Fall’s Promise

There’s something special about the garden at the end of summer. The days are still warm, but the evenings are starting to carry a little hint that change is coming. The ducks are flying south and the leaves are taking on the warm tones of autumn. After months of meetings, planting, watering, weeding, harvesting, preserving and watching things grow, it’s time to begin wrapping up our summer gardens and getting ready for fall and winter.

Before we pull those last plants, we are still gathering plenty of goodness. Tomatoes, peppers, beans, squash, herbs, and other late-season crops are finding their way into the pantry through canning, freezing, and dehydrating, using the preservation method best suited for each of our families. Every jar, bag, mason jar and dried bundle is a little taste of this summer saved for a colder day.

But gardening has never been just about what we grow for ourselves. All summer long, our gardens have given us opportunities to share—with family, friends, neighbors, and anyone who could use a little fresh-from-the-garden goodness. A basket of tomatoes left on a neighbor’s porch, a handful of peppers shared with a friend, or a surplus of beans that we were just too tired to break and were passed along can mean just as much as the harvest itself. We have laughed and worked together, teaching and passing down traditions to the young.

Now we can turn our attention toward preparing our garden spaces for the seasons ahead. Clearing away dried plants, pulling weeds, adding organic matter, saving seeds, mulching, all help lay the groundwork for another growing season come spring.

As we close out summer, we can look back and smile for what grew in our gardens, for the friendships, family time, lessons, and the shared bounty that grew right alongside it.