Fall

[valancy_jane]

After our success last year, we were certain our garden this year would be tremendous. Doubled in size! Extra fertilizer! More green!

Alas. With fall here, I've had to come to terms with the fact that our poor wee garden won't be producing much. Eggplant production has been virtually nill, ditto with the squash, and while not all our tomatoes died, the remaining survivors are dying a slow death from verticillium. Despite all that, it's a cheery sight; the flowers and herbs we tossed in as why-not are really quite pretty, and the green bean vines are darling, even though I don't think they will ever, ever produce a dratted bean.

(Though, of course, if you were judging our garden by greenness, if the weeds counted, I think we might win a city-wide prize. This weekend I pulled five giant garbage bags' worth, and I've the battle wounds to prove it.)

Fall, at least, has brought consolation prizes. While I'm nervous back in choir (surrounded by far superior singers), I enjoy it, and the church ESL classes are a real joy. One of our students is testing for citizenship this year, and we are so excited we can hardly stand it.

Comments

[rinue]

This has been one of the stranger weather years in two decades; the same powerful La Nina that's been stirring up all of the droughts, flooding, and hurricanes has also made gardens unpredictable. It's pretty much guaranteed next year will be more like last year than this one was.

[valancy_jane]

That's comforting, at least. C has given me some hope in that he's reminded me there is, of course, a fall season of planting, and perhaps we'll have a little better luck with our peonies and kale and chard. :)