Let the Gardening Begin!

 

Dirt, compost, and soil builder

A few days' tomato harvest

Let gardening begin? Isn’t fall the time to harvest? We are still harvesting tomatoes, more tomatoes than I care to see the rest of the year. 😀 But squash was a bust, except for the pattypan squash. This was the first time I’ve tried patty pan, and it’s worth a try again next year. 

Pattypan squash

But to the topic of beginning, fall is the time to get started on next year's garden—from the ground up. I’m adding soil booster, a rich mixture of compost and organic matter that will allow better air to plant roots. Perlite, is an organic volcanic glass that improves aeration and drainage, and the addition of peat moss will enhance water retention.

Once the weather finally cools (we saw 90 degrees twice this week!), I can start transplanting blueberries and raspberries to new garden beds. I’ll have an entire 8x4-foot bed for each.

Rhubarb starts

We love fruit, and it grows well in my “yarden”, but dedicating three
beds to fruit doesn’t mean we won’t have some vegetables. I have six new rhubarb plants for a 3x3 bed, and will try moving asparagus to its own 3x3 bed. The latter may be risky, but the squirrels aren’t giving the asparagus much of a chance where it is now, and the new bed will allow me to cover everything easily, thwarting the squirrels.

After all that, the really big job begins when I pull the strawberries out of their 8x4 bed so I can enrich that soil before putting the plants back in. I have a lot of work ahead of me, but also a lot to look forward to! 

Just as fall starts, rain is predicted on Sunday. At least watering the garden is done for the season. 

Photo by John Noonan on Unsplash

 

Fall Days ~ by Author Jennifer Daniels

September and October are a couple of my favorite months of the year.  A lot of times in September it is still warm enough to wear shorts and enjoy a light warm breeze during the day. There are so many things you can do this time of year and one of them for me is going for a ride and looking at the trees changing colors. I love the greens turning into yellows and the oranges turning into reds. The peak of the leaves changing happened in Upstate, NY the last week of September. It was simply beautiful.

I love the smell in the air. In the evening when things are cooling down, the air smells so crisp and clean. In the mornings, it smells like dried up leaves and fresh pine needles.

This is the time of year when everyone starts thinking about the

holidays. I love to decorate for Halloween. This year is the exception because we are having a huge house overhaul. We are adding a three-stall garage, new roof, and siding. I cannot wait to see it but that means I cannot decorate outside. But next year will look incredible. (I hope.)

Many of you already know this about me, I hate to cook. I can do it but I loathe it! I do, however, like to bake. During this time of year, I always make homemade pumpkin pie, crust and all. I add a thick layer of cream cheese mixture to the bottom of the crust before I add my fresh pumpkin. Let me tell you, it is to die for! I often make it for my dad to take into hunting camp. Also, when the men are in camp, my mom, sister, and the other ladies in the family usually get together for crafting. My sister and I have an overnight Halloween Hallmark Movie night. We love to watch The Good Witch and perhaps have a glass or two of wine.

What is your favorite thing to do in the fall? Carve pumpkins? Bake? Go to an orchard to pick apples? There are so many fall things to do. I hope you all have a fun and wonderful fall season.

Check out Jennifer's other blog posts by clicking HERE

Sweater Weather ~ by Kristine Raymond

I love this time of year.  Cooler temperatures, bright azure skies, colorful leaves floating gently down to blanket the ground.  In other words - sweater weather.

© Depositphotos

That's what we called it when I was a kid growing up in New England.  It began in mid-September; a morning chill in the air that lingered during trips to the apple orchard or farmers' market.  A crispness that accompanied walks along a sandy stretch of beach devoid of summer tourists, when the mercury hovered between too-cool-for-a-T-shirt and too-warm-for-a-coat.  Sweater weather.

© Depositphotos

I love sweaters.  Bulky cables, lightweight Henleys, soft cashmeres.  As with most of my wardrobe, I tend to stay with muted, earth-tone hues, but every now and then, a brightly-colored knit catches my eye, and I succumb to temptation.  


One of my favorite memories is of visiting the Fall River Knitting Mills factory outlet in Fall River, MA and picking out a new Fair Isle sweater or Shaker knit.  

After 25 years, autumn in Kentucky is still a bit of a shock to me.  While I enjoy the mild winters we experience here - nothing like the Nor-easters I've endured - September in this southernly state is more akin to summer climate than fall.  In fact, as I type this, the 'feels like' is a balmy 94° and the forecast for the rest of the week is even hotter; not quite inspiring me to pull my cozy woolens from the drawer.  (Sadly, I donated all but a few of my favorites to charity years ago to make room in my dresser for shorts and tees.)  

But that doesn't stop my yearning to bundle up and lie amongst the fallen leaves, relishing the arrival of my favorite season.

© Depositphotos