Harvest Season

"In seed time learn, in harvest teach, in winter enjoy." - William Blake

So it was for me this summer. I spent the early days of spring pushing small sprouts into the bare ground just hoping they would survive the month. For my first season as a "gardener" I think I was rewarded a hundred-fold. I cannot say for sure what made the difference but I know that the early care I took to turn the soil, water consistently and prune the plants has helped to keep our backyard garden in production all summer. Even though the days are getting noticeably shorter, we still find robust cucumbers kissed by the morning sun.


Our collection of ripe tomatoes grows each day. All thanks to my mother for giving us the plants and the cages so that we could grow the tallest tomato plants EVER! We are blessed each day with a handful of red cherry tomatoes and plump yellow balls. I have to start thinking of new recipes so we can put all the tomatoes to use. Last week I concocted homemade tomato sauce for our pasta dinner. And we are still addicted to freshly chopped basil and tomato together - or on a cracker with a small spread of goat's cheese. Yummy!


I finally got around to cutting the herbs and have strung them up to dry for the winter. I missed out on our dill and corriander by letting them grow too long. but we still have a nice collection of thyme, rosemary and sage to use in the months ahead. I learned that those herbs that smell like spring need to be cut in summer but those with the hearty perfume of the fall will grow until that season. Next year I will remember and we will be able to add to the haul of herbs!


Lastly, I had to replant the front garden to get some colour for the fall. Not knowing what was going to sprout there in the spring I overloaded the bed with spring annuals. They had withered by August and the garden was filled with sad, brown stalks. Luckily, the fall mums were ready and I got the saturn coleus (a new favourite of mine) on sale! So the blue spring garden becomes a burgundy beauty for the rest of the season. It adds a touch of warmth to front of the house and will work well next month when we get the fall wreath and halloween pumpkin on display.


Once again I am reminded of the joy of having some outdoor space to call your own. I am reenergized by the project of keeping the gardens healthy and growing. I am happy to see its face change with the seasons. The Boyfriend is already making suggestions for next year. I guess that is another gift of gardening: the pleasure of perpetuity.