September 23rd.

 It’s fall for sure. We know it by the heavy dew in the morning, the cooler night air and the  changes in vegetation. The tomato plants are beginning to turn brown but are  holding on to the green and ripening tomatoes.  The parsley is still green, but I’ve pulled the basil plants and dried the leaves for sauces and soup this winter.

It’s been warm and humid today again, causing us to rethink the early morning dress of long pants for shorts. The ground is dry from 12 or 14 days with little rain. We had some rain on Monday and the rain barrels are full again. I expect they’ll be emptied before long as I water the new grass I planted this evening. September is a good time to start new grass, and I would have started it sooner, except for our new grandchild we have and other work that presented itself. Gardens will wait, but babies grow and new mothers sometimes need some help in those early weeks.

The morning glories still open each morning and close by afternoon.  Pink, purple and dark blue. They’ve been beautiful. I found a seedpod on that vine and later this fall will harvest seeds to plant next spring. The portulaca are still blooming, even if the plants are looking a little tired, but the mums are opening in full splendour, and the gaillardia still display their red, orange and yellow flowers. They’ve been most productive and beautiful, blooming since early June.

Fall will have its way, in time, and I’ll enjoy being in the outdoors and doing small and large gardening tasks as I can. Until then, happy gardening!