The leaves are turning and tomato season is finally over. Over 200 hundred plants and thousands of tomatoes and it is time to move on. Pumpkin season is ending as well and it's almost time to put the garden to bed. It's bittersweet, but I think I am glad to be done with summer gardening. I am ready to get into the swing of cold days and long nights, where shoveling snow takes the place of picking weeds. Hot chocolate by the fire replace burgers on the grill. By this time each year I feel like if I eat an other tomato I will turn into a tomato. The excitement of each morning's harvest wanes and the anticipation of Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas has started.
This year was our best year yet on the farm stand. With over 200 tomato plants planted, we had plenty. I canned dozens of cans of tomato sauce, chutney and whole tomatoes. Our cukes didn't do as well and I didn't manage to make a single jar of pickles. I guess there is always next year.
The last of the pumpkins are on the stand now, and there are a few winter squash and some potatoes in the garden that will come in this week. Then it is time to take down the
tomato stakes, the bean cages and the cucumber trellis and store them for next year.
Before we say goodnight to the garden, we will plan a winter cover crop to nourish the ground, and get our garlic in before the first frost hits. By then I will be ready to let the garden rest and rest a little my self, but it won't be long before I start itching to plan next year, and look though seed catalogues and start my plants. There is only so much I can rest before the excitement of new harvest takes over once again.