Early Autumn Chores Around the Farm
To stay organized during seasonal transitions here at my Bedford, New York farm, we follow a schedule of tasks from one year to the next.
Several times a week, I tour the entire farm and create very detailed lists of all that needs to be done. Maintaining such a large property is a huge responsibility and a tremendous amount of work. In order for it to thrive, animals and gardens need constant tender loving care. My gardeners and outdoor grounds crew have many projects including pruning and trimming the trees and shrubs, weeding and tilling the beds, planting new specimens, washing the hoop houses, cleaning the gutters, and so much more.
Enjoy these photos…
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- Some of you know, my Cantitoe Corners Farm sits on 153-acres. It’s a large property filled with developing gardens, groves and allées. 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. This area and so many others around the property are constantly being groomed. There is a lot to do to keep the farm looking its best, especially between seasons.
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- Every day, my gardeners and outdoor grounds crew are working hard to keep on top of all the maintenance of the beds. Everyone loves my Martha Stewart 48 gallon Multi-Purpose Re-Usable Heavy Duty Garden Tote Bags. They’re available on my Amazon shop. These totes hold hundreds of pounds and can be used for the garden debris and pulled weeds or inside the home for storage.
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- Here’s Ryan tending the lily and hosta garden beds outside my main greenhouse.
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- On one side, Ryan also trims the Cotinus trees. Smoke bushes, Cotinus, are among my favorite of small trees – they have superlative color, appealing form, and look excellent in the gardens. Cotinus is a genus of two species of flowering plants in the family Anacardiaceae, closely related to the sumacs.
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- Remember my former vegetable garden? Now that we created my new half-acre vegetable garden closer to my home, I designated this area for pumpkins and corn this summer. Everything has been harvested, so it’s time to clean up the area and rototill it before the cold season.
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- Here’s Jimmy removing all the old, dead plants and root systems.
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- All the debris is then loaded onto the dump truck and taken to the compost yard.
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- And then Chhiring comes in with our Troy-Bilt Pony Rear-Tine Tiller. The purpose of tilling is to mix organic matter into the soil, help control weeds, break up crusted soil, and loosen the earth for the next planting. One doesn’t need to till or break up the soil very deep – less than a foot is fine.
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- This is the garden all done – and ready to rest for the season.
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- Nearby, Fernando cleans the hoop house. This structure holds my tropical plant collection during the winter. I have four hoop houses here at the farm. They are constructed from steel frames and these polyethylene panels.
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- Fernando also touches up any areas of the base that need paint.
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- Up the carriage road in my herbaceous peony bed, all the peonies are now cut down to the ground and Pasang is weeding around them.
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- Here he rakes the beds after they are weeded. These peonies have done so magnificently over the years. The plants are thriving and continue to grow wonderfully. I plan to remove every other peony and move it to another space – I’ll be sure to show you how we do this process.
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- Here is the peony bed completed – so clean and clear.
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- Outside the flower cutting garden, Ryan trims and grooms the long stemmed anemones and other plants.
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- Pruning and grooming is also going on at the European Beech trees, which line two sides of a horse paddock and one side of my living maze. European beech trees, Fagus sylvatica, or the common beech is a deciduous tree belonging to the beech family Fagaceae and native to the woodlands of central and southern Europe.
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- Pasang is our resident tree expert here at the farm. He oversees a lot of the care of my trees.
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- Here’s Phurba pruning and grooming the boxwood along the allée to my stable. This is mostly done with hand shears to give them a more clean and manicured appearance. Phurba starts from the top of the shrub and works his way down.
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- I love boxwood, Buxus, and have hundreds of these bold green shrubs. They’ve grown quite a bit this summer. I take very special care of these specimens and make sure they are pruned and groomed regularly.
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- As many of you know, I am in the process of building a living maze, a botanical puzzle of interesting trees, hedges, espaliers, and shrubs. I started this three-acre maze project in the spring of last year, and it’s already beginning to stump some of those who stroll through its pathways. Byron is weeding underneath the hedges. Weeds in the garden are inevitable – left alone, so many of them quickly overtake healthy flowers and plants, stealing their sunlight, water, and soil nutrients. We are constantly trying to keep up with the weeding.
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- On another day, Phurba is cleaning the gutters around the farm. Gutters are designed to control the flow of water around the home. Keeping them clear prevents water back-up and moisture damage to the wood, fascia and foundation. This day was particularly wet with rain showers most of the morning and afternoon.
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- Inside the greenhouse, Ryan grooms some of the potted plants before bringing them into my home. I love all kinds of container plants, and over the years I have amassed quite a collection of specimens. Most of my potted plants are kept in the greenhouse, where they can be nurtured properly, especially during colder seasons and times when I’m traveling. However, I also like to decorate my home with a wide assortment of potted plants that provide interesting and expressive foliage. It’s an inexpensive way to add color and texture to any space.
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- And at the end of the day, here’s Fernando “raking” the roads. We created this special device to rake the gravel, so it is even and also picks up any debris along the way. This is done every couple of weeks to keep the roads looking neat and tidy. We’re getting a lot done here at Cantitoe Corners. What early season chores are on your list?
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