I’ve been working in the hoophouse today. Garden work helps stabilize my mind and heart, even as it fills me with an ominous sensation that fall is coming. Another way to look at it — the future is coming, whether I like it or not. No way to just stay here among this late summer beauty/bounty for awhile.
I’ve harvested some lingering summer veggies. All of the peppers are picked, half of the eggplant, half of the basil, and a handful of okra pods. There are still some remaining: a few eggplant, a few okra, the massive bush of tomatillos (are they going to ripen?), and half a bed of basil.
I have some alliums curing in the hoophouse. I trimmed these cippollini and shallots and brought them inside for daily use.
There were several trips to the compost, taking remnants out of the hoophouse beds to make way for new plantings of spinach, winter lettuce, and arugula.
The house looked nice from the garden. That billowing row cover was supposed to provide shade to prevent sun scald on some prime tomatoes. I think it’s outlived its purpose.
It’s hard to convey the experience of living within a small forest of sunflowers. All of them were volunteers and currently providing feasts for all kinds of insects and a few birds and small mammals too. A lesson in generosity.
