It's November

Cold, dreary, rainy...yup, it's November in Indiana. This is the kind of weather that makes me want to come straight home from work, have some hot cocoa, and simply nest for the rest of the evening. Give me a throw, a cat on my lap and the dog at my feet, add a good book to read, and I'm all set.

My garden chores are finished for the year with two exceptions. The garden boxes have all been cleaned out, but I still need to move the boxes closer together and cover them with a tarp. The company says the boxes can be left out in the winter weather, but I don't think it can be good for them to become saturated and then freeze. I am hoping the tarp will at least keep the boxes from filling with rain or snow and protect them from expanding and cracking.

My final task will be to dig up the English ivy plant that grew in an outside planter box all summer. The annuals in the pot have all succumbed to the cold weather, but the ivy is still pretty and green. My plan is to pot it up and have it as a houseplant for the winter. The whole pot is sitting in the garage for now. Hopefully I won't forget to pot up the ivy this weekend. Once this is taken care of, my physical gardening work is done and I will officially become an armchair gardener for the winter. I'll be content to read from my library of gardening books and magazines, sketch out a few plans, and think about what I'd like to try new next year. To everything there is a season, and I must admit I'm ready to take a break from gardening. I know that once the seed catalogs arrive, and then spring, I'll be ready to get my hands dirty and start the cycle all over again. Not today, however. It's November.