After being away for a week, I spent all of yesterday afternoon in the garden. Taking stock, tidying just a bit, and seeing what's to be done. We've had a frost, but a light one. Most everything is still doing okay. But I have begun the fall time cleanup - clearing away all the squash plants and discovering squash that were hidden/left behind in the patch before. Tomato and cucumber plants are being pulled and cleaned up as well. The chickens are having such a delightful time with all those garden by products! Sunflowers most especially.
I cannot believe how quickly and beautifully the winter rye cover crop grew in my potato bed. I'm so excited to see how that does in the spring. I picked up my garlic at the fair (always from Little Garlic Girl Farm), and that might get into the ground this week. Maybe this will be the year that I plant enough for us for the year of eating and enough for seed the following year as well.
I'm looking forward to the coming days spent in the garden continuing to clean up, and harvesting all that's left to harvest. There is so much still! And while I am missing the tomatoes (never enough), I am so glad for all those root vegetables and brassicas thriving out there. Oh, and the flowers. Thank goodness for those flowers - that bed was such a pleasure this season. Something so simple and so special too.
I think there will probably be just one last garden update next week, I can hardly believe how quickly the season feels to be coming to a close. But I look at the trees, all quickly turning orange, and I feel the shift in the air and the pull indoors. It's such a beautiful time of year - both in and out of the garden.
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If you're keeping garden notes and photographs and want to share it with the rest of us, do leave a comment with a link so that we may take a stroll through your garden too! It's a delight to see what and how things are growing all over, and to read the comments with such great gardening wisdom! Thank you all for continuing to share in this little project.