From Our Home to Yours…

Well…another year has rolled over. Already!?

And dare I say, this “fall” if one could call it that, had a rhythm all its own. I couldn’t keep count of the number of times…it snowed…it melted…it snowed & melted again! Presently, there is about 4″ of white stuff, having arrived 2 days ago. And then I look ahead to the forecast, warmer weather will arrive in a couple of days! Will it be enough to melt it! Not sure this time…

One thing is for sure…strange things are happening all over the world! As I follow other plant enthusiasts…plants are behaving rather strangely. When they should be preparing for fall/winter…they are blooming and staying green! What???! Here our fall has also been strange. No serious hard frosts. The leaves took forever to drop. The fall colour was like nothing I’ve ever seen. Glorious yellows, oranges and red contrasting with the ever greens… It was wonderful!

However, at least in our area, it appeared to rain quite a bit this fall. BUT! digging down deep recently, like 5-8 feet…it was a totally different story. It was bone dry! I recall when we first moved out here, digging for water lines etc…the clay walls were glistening with moisture, 4-5 feet deep. And continued to do so for many many years. Not anymore! Would have thought the heavy spring run off and the occasional heavy rains we’ve had, would have replenished it. Nope! Therefore be warned. Come spring and if we don’t get enough snowfall this winter, we might be in some serious trouble. Start thinking of how you might trap some serious moisture over the next couple months… And the Farmer’s Almanac is predicting a cold hard winter? (:

Gardening wise…I’ve had a great summer. Don’t know why exactly, but felt no pressure. Had plenty of time to harvest seed, do final inventory prep for my website, harvest produce for winter and did some serious canning. My cold room never looked this full…that I had to put jars on the floor! And…it had nothing to do with the weather. August & September is the usual time stuff like this gets done. It just felt great!

Next season, I’m going to cut down further. Maybe 12 varieties of tomatoes (this past summer I had about 60…and the year before that…180! just crazy!) Maybe plant a few more beans and peas. Dam they are so darn pretty! And easy to manage! Maybe pay attention to more salads and stay ahead of that darn lettuce growth! Everything preformed quite well. Yup! The watering program worked…

Therefore may I remind one & all…grab your seeds while some inventory is still available. I am proud to say, I have an unusual rare collection, quite different from many others. And sad to say that a lot of these varieties are no longer grown. They are the “oldies” and these have just disappeared elsewhere! And…once they are gone…that’s it!

Wishing all my Gardening family/friends, a Blessed Christmas, of Togetherness, great Health & Happiness. And a very Prosperous New Year 2024!

Happy Growing!

Mandy

Hulless Pumpkin

Collection!

Tamila bean

Kuma Anna’s Grey