Feels like Fall

As I sit here and write this, it's the first day of fall and the Bears are winning.  There has been a chill in the air for the last few days and we've been wearing jackets to play outside.  The garden is definitely in fall mode.  Most of my perennials are winding down and half of the garden has been harvested.  The other half of the garden is just about ready to be picked and the fall-planted garlic has gone in the ground.  Already I'm looking forward to spring as my go-to seed companies put their seeds on sale for the end of the season.  I haven't even canned my first tomatoes for the fall and I'm already thinking ahead to next year!  As fall comes to my yard, it's time to sit back, reap the rewards of another season, and enjoy the changing weather.

A late season cone flower.  Not sure why it decided to bloom one more time before fall.

I already had to mow the leaves from the neighbor's cottonwood.  Maybe it will drop it's leaves early and we'll be done with it for the year.  Here's hoping!

As always, the fall yield of raspberries is paltry compared to the summer season.  Every other day I've been going out and getting a handful.  Perhaps we'll have enough for a pie once the main crop comes in.

I just planted a ton of garlic here.  I'll have to mulch it and somehow animal-proof it still.  I just hope my rabbit/mouse friends don't like garlic!

I cleaned up the squash/cucumber/green beans and pulled out all the dead vines.  I still have squash and zucchini coming in but I think the green beans and cucumbers are done already.  It seems early for that.

I've been enjoying watching the celery grow.  Hopefully it will be ready to harvest soon.

I haven't gotten much zucchini this year, but there are 5 growing right now.  Let's hope no animals (or kids) decide to pick/eat them early

Squash

I've only gotten enough tomatoes to make one meal's worth of tomato sauce, but I'm hoping the main crop comes in soon.  I have to watch them closely so that the mice don't eat them when they ripen.  If I get them when they are still 3/4 green and ripen them inside, they turn out great.

Big crop coming in

I can't believe the spiderwort is still going strong.  Too back it always looks half dead as the flowers are always opening and closing.

The corner "pine tree garden" is looking like fall. The little Henry is starting to turn to it's fall reds.

I hope the zinnias go until the frost

I've already gotten a bowl full of potatoes out from the bottom of the box, maybe next week I'll try to pick some more