Completed the very last fall garden task today--planted 90 tulip and daffodil bulbs along the fence-line. I've tried bulbs in years past and never had any success. Too many moles and rabbits.

So this time I thought it through and took several precautions. First, we dug trenches right between the fence and a dirt path the dog has worn smooth by patrolling the fence. I'm hoping the barrier of the fence plus the dog's scent will deter rabbits. Second, I made chicken wire "sandwiches" by putting a section in the bottom of the trench, back-filling with the bulbs and a little dirt, and then folding it over the top of the bulbs, too. I hope this will deter moles. Finally, I actually bought special bulb fertilizer. My soil is pretty good but I decided that if I was going to put in all this effort to plant them then I wanted to give the bulbs every advantage.

Unexpected benefit: as we were digging the trenches we discovered bricks I'd placed there years ago that'd sunk about 3 inches below the surface of the lawn with time. As we dug them up the girls took them and added another row to the top of the fire pit which has also sunk a bit in the 5 yrs since I created it. The girls want to be helpful and I like to foster that impulse but sometimes it's hard to find jobs they can do. So, this was a win-win-win!

I truly thought this would be a 2-3 hr job. Ended up taking closer to 4. Luckily the 15 yr old was helping me. He didn't want to. He's working off quite a nice, long list of chores handed to him along with a week-long grounding for some snotty behavior a week ago. But, to his credit, he acknowledge he deserved the punishment and he was--mostly--uncomplaining about helping me today. Once he gets done telling me how he thinks a task should be done (which is always wrong) he's quite enjoyable to work with.

I'm not rushing winter but it's nice to know the garden is ready if it makes an early appearance this year. These morning glories are still full of glory, though this is a rather icy shade of blue, isn't it?