Get the most out of October!
Autumn is now fully upon us. It’s easy to want to hunker down and sit with a hot cup of tea, watching the leaves fall, but we might now want to get too settled in just yet. In our temperate climates, this is the last chance that we will have to obtain meaningful harvest before we shut up shop for the winter. There are still plenty of things happening in the garden and as regenerative farmers, we want to make sure we utilize all available resources. That’s our main job. Make sure we waste nothing and put all available energy to work somehow.
Autumn is not only a meaningful transition time for us, but it is a really important time for our gardens as well. Knowing that winter is coming, our botanical friends will put out their last gasps right about now and it’s up to us to work with it. If you have an Autumn garden, this is the time be harvesting those cool weather crops like broccoli and whatever root vegetables remain. You may also want to think about what you can still get in fresh before the hard freezes come. It’s still a good time to plant some of those quick two week radishes, as well as our cold weather greens like kale and spinach. In a nice sunny location, we can continue harvesting these for quite some time. This is also the time of year for planting things like garlic for next year’s harvest.
This is also the perfect time for extending the year’s harvests with a cold frame. A simple box with heavy plastic laid or glass laid across the top can be the perfect home for overwintering the cold weather crops just mentioned. This will allow you to keep fresh food on the table year round. Make sure to point your cold frame south to maximize the solar input each day. You may be surprised at what you continue to see popping up all winter long.
If your gardens are all starting to go dormant, now’s the time to prep our soil. Soil amendments are ready to be worked into the soil and mulch is ready to go on top for next year. This is also the time to remove any diseased or dying debris from the garden and to start making room for next year’s harvest.
Autumn is also a great time for some wild harvesting as the last crops of the year are beginning to run out. Apples, pears and paw paws may still be lingering and the last mushrooms of the year will be available to those who want to venture outside. Also, it’s not too late to plant perennials for next year. You’ve still get until the first hard frosts to get in berry bushes and fruit trees.
It may seem as it’s getting colder that the time has come to sit back, but don’t get drawn in to that just yet. You’ll be thankful for the effort that you put in this Autumn when next Spring arrives, but don’t forget to enjoy the splendor that nature has to offer right now either. This is such a good time for evening walks and getting outside. Always keep your eyes open. As the leaves fall, we can see further into the natural world around us and you never know what may strike up inspiration for your own landscape and gardens.
And lastly, make sure to appreciate and to give thanks to mother nature for this year’s bounty and to set yourself to ensure that next year’s is even better!