Carrots are Great tasting when planted now and harvested from TGing thru Feb. I find them much sweeter than summer carrots (Nanites variety). Just keep them well weeded and they can be used until the soil freezes up too hard. I also leave a few in the ground to regrow tops and bloom next spring for attracting beneficial insects. Spinach is also good to plant now, after a brief fall picking it's very winter hardy and will give you another early picking next March. Others goodies are collards, beets, kale, turnips, and broc & cabbage (both as transplants). For the first time I planted lettuce and peas this past week to see if they do well here in my Z-7 local.

I have a bareroot rose from last year and I have it in front of a side fence to discourage anyone from hopping the fence to get in the back. Someone stepped on it late last fall and broke and bent canes off to the ground and within a few inches. I cut them off and with normal watering it came back this spring, growing off what I thought were dead canes and I didn't see anywhere it could start growing from again. I almost think it's going to be a better rose bush for it. I don't think a bent, damaged cane could sustain the weight roses would put on it. From what you're saying I don't believe the rose will regrow the damage done. I don't really understand where it's broke out but I think you'll have to prune it off and hope to spark new growth with some watering. I'd be putting some Vitamin B1 on it for stress. You might create a well around the rose and water it deeply before you go, maybe it would be enough if it's not too warm where you are. Roses are pretty tough, I've had various accidents with them and thought they'd be toast and they were fine.

When you applied the lime, and which lime, could have an affect on how things grew. If done shortly before planting the lime would not have had time to make any change in the soils pH and many nutrients would not be available to the plants. Lime, to have much affect on the soils pH, needs to be applied several months before that change is desired. Contact your local office of your state universities USDA Cooperative Extension Service about having a good, reliable soil test done and also dig in with these simple soil tests, Structure. From that soil sample put enough of the rest to make a 4 inch level in a clear 1 quart jar, with a tight fitting lid. Fill that jar with water and replace the lid, tightly. Shake the jar vigorously and then let it stand for 24 hours. Your soil will settle out according to soil particle size and weight. A good loam will have about 1-3/4 inch (about 45%) of sand on the bottom. about 1 inch (about 25%) of silt next, about 1 inch (25%) of clay above that, and about 1/4 inch (about 5%) of organic matter on the top. 2) Drainage. Dig a hole 1 foot square and 1 foot deep and fill that with water. After that water drains away refill the hole with more water and time how long it takes that to drain away. Anything less than 2 hours and your soil drains too quickly and needs more organic matter to slow that drainage down. Anything over 6 hours and the soil drains too slowly and needs lots of organic matter to speed it up. 3) Tilth. Take a handful of your slightly damp soil and squeeze it tightly. When the pressure is released the soil should hold together in that clump, but when poked with a finger that clump should fall apart. 4) Smell. What does your soil smell like? A pleasant, rich earthy odor? Putrid, offensive, repugnant odor? The more organic matter in your soil the more active the soil bacteria will be and the nicer your soil will smell. 5) Life. How many earthworms per shovel full were there? 5 or more indicates a pretty healthy soil. Fewer than 5, according to the Natural Resources Conservation Service, indicates a soil that is not healthy. to see what your soil looks like and what you need to do to make that soil into a good, healthy soil.

I live in Lafayette, La. For my area, (we don't get very cold winters either) the last week of August or first week of September we prune our roses down to 30" and we prune again, down to 15" during the last week of February, or after the last frost. We always fertilizer after each pruning. We continue making certain they have enough water all year. I fertilize my roses once each and every month. Other than that, that is all I do. I don't cover the plants during frost of freezing temperatures, or place extra mulch. They are happy with it and if they're happy, I'm happy. Hope it helps. Bonne chance mon ami, T