A while back I discovered that on our homestead, fall seems to be the easiest time of the year for growing a successful garden, and I think it's the tastiest time for the produce, too.
Don't get me wrong, I absolutely love growing spring and summer vegetables and will never give them up. Ever. But there's just something special about fall vegetable gardens...
Also, most garden pests have completed their life-cycle, so they're not around to thwart my efforts. And as a much-thwarted gardener, I'll shout a hallelujah to that!
As a bonus, the occasional fall cold snaps bring about bursts of flavor in the fruits that are not present in any other season. The cold actually helps convert the natural starches to sugar, so the vegetables taste sweeter, crisper, and fresher...or more fresh. Or just fresh. Oh good grief, I get hung up on the dumbest things!
But I occasionally do something smart--like taking advantage of this time of year. Beginning around about the end of August we start sowing for the fall harvest. We tend to plant varieties that can handle cool weather and that produce quickly, since we never know when the first frost will hit. Here are the main vegetables we chose for our fall garden this year:
I must still in be in the Halloween mood. Give me a minute, it'll pass.
Thankfully, our tomato patch was crime-free...virtually. The only offense committed was done by the turkey, who decided the bite-sized fruits were there just for him. But I'll get my revenge--Thanksgiving is drawing near. (Cue the evil grin and the bone-chilling laugh.)
Boy, I really am still stuck on Halloween.
My apologies. Shall we finish our tour? Maybe it'll get my overactive imagination out of the graveyard.
Well, now you know what the Grimy Reaper and I'll be doing--munching on all these garden goodies 'til they meet their demise at the hands of another fictional figure: Jack Frost, this time. He'll sneak up on us soon, but he won't end our fun. We'll just go play in the greenhouse, where the winter garden is just sprouting up. That's what I like about homestead life--when one thing ends, another begins.
And I am such a sucker for new beginnings! (And the Dateline Mystery of the Week.)