I have to mulch all my beds as well, but that's half done already. I'm filling holes in my tool box (read: toy box). I have almost everything I wanted this year but for transplanting the HOS way, I'm thinking of investing in a dibber (aka dibble) for speed and a hose timer for yet another indication that I'm lazy. My garden is not that big but the thought of the plants being watered without my getting out of bed is thrilling. I have a shipment of bulbs, my last one, coming in on Monday. And I have to do the monthly edging sometime.

We've been blessed with very mild temps here lately, and I've been able to got lots done. Several hundred bulbs are planted. A huge load of woodchips is slowly getting distributed to paths through the wild area and inside and outside the deer fence of the vegetable garden. I had dozens of buckets of grounds and filters that needed screening and spreading--that's almost done (although I'll be picking up buckets all winter). I'm looking ahead to the massive leaf fall. I found an electric shredder on a local swap shop and will be spending many hours shredding and spreading leaves. Last spring's manure/sawdust mix needs to be spread on the vegetable garden, and a new load put into the bins. The corn stalks are still in the garden, and so are zinnias and dahlias--still yielding lovely bouquets! I need to take cuttings of potato vine and other stuff to overwinter. Lots of fun!

Merrygarden I learned from someone that you can dig the potato vines and they have tubers you can plant next spring.I dug up my green one yesterday and got 3 tubers.I am taking cuttings too.
moonphase

I'd love to learn more about saving potato vine tubers! I have a bunch of different kinds and have tried cuttings in years past but they seem to hate it inside in the winter and never make it through.

Do you dig them up and store them like dahlias? Should I do it now or wait for a frost? They are growing like gangbusters still - hate to chop off all those pretty leaves!

Do tell me more please...... thanks!!!!!

Nancy

I just grabbed my plants by the crown and pulled straight up. If they have tubers, they will be hanging there with the roots. (Some of my plants did and others didn't.) You could also dig, but then you risk slicing into a tater.

Wrap in newpaper or bury in dry peat, and store in a cool dark place like a basement. In Spring, put the tuber in a shallow container with a little water, and set it in a warmer part sun area (windowsill or whatever.). It will start growing sprouts. Each sprout can be broken off and rooted, so don't just plant the whole tuber yet if you want several plants. When you have all the starts you want, then you can plant the tuber.