Yes! You Can Still Enjoy Your Garden!

 I've had several people ask me if I was still gardening this year. Of course, my answer is yes! Fall days are glorious and it seems a travesty to stay in doors when winter's chill will truly limit our outdoor time so soon. Gardening has been shown to have a multitude of benefits for your physical and mental well being. You don't have to give that up just because your tomato plants succumbed to disease or even if a light frost has taken out a lot of your plants. Here are some great ways to enjoy your garden in October. 

I just got these two beds cleaned up and mulched 
last weekend.

First, there is nothing wrong with just sitting and relaxing in your garden. Every garden should have some seating, even if it's just a bench. Or, you can bring out a blanket with your favorite book and some hot tea. So relaxing!

Second, if you fancy doing some work out there, not is a great time to clean up your vegetable beds and mulch them for winter. Be sure to especially get rid of anything with diseased material. I'm doing a mix of cover crops and mulching with my compost and then straw or leaves. Bare soil over winter will be leached of it's nutrients and beneficial organisms. Always cover your dirt. 

Third, if you planted some fall crops last summer like I said too, then you should still have plenty of veggies to be picking. I've got lettuce, kale, spinach, kohlrabi, carrots and peas all going at it.  Yum!

Fourthly, now is a great time to plant your garlic for next year. You can learn how to do that here.  You can also plant your bulbs for spring flowers in November. This

Peas love the cooler, Fall weather.

includes crocus, hyacinth, tulips, alliums and daffodils. 

Fifth, there are a multitude of flowers that bloom in the fall that make for lovely displays as well as cut bouquets inside. I still have zinnias, nasturtiums, yarrow, cup and saucer vine, solidaster, toad lilies, Iris, and lavender in flower in my yard. If you don't have any flowers now, look around your neighborhood to see what looks good and be sure to add it somewhere next year. 

Finally, be sure to rake up your leaves this fall. Leaving your leaves on the lawn will smother it and piles of leaves are also a haven for ticks. Put the leaves where they belong - on your vegetable bed. 

See, there is no reason you can't still be enjoying your garden this month. So, get out and enjoy it!