Autumn in the garden has its own appeal. It doesn’t have the almost crazed feeling of anticipation that springtime does, even though it is a most bountiful time to dig and plant and harvest. The autumn garden is slower to plant and slower to grow, but it has its own beauty and appeal. The weather is better, and there are fewer pests to deal with. Today was our first cool day, and I relished the light breeze and slight chill. I was prepared for the change in weather…I went to the nursery at lunchtime on Friday and crammed the Mini Cooper to its roof with soil amendments and hay–250 pounds of compost and 2 large bales of hay. And a couple of Coleus. It’s amazing what fits in my little car. I have been away from my garden for a couple of weeks now, and my morning stroll with a hot cup of hazlenut coffee and a camera in hand renewed my spirit. The garden has been productive while I’ve been away!
The Alma fig tree is gifting us with a second crop this year. It is a smaller crop than her main one, but one night, we will relish a handful or two of fresh figs along with an apple and sweet potatoes, nestled in around a pork roast in the oven and glazed with port wine sauce.
I was so happy to see that our Brugmansia, or Angel’s Trumpet, had burst into glorious bloom in my absence. It survived the summer months of neglect in style, while I was too busy tending the vegetables to pay much attention.
I love surprises in the garden, and this one really tickled me. We had moved our chicken coop over one of our no-dig beds so that the chickens could clean it out and fertilize it for us. They left behind millet seeds from their feed, which quite happily sprouted and sent up their bountiful seedheads. I think the seedheads will be beautiful, once dried, in a fall arrangement along with bittersweet and local cotton branches for the holidays. After Thanksgiving, the chickens will happily eat the millet. Again!
The wild fairy lillies sent up their single shoots with their delicate, spidery blooms. You never know where the fairy lillies will appear, and this year the delicate lillies decided to make their display on the lawn in our little citrus grove.
We have a little fall color, Southern style. Our jalapeno peppers are a favorite among the whole family. They grow like weeds right up until first frost, and if you shy away from their whole heat, just scoop out the seeds and veins with a teaspoon. We put them in omelets, sandwiches, soups and casseroles. I also use them to make my much-loved Mango-Jalapeno Jam and Cowboy Candy. Gotta love jalapenos!
I amended many of our raised beds with organic compost and planted them with the start of our fall and winter crops. We seeded lettuces, collards, arugula, spinach and rainbow Swiss chard. We will have some fresh greens ready for Thanksgiving dinner. But I have so much more to plant! If you are starting raised beds, think about their size. These 4 X 8 beds are perfect, making it easy to reach into the center of the beds from all sides to tend plants and add amendments. Occasionally, I’m practical!
I hope you are enjoying this beautiful fall weather and planting some wonderful things in your garden this weekend.
Love,
Carolyn
Comments
21 responses to “First Autumn Weekend at Cowlick Cottage Farm”
Lovely photos and great tips. We’ve had winter before fall this year with a couple of inches of snow last week! Now the sunny, cool and dry days are here. We love figs too and are just coming into a great harvest! Any chance you’ll post some of those recipes you’re talking about?
Hi Stacey! Thank you so much. I can’t believe you’ve had snow already. It’s just cooling off here. I will definitely be posting recipes. When I’m not in the garden, I’m usually in the kitchen.
Love your posts. I am just learning how to garden and will look to you for advice. I had a question though….Jalapeno peppers are they red normally? The ones that I get in the market are almost always green? Is it a special variety? Thanks!
Hi and thanks for visiting – I love to welcome new gardeners! I don’t grow any special variety of jalapenos. If you leave them on the plant long enough, they ripen to a beautiful red chile. That’s all! We pick plenty of them while they are still green, but I do love to leave some to ripen to their full flavor.
My most important advice to new gardeners is to really pay attention to your soil. Give it plenty of organic matter and use high quality products to enhance your soil. Your garden will thank you! Oh, and enjoy every moment of the process!
I almost feel like I’m strolling through the garden with you, Carolyn! Your figs, vegetables, and flowers look so robust. I’ve admired your site for a few weeks now, but this is the first time I’m leaving a comment. I aspire to have a productive garden like yours.
Keep inspiring us!
Cheers,
Alaiyo
(from Twitter)
Aliyao – I remember you from #gardenchat last night, and I love that you feel like you are strolling through the garden with me. We’re pleased to meet you and hope we can enjoy sharing our garden experiences together.
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Hi Cecila – Thank you so much for your interest in our blog. We are self-hosted on WordPress, and we started with the Atahualpa 3.5.3 theme, but my husband and web guru, Eric, has done a lot of customization. Please feel free to e-mail him with basic questions at ericbinder@cowlickcottagefarm.com. He’ll have fun answering you!
Hi Starlet! I love your name. I think you need to add more compost around the base of your fig tree. Then, it will produce! Just add crushed leaves or mowed grass around the base of your fig tree, giving the roots a little room to breathe. I’m pretty sure it will help! You are from Indonesia! My daughter spent a year there as a Fulbright Scholar in a madrassa in a tiny country town, Ponorogo (I think!). She still misses the Indonesian people, and I loved the students as well. Thank you for visiting Cowlick Cottage!
Oh my goodness, look at your figs! Ours haven’t been producing yet, for the last 2 years that we’ve been in this house. I think the honey suckle bush is just taking over. Your pics are super! Especially the fairy lily, wowza!
Btw, do you change the soil on the planter box before planting for fall/winter?
Carolyn, isn’t is amazing the surprises we find in the fall after a summer of extreme heat and drought, or for some, too much rain, fed with neglect? Love the photos! ~@SolakNC
I always love the surprises in the garden, Tom, even when we’re challenged by tough weather or our own crises. Gardening always helps!
Isn’t it amazing that all it takes is a cup of coffee and a garden stroll to cure what ails you? I am refreshed by walking my garden each day, my time there reveals something new each day. The raised beds look great as does the Fairy Lily… Such wonders to behold…..
It really is amazing how a walk through the garden rekindles the spirit and renews us, isn’t it. Thanks for visiting, Chris!
BEAUTIFUL! And, “fresh greens by Thanksgiving” sounds wonderful!
Thank you, Teresa! You know I love your gorgeous blog and friendly tweets!
Looking lovely thank you for the shares Moo Poo Tea on it way to help you grow <|;-)
Thanks, Annie! Just ordered a big batch of Moo Poo Tea for my fall and winter garden. I’m confident it will increase my yields and be safe and healthy for my garden.
Enjoyable post, Carolyn. I esp got a kick out of the millet that the chickens provided .. for themselves again 🙂
On the raised beds, how far did you dig into the soil amending? I have to gopher proof with chicken wire where we are.
Happy Autumn!
Thank you, Kathy. Our beds are about 8 inches deep, and that has worked well for us for a few years now. I make sure to rotate crops as much as possible and amend the soil with plenty of compost. That’s it! Happy autumn to you, too!
Kathy–One more thing! If I had to do it all over again (and I might do it, anyway!) I would put some hardware cloth at the bottom of my raised beds to keep the critters out. The roots can still reach deep into the soil, but the critters can’t get to the good stuff. A cheap and relatively easy solution.