Harvest Time

It’s a raw and rainy fall day here, in Upstate NY. I harvested the last from my french intensive garden. In another week, I’ll plant the garlic bulbs I dug up and dried back in July. The ones left anyway… My hardneck garlic has become legendary among family members for its flavor and sweetness, and they grab as much of it as they can.

Reflecting back on this gardening season, it was a mixed bag. A combination of too much rain and cold in the spring, and an experiment in using 7 year old seeds (I grow and use my own seeds), made for a disappointing and erratic yield. For instance, while I had bumper crops of turnips, tomatoes, and herbs, I didn’t even get one Zucchini–not one! A near impossible feat, as any gardener knows.

I’ve learned my lesson. No matter how fascinating I might have found that History Channel’s show about scientists who successfully germinated three thousand year old wheat seeds found in some Pharaoh’s tomb, from now on I’m going to stick to last season’s seeds.

January can’t come soon enough for me now. I’ll be eagerly awaiting my Seeds of Change catalog, bringing with it a midwinter respite, serving to revive the spirits of gardeners everywhere as we look forward to next season’s garden gifts. (My other favorite flower and plant catalog is White Flower Farm.) Until then, I’ll have to be content with dreaming.