While pulling and cutting the beans - purple pole beans, lablab and scarlet runner - and cardinal vine from the birch pole screen yesterday afternoon I collected some pods, to see what seeds I might be able to save, for next year. I could hear the New York City Marathon, at the end of the block. It took just fifteen minutes to undo what took several months to grow. It was cold and my fingers burned.
On their teepees the Malabar spinach vines had collapsed overnight, so those came out, too. I have purple finger tips, from picking their seedfruit from their juicy stems. The jewelweed and basil plants looked blasted, the tall asters had fallen over. Out, out, out.
The allegedly heat-loving nasturtiums and Cape gooseberries are still fine, and the cilantro is thriving.
I'll wait a while before I lift the lilies. Their leaves are still bright green, and feeding the bulbs.
Late next week I will be in another season, another hemisphere, another garden. As usual, that seems implausible. I am just getting used to our early-darkness twinkly lights. But I'll be back before Christmas, and I think I'll need them, then.
How nice that you get to escape the seasonal dreariness around here soon. I for my part will be eagerly waiting for posts about your parents' amazing garden.
ReplyDeleteWe had our first freeze in North Georgia this weekend. I went out and cut all my okra pods left that I had been letting go for seed - much to big and tough to cook. I pulled some late green tomatoes which will become green tomato relish tomorrow. And the last of the peppers - cayenne, bell, banana, and poblano. Those have gone to the freezer or the dehydrator. The very last handful of zinnias that had been holding on despite the ratty looking stems came to the table for a bouquet. Now it gets dark by 6:00. We can get a little rest in the evening - looking through seed catalogs, gardening magazines, and dreaming of next year.
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