All-in-all it was a nearly perfect season. We did have a few hot periods, but the storms and rains were numerous enough that I only had to water the entire plot with the sprinkler maybe three times the whole season. And we didn't have any long wet periods that held up any of the preparations or planting to any big extent. I even managed to keep a good succession of squash plantings that kept us with a constant supply nearly all season.
The two critical tasks that needed to be done this season were to renovate the strawberry bed and trellis the raspberries. This was season three for the strawberries and the plot was getting out of hand to say the least. So I tilled a path right down the middle, removed some of the older crowns in the two resulting rows, aerated with a turning fork, limed and fertilized, and kept them watered. I'll straw them in for the winter around the first week of December.
The temporary T-post trellis system I used for the first two seasons of the raspberry bed were pretty well shot so I finally bit the bullet and put up a proper cross-post at each end spanned with heavy duty clothes line wire and tighteners. This should keep things under control and an added benefit is having a couple of posts that I can mount the rain gauge on.
Today I tilled in as many leaves as I could collect from the yard and over-seeded with some winter wheat as a cover crop. The Feed Bin was all out of winter rye. It is a bit late to be planting wheat but I hope it sprouts before it gets too cold. Except for a few carrots, beets, and kale, the plot is done for the season and ready for a long winter's nap.
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