LIVING MY BEST LIFE

And like clockwork . . . fall has arrived. The big Beech trees are showering the ground with their splendid show of colors. It is my most favorite time of year. It can also be a little melancholy. It’s my favorite because I truly hate the heat. It is my favorite because I like wearing sweaters and sweatshirts and hats. It is my favorite because it makes me want to “knit all the things”! It’s can also be melancholy because the garden is dying. . . flowers are no longer abundant or colorful. The trees are looking less gloriousj. So it is a mix of emotions. So what do you do when you have mixed emotions on something? Well, if you are anything like me, you get busy! So, we have!

Farm Maintenance

There is always work to do on a farm. Each year we pick a few fields to “repair”. This year, we chose one of the boy’s fields. There are several ways to “repair” a pasture. Sometimes it needs to be completely ripped up and redone. Other times, it can be over seeded. Since alpacas are not hard on grass, like horses can be, we simply over seed. This adds to the amount of grass in the pasture. Makes it thicker and extends the life of the overall field. Those 2 fields will have nice thick grass in the spring. Here’s the boys reaction. . .

. . . typical, no gratitude at all 🙂

My garden

We’ve chopped up most dead stuff in the main garden. The plants in the raised beds seemed to be hanging on, so we left them grow for a bit. The cool weather has really brought tomato production back with a vengeance. Look at the size of that Beefsteak!!

We are prepping the bed to get ready for fall and winter crops. Adding compost, mulch, coconut coir and sand (better drainage) will all add to the “value” of the soil. We also let the plants that are dead rot in place for a few weeks before tilling it in. This adds vital nutrients back into the soil. The only stuff we actually rip out is anything that looks sick or diseased. This year, we got lucky and nothing needed to be removed.

Some of the crops that are going in to overwinter and be ready to harvest in spring / early summer are:

• Elephant Garlic (look at the size of a single clove)
• Red Chesnok Garlic
• Chet’s Early Italian Garlic
• Music Garlic
• Yellow Onlions
• Red Onions
• Saffron Crocus Bulbs
• Rhubarb
• Asparagus

Fall crops to harvest now (as soon as the grow) and until a heavy frost kills them:

• Kale
• Swiss Chard
• Spinach
• Radishes
• Turnips
• Rutabaga

Expanding the garden

AND . . . we are prepping the rest of the garden for an orchard! I am so super excited for this! I know I won’t be getting fruit from them for several years. It is truly a joy to eat stuff that you grew. I have ordered most of the trees and bushes with a couple of exceptions (cherries, walnuts, pawpaw). We plan on getting the grid laid out and water lines ready and already have a rough sketch on paper. Out plan is to do most of the prep now and not have to do much in March. And then as soon as the plants arrive in April, we can plant them. I’m looking forward to caring for and babying them, and have them feed us for the next couple of decades. Here’s what I’ve planned.

• 6 different types of peaches
• 4 different types of apples
• 2 types of cherries
• English Walnut (2 trees)
• PawPaw
• Green grapes
• Red grapes
• More blueberry bushes
• Raspberry bushes
• Goji berry bushes
• More rhubarb crowns
• More asparagus crowns

Fall harvesting

What else am I working on? Well, this tree (to the left) is a volunteer Persimmon tree. If you are not familiar with the term “volunteer” in terms of gardening, it means that it planted itself. Nature is resilient, and truly does what it wants. This little tree wanted to be here. We made sure it survived as soon as we noticed it (5 years ago). The squirrels and groundhogs are VERY grateful for this little tree. This thing has produced a BUMPER crop of fruit this year. My other persimmon trees on the property were never pruned by the prior owner(s). They are so tall, by the time the fruit falls, it splits and is useless. I plan to keep this tree short and bushy so that I can collect the fruit each autumn. If you’ve never tasted persimmon, it is kind of like a cross between a berry and a pumpkin. Like a sweet pumpkin. They are creamy and dense. They are delicious! They can be eaten right off the tree when ripe. However, picking more than you can eat is not advisable. They go bad quicker than you can blink. My daughter and I have been collecting the fruit and will be making some Persimmon jam and canning it! I think I will have to do it in 2 or 3 batches. Since the fruit doesn’t ripen all at once and I don’t want any to go bad. I already have 6 pounds collected, so I may just whip up the first batch tomorrow. We pick and freeze them right away waiting for canning day. Don’t worry, I will include pictures and a recipe. I am also collecting (foraging) some goldenrod and chicory that are plentiful on the farm right now. I will include some pictures of them in another post.

I better get back to work. 🙂