Posted in Homestead Garden and Farm
"I cannot endure to waste anything as precious as autumn sunshine by staying in the house.
So I spend almost all the daylight hours in the open air."
- Nathaniel Hawthorne
Oh, how I can relate to those words! I love Autumn and the blessed relief it brings from Summer's often scorching heat. I find myself slipping out of doors the moment the sun begins to lighten up the sky in the mornings, and having to force myself to go back indoors to attend to the daily duties that need my attention inside: breakfast, homeschool, the inevitable laundry, dishes, and so forth. As soon as the "must-do's" are done, I pop right back outside to find some other enjoyable tasks outdoors.
Here are a few things that I enjoy doing during the lovely days of Autumn:
Planting and tending crops for the Fall & Winter gardening season. We have a nice garden growing right now, a blessed improvement over our sad Spring/Summer garden.
Planting herbs that enjoy the cooler Autumn & Winter weather here in Texas, such as Parsley, Cilantro, Dill and Calendula.
Planting flower bulbs for Springtime blossoms. I like to plant Crocus, Daffodils, Grape Hyacinth, & Tulips.
Planting Violas (my favorite), Pansies, Ornamental Kale & Cabbage for Winter color in the garden and on the porch.
Repotting my Rose Geraniums before bringing them inside for the winter.
Dividing perennial herbs and flowers and sharing the divisions with a friend.
Harvesting the leaves of Lemon Verbena, and drying them for a wonderful Winter tea.
Collecting seed from the annual herbs, flowers, and veggies to dry for next year's plantings and to share with others.
Making a scarecrow to decorate the garden. I doubt it is very effective at scaring crows, but he (or she) always makes me smile.
Putting out seeds and other goodies for the birds and other little creatures that visit our yard.
Decorating the front porch with a pumpkin, Fall flowers, and perhaps a basket of gourds, corn and other pretty Autumn decorations.
Last but definitely not least, sitting on the porch with a cup of tea, a notebook, a few seed catalogs, and planning and plotting my gardens for the Spring!
Please share your favorite Autumn Gardening activities with us!
Now, I'm off to wander about the yard and see what I can find to do this evening.
Blessings,
