Last year I didn't plant until the beginning of November... and my bulbs were okay but rather small this year. Is there any reason that this would be too early to plant?

I planted mine three days ago. Good thing as the ground is frozen now. I hope I got enough of a cover on them. I may add a bit more mulch just to be sure. I can remove some of it come spring. Hard neck is about all that will grow here.

Now I've started another project and haven't got mine planted yet.

Good grief, Mary! Your ground is frozen already?

Chelle took the words right out of my mouth -- "your ground is frozen already??" (we just had our first light frost...)

And I haven't planted the garlic yet, decided to wait until next week because it's going where the peppers are now, and those plants are still loaded with peppers. That will still be 2 weeks earlier than last year, so we'll see if that makes any difference in the size of the bulbs...

Yup. Frozen hard. Had to chip out my dahlia tubers in chunks of earth. But yesterday it warmed up finally and started to rain so the ground should be soft again. Good think as I have all that thawed dirt in my garage from where I had the dahlias. Also brought in large pots of dirt to thaw them out and dry the dirt out a little. Easier to spread back in the yard.

It's supposed to hold in the 40's til around the 18th with bits of sun. Figures I would do my digging when the weather was at its worst. But I couldn't take the chance it would stay frozen. This will give me a chance to get my daffodil bulbs back in the ground.

I am amazed that the UP isn't frosted up even if not frozen. You guys get terrible cold weather.

"You guys get terrible cold weather"

Especially last winter... haven't had one like that in a LONG time! And yet... my garlic, chives, bleeding hearts, and really everything else came through just fine. And, really strange -- a redbud tree that I planted a couple of years got through it okay, but a mountain ash that is at least 10 years old (!! what is hardier than that?? they're native trees up in the northern UP for heaven's sake) barely leafed out and lost its leaves very early -- not sure if it will bounce back next year or not.

Our lows have been dipping into the low 30s, but until the last few nights staying just above frost... have had a couple of light frosts with the full moon, but now it looks like a good week to go without freezing. Every day feels like a gift right now!

We have mountain ash here and they do just fine. Strange.

I know -- I really hope that tree isn't dead!

Sandy, is your native mountain ash from the wild? If it is, then I would agree... very strange. But the mountain ash species that are native to your area aren't often sold in nurseries. If you bought it, it is likely a European mountain ash, and not as well adapted.

Rick, I honestly don't know how to tell the difference... but it was supposedly the native type. I actually think it will come back okay next year -- or maybe that's just wishful thinking!

European mountain ash - always a tree, twigs and especially buds are woolly.
American mountain ash - small tree or shrub-like. Open growth. twigs shiny, buds with sticky outer scales, inner scales usually with hairy tips.

Whoa! Mine is definitely a "tree" -- and not so much "open growth"

A little off topic but since this is Northern Gardening

First moose of the season trekking through my front gardens

Great picture, Oberon! They look pretty healthy, too.

I haven't grown garlic in a number of years and when I did it was on the opposite coast.

The gardening calendar here suggested planting it, in my zip code and zone, before September 30, but it was still quite warm then. I got my bulbs from Seed Savers Exchange, and their information suggested it is best to plant "after the first frost" which, here, is statistically forecast for October 31st.

So I planted them in the first week of October, kind of splitting the difference.

We have moose here but they stay in the woods, so we just have deer eating everything in site.