Fall Equinox in the Garden

As the seasons turn toward fall today, I am taking a moment to appreciate all the changes happening out in the garden. While many things are dying off and withering away towards becoming organic matter, many other things are putting on their last, colorful display, and some new things are just beginning to grow. It’s a real dichotomy of life and death happening on that patch of ground.

As I look out over the garden, fiery fall colors catch the eye wherever it rests. Pumpkins and gourds are hanging high and low in just about every color, size and texture imaginable. Marigolds and nasturtiums line the paths, and rows of bright green kale, chard and lettuce starts are bordered by fresh yellow straw. Birds are flitting about on the dying sunflower stalks, enjoying a feast of the seeds, and the withering pumpkin vines snake around bright red cherry tomatoes, ready to be eaten.

The Sugar Pie pumpkins are turning bright orange and promising good things like soups, pies, and baked goods to come.

The marigolds are playing their part in making the garden colorful after the sunflowers are done, and keeping bugs away from the tender greens.

The nasturtiums are taking advantage of the cooler weather to mound up in little hills and climb the sunflower stalks.

As pumpkin leaves die back, hidden gourds are revealed. I love bringing them indoors to brighten things up as the days grow shorter and the weather turns cloudy.

I had a massive Bright Lights rainbow chard go to seed, and there
are all these colorful volunteers coming up where it once grew. I could
never get tired of eating steamed chard, and I love seeing their bright
stalks out in the garden after the other plants die off.

The kale starts are looking robust and delicious. Last year they overwintered so well that we had some kale trees in the early spring. As long as you keep picking the biggest leaves and pinch off the flower heads, you can keep harvesting off of a kale plant for a long time. It’s especially nice to have in the garden at times of year when fresh vegetables become scarce.

The lettuce starts I planted are growing beautifully with the cool nights and mornings and sunny days. I don’t expect them to make it past the first frost, but until then they will make for some good, fresh salads.

The lemon cucumbers are finally getting going, and there seems to be a new one appearing every day. Although they’re a little late, I hope to enjoy a few of these favorite garden treats before the weather turns cold.

Every compost has a story. Mine involves chickens, gardening, picking fruit, pressing cider, cocoa husks from chocolate making, and the ash from a winter of wood heat. It’s a good thing I really enjoy that story, because it’s the story of my life!

As we bring things in and put things up in preparation for the winter ahead, I get a sense of the impermanent nature of life and the importance of appreciating what is around us in the moment. Fall is the time when we put our energy towards gathering up the things we can preserve, preparing for changes in the weather and the natural world around us, and letting go of the things that are leaving, with the knowledge that they will come around again. In these tasks, we learn to work with change, which will serve us well as there is plenty of change involved in living. It is a busy season to immerse oneself in, but I’m happy to roll up my sleeves and get to work.