The Fall Garden

My joy is our garden.

[one of my joys]

Our garden nourishes my soul. A few minutes out there, breathing in the good vibrations of plants, of earth, of life, helps me regain any equilibrium lost.

On a practical side, our garden feeds me and my family [and the chickens and ducks.] I have long desired to grow enough food to feed ourselves all year 'round, and this year we're coming as close as we ever have. With the greenhouse, cold frames, and a little planning, this is the best fall garden I've ever grown. We have not bought a vegetable since early July, and we're looking good for at least a while longer.

Fresh from the garden, we are eating broccoli, cauliflower, green and red cabbage, brussels sprouts, kale, spinach, swiss chard, beets, onions, and lettuce, and tomatoes and peppers from the greenhouse. Stored away in the house and barn [the root cellar is a project for next year], we have winter squash, potatoes, more onions, garlic, beets, carrots, and apples. [And don't forget the 6-8 daily eggs from our chickens, and the fifteen meat chicks growing up so fast.] I'm not sure if it is enough food to take us all the way through winter, but it should get us pretty far. Hopefully we'll be finishing up all this deliciousness just as the overwintered broccoli, cabbage, spinach, onions and lettuce take off.

Please, do take a walk through our garden and see what you can find.

Planting garlic

Getting new beds ready for spring with a cardboard mulch

Our future chicken dinners

The garlic, planted and mulched

Crimson clover creeps across some beds, nourishing the soil through winter

Preparing a flower bed in front of the greenhouse

Broccoli, cabbage, and lettuce grow steadily 'til spring, while peppers continue to ripen

Still plenty of fresh tomatoes!

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