Breadth Thrusts & Bread Crusts: The Fruits of Our Labor

JC Parets
October 14, 2021

From the desk of Willie Delwiche.

It's mid-October and things are winding down in the garden. 

The greens have perked up as the weather has turned cooler. But attempts to ripen a few final tomatoes as the summer heat fades and the sun spends less and less time above the horizon is like waiting for Godot.

With peak garden season slowing down, I have enough time (and thyme) on my hands to reflect on what went well, and what went awry.

The edamame and wine grapes were this year’s biggest disappointments. They started off strong. But we didn't protect what at first looked to be a bumper crop. We were much more generous with the rabbits (edamame) and robins (grapes) than I would have liked… 

But we learned our lessons from previous years when it came to our apples, peaches, and pears. We netted them after the fruit set. What we lost in aesthetics we gained in harvest (risk management is not always pretty). The squirrels were not happy that our apples became applesauce, while we sliced the pears for more immediate enjoyment. We even had enough peaches to enjoy them fresh and still preserve some (with a bit of brandy) for a mid-winter dessert.

Peppers were a surprise hit. We picked some up for 79 cents a plant as the garden center was getting rid of them, put them in pots, and watched them take off. They are still going strong (though running into the same seasonal constraints as the tomatoes). Now, I’m  thinking about bringing them inside to keep them going.

Apart from protecting our harvest, we even had chances to enjoy some of the garden’s animal visitors.

Back in the summer, I found a caterpillar on some dill leaves. I put him in a jar, fed him and watched as he formed a chrysalis and then emerged as a black swallowtail butterfly. This fall, we found fish babies in the goldfish pond.

Ultimately, we can learn from our struggles, while also celebrating the successes. This is also true in the markets, of course. 

While I’m reflecting on this year's successes and failures, I'm also planning ahead. In fact, I already have 90 cloves of garlic planted and growing for harvest next summer. 

The cycle continues. 

 

 

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