Thursday, November 27, 2008

Autumn comes to an end......November

Harvest home, harvest home!
We've plowed, we've sowed
We've reaped, we've mowed
And brought safe home
Every load."

- Harvest Home Song, Lore and Magick of the Harvest

It is hard to believe that November has come around again so quickly, and with it the end of autumn.
We have started tidying every thing away in the garden before winter steps in.
In the next few months temperatures may fall to -20 degrees or more and with this in mind anything that’s made of plastic or ceramic has been moved indoors as the frosts will inevitably damage them and this year we have remembered to shut off the outdoor garden taps!

The whole of the garden has been now be dug over but the small chick weed is still popping up everywhere! By leaving the surface soil in large clumps, not raked, the ground will freeze over and defrost again easily in the spring and this will hopefully give me refreshed, workable soil that does not have the texture of concrete!

I have still been taking rose cuttings.To keep them warm over winter I cover mine with empty plastic bottles. Simply cut off the bottom, place over the cutting and insert a small cane through the top large enough to secure it to the ground…and there you go…instant mini greenhouse. It is really easy and a great way to recycle too!

Top tip this month comes from my good friend and neighbour Mita who suggests 2 uses for the inedible horse chestnut (conkers) that are in abundance at the moment.
Apparently by placing horse chestnuts in the pockets of your clothes before packing them away for the winter you will lessen the risk of them being eaten by moths. I found this very interesting along with the second tip for them, which was to take a litre of Rakia, add about 40 horse chestnuts and leave in a sunny spot for a month or two. It is said to be very good for all your wintry aches and pains.

But be warned you DON’T drink this, you massage with it!
Sounds good to me…

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