Every morning as the day dawns, first thing I do is I look out the window overlooks my garden, the roof of the woodshed looked like it had half an inch of snow on it! "MY plants!!!!!" ,the last bits of summer, if there is any veggie that can survive that....well any above ground veggie, I don't know what it is. My heart sunk, I was hoping for just a couple more tomato and or cucumber sandwiches.
Faithful listener to the local weathercasts, and frequent visitor to the online forecasts because "ya don't want plants to go about without a covering {usually old sheets} on a frosty night". Not that there wasn't much left in my garden. The large trees near my garden protect it,sometimes I have a few cukes and tomatoes still growing in early November. But this year a sneaky frost found them. And well that finished the few struggling veggies the last of my home grown year. You probably have noticed that these tiny treasures are a bit wilted, not from the frost, but from the dressing as late season veg are stressed and can taste of it.
Gardening is now officially over, so today "Tilly" and I will turn the soil in for the season, except for some rebellious composted corn husks. Living this close to the woods, I put my compostables in trenches and cover them up...keeps all but the most determined critters out of the garden, and for those most determined a generous dash of cayenne pepper is usually "off putting" enough.
That yellow plume in the wooden "box" you see is/are asparagus, yes, that is what happens as the delectable early spring spears mature over summer. Turning into beautiful plumes and some producing seeds. Then they turn yellow and die off and make way for the next years crop. The tiny vivid red berries hold ripening seeds. If one is lucky the berry/and it's seed can find a cozy spot and grow into a robust plant. Beware of those berries they berries are toxic. i am told leaving them on the the plant can cause the plants to be less productive next year. But I have 10 plants and only one had berries, so I am OK with that, and perhaps some seeds will sprout....one never knows.
Look at that blue sky!!!! OK,OK I know you are looking at those whitish things...they are corn husks. the cob, husks, even bits of the stalk, get tilled in, and those are the escapees!!!
Time was I had a much bigger garden, but that was when I was feeding more people at my table. And, I was much younger. Time spent in my garden is precious, and empowering to me. I spend some time with it almost every day, even those days when it is buried under the snow. In winter I spread, Ok toss, the parings and such out across the snow, admire the snowy landscape, and feel very lucky....and get a mite frozen. When a piece of fruit or some vegetable will go bad, or potatoes turn greenish I use them as compost, and no longer feel guilty about wasting food.
Once back in the warmth of the wood stove I settle down to read my stash of seed catalogs.
