Cleaning up the garden in the fall always feels a little sad. However, all I have to do is open the pantry to see the jars of vegetables we stored away to feel pretty good about the garden season this year.
Check out these pictures from our property today! The Japanese Dogwood trees just look ‘green’ this year. That’s OK but I missed the spectacular flowers in the spring (thanks to a late frost) which meant no flowers and no ‘pumpkin’ seed pods this fall. I included the pictures from last year below.
Spring 2025
Fall 2025
The petunias around the lamppost continue to look great, even as the ones in the back of the house are long gone.
My attempt to grow beets in the raised planters by the patio sort of worked, but I should have started them earlier and thinned them out. Oh well, I’ll cook those few just for fun.
The carrots in the bed off the patio are still going strong. We’ll leave them alone for the next few weeks.
Of course, the asparagus is still there! Bert will trim the tops before winter.
The geraniums looked pretty beat down after all the rain we’ve had. The second picture is after I trimmed all the dead flowers. Much better!
The pumpkin patch is ready to harvest! The wood pile reminds us cold weather isn’t too far away!
Rainfall this summer was quite adequate. We’re ending the growing season with full rain barrels! That doesn’t often happen! Bert tracks the rainfall from March thru November and so far, today, we have had 33+ inches of rain. Normal rainfall for this area is 32″ for March thru November. Better to have water and not need it than to need it and not have it!
Overall, the garden looks ready to rest! The few carrots will be dug up soon, and Bert will cut back the echinacea before winter.
This year I tried something new with the last of the tomatoes. When Bert pulled the tomato plants, I saved the green tomatoes (about 2 dozen) in my basket. I set it in the garage by the kitchen door. I was able to keep an eye on them every day. As they started to change color, I moved them onto the kitchen table. All but the last few managed to finally ripen and they tasted great! Great way to end the season!
The tomatoes make the kitchen look good! I guess it’s time to pick up some fall flowers just to brighten the dining room table! Enjoy! If you have comments or questions, please email me directly at maryjkisner@gmail.com.