Fall Garden

Fall gardens are an interesting dichotomy. While many plants are winding down and dying away, keeping time with the happenings of Nature all around them, the cool season crops are just getting started. For whatever reason, fall and winter gardening have always seemed a bit mysterious and tricky to me. With the help of hot-houses I feel like I’ve gotten early spring gardening down, but things I’ve planted for fall garden’s have often not germinated at all, been eaten by slugs, or stayed dormant overwinter and come up in the spring. I am very happy to say that this year, I have my first successful fall garden going.

One of my favorite things in the garden, the pumpkins are bright orange and round, ready for storing in the root cellar or turning into Jack-o-lanterns on the front steps.

With all the cucurbit vines dying off, the once hidden plethora of gourds are peeking their way out. Whenever questioned by friends on the purpose of all these gourds, I always reply that their purpose is to make people happy. There are more ways to nourish oneself  than growing food.

These dying sunflower heads have been making lovely treats for the chickens and quail, and I even saved a few heads by our woodstove to dry for next year’s seeds.

“Dude” the scarecrow is drooping away, in perfect solidarity with everything around him. With his job almost done for the year, he will soon be disassembled and stored for the spring.

And in the midst of all this, the bright green arugula is putting out a plethora of tender new leaves, spicy and delicious in salads and other tasty dishes.

And then there is masterpiece of our fall garden, Bright Lights Chard. I could eat steamed chard every day and never be tired of it. I adore chard. These are plants we started from seed during the summer, and they just keep on producing new vibrant stocks. I am feeling quite rich in chard.

After having poor luck direct sowing seeds during August in years past, I put a couple packs of Kale and Broccoli starts in, and they are doing marvelously. Planting starts instead of seeds may be the answer. Nothing makes a meal complete like fresh garden greens, and in their honor, I would like to share this link to a song by one of my favorite folk singers, May Erlewine: Greens.

And off to one side, we’ve been watching our giant Big Dorris pumpkin grow bigger and brighter orange every day. It is now sitting in a place of honor on our front porch, greeting everyone who walks in the door. It’s going to be one heck of a Jack-o-lantern for Halloween.

With some clear, sunny fall days, we’ve been busy out there in the garden getting things harvested, mulched and tucked in for the winter. It seems even more rewarding doing all this work of winding the garden down when there are still patches of growing things continuing on to becoming good food to harvest. Fall gardens are a good reflection of life. Things are constantly changing, growing, evolving, ending and beginning at the same time, and no matter where you look, there is always something to find delight in.