.
It takes some time to grow grapefruits. Grapefruits take six months to a year to ripen in hot, humid climates; in relatively cooler regions, grapefruits can take 14 months and even as long as 18 months before they are ready to pick.
Outside the hoop house is my collection of fig trees. Figs, Ficus carica, are members of the mulberry family and are indigenous to Asiatic Turkey, northern India, and warm Mediterranean climates, where they thrive in full sun. These trees will also be kept in the citrus house.
The fig tree has been sought out and cultivated since ancient times and is now widely grown throughout the world, both for its fruit and as an ornamental plant. Most fig tree leaves are bright green, large, singular, and well-lobed.
The chill of fall signals to figs that it’s time to go dormant. Dormancy is vital to many fig species and a perfectly normal part of their life cycles. Yearly, leaves will change color and drop — and then new leaves will emerge in spring.
As with every plant before it is stored, these figs will all get groomed and fed before going into the hoop house.
Once ready, they are lined up on this side of the hoop house where they will stay until spring.
To simulate the best subtropical environment, we try to keep the temperature in this greenhouse between 60 and 80-degrees Fahrenheit with some humidity. These citrus plants, my figs, and other tropicals are now safely stored for the cold season ahead. This week is expected to be chilly – we got them all in just in time.
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