These last days of October, my thoughts are on autumn and the coming winter. Fall means two things to gardeners - harvest time; and the end of the road for many plants that we've spent money on, watered obsessively, fertilized and de-bugged. Why do we spend so much time and energy on something that will soon be nothing but mulch for next year's garden? The question is always the answer, so I'm told. We spend so much time on them because they give us joy and help us de-stress. That's my simple answer.
I love the colors of fall, even though I know it means cold and snow are coming soon. I try to spend camera time on capturing the colors. This is the season for the reds, oranges and golds to come out and really shine. Even the "thug" Virginia Creeper can become a prince, when the chlorophyll is gone and the leaves are varied hues of red and pink. I like to try to get the glow of sunlight through the leaves, because they are so wonderfully transparent. Even in the shade, the leaves of some bushes and trees are lit up with their own inner light. Here in Colorado, the color gold is king, and the aspens grab the sunlight and drift it along the mountainsides. I also look for the sudden red of our native sumac, and the pumpkin orange of scrub oak, for a nice contrast to pine green and aspen yellow.
I have spent the last few weeks on harvest and salvage, since the frosts are here and chipping away at the garden plants. I've started pulling up the tomato plants and mulching the perennials to hopefully prevent frost heave later on. I'm also enjoying the last few weeks of farmer's market produce. One night a few weeks ago, I fired up the gas grill and roasted a whole case of green chilis for storage in the freezer. Of course, I had the obligatory glass of red wine to keep off the chill of the evening! I called Mr. Light, who was at the local brewery enjoying a few cold ones, and told him he was "missing all the fun", as he is usually our roasting master. Sometimes we'll get fresh pimento peppers from the same farmer's market vendor and fire-roast them to make a pasta and alfredo sauce with chicken and roasted red peppers. Sometimes we just roast them on the grill next to the steaks and have them as a side vegetable. So tasty!
With the roasted Italian chilis, I'll make green chili this winter, using local pork from one of our surrounding ranches here in the valley. Mr. Light likes mild chili peppers better, as he is not acclimated to the spicier chilis. I am one of those people, however, who likes it HOT. I grew some really great serranos this year and thought I could bring the plants in for the fall season. They seemed to be thrilled at first, putting on new blossoms and getting more peppers going. Then, the other day I noticed they had begun to develop massive infestations of whiteflies and aphids. So outside they go. It's not that big a deal. I have a few left that I haven't eaten already that I can either dry, or roast and freeze...
I am simply amazed at the plants that seem to be impervious to frost. There's those fall flowers that don't mind being chilly, like the mums I got for my birthday earlier this month. (Yes, I'm an October baby and all Libra; just ask my sister!)
Snapdragons also seem to be able to hang in there and will probably come back next year.
Then there's the sweet surprises, like the lovely fragrant petunias.
I know they'll be gone soon too, when the chill of November starts to really set in. It's been a warm fall, with 60-70 degree days and barely below 32 degrees at night, but the deep freeze and the long dark days are coming soon. I have a coffee cup with flowers on it, "Le Fleur", that I use to keep me cheerful in the dead of winter. For now, however, I'll be busy getting the outside garden ready for the cold and the houseplants situated for the best of the winter light.
At any rate, no matter what our gardens do when the weather starts to turn and the days become shorter and shorter, we look forward to the next season's chores, and plan accordingly.
That's what is going on with my garden. What's going on with yours?