A Taste of Fall

This morning was overcast and cool, not like the 95 and 100 degree weather we've been having the last couple weeks, and made me realize summer will be ending shortly. I look forward to the cool evenings and warm afternoons of fall, to tailgating and football games, to bright colored leaves and the smell of woodsmoke. It will be Miss M's first fall and I can't wait for Halloween and decorating the house. I know she won't remember any of it but the great thing I've found in having a baby is that it allows you to be a kid again. I can't wait to get out all my festival pretties, they haven't been used in years.

But, before fall gets here we still have at least two months of good, warm weather for the crops to grow. Grow babies grow!!!

With the cold season coming I am trying to decide how to over-winter the garden. My first option is to plant a cover crop which will keep weeds from gaining a foothold and hopefully keep the garden from becoming a mud hole in the winter rains. Winter rye seems to be the best bet but I'm not sure if the plants are tilled under before they are ripe or if they are harvested in the spring and then tilled under. I'm betting it's before they are ripe-though it would be nice to get a rye crop and then all the summer fruits and veggies.

My other option is to cover everything with a black tarp. Providing I do this while there is still some autumn warmth it could bake the ground, killing off any weeds and leftover seeds. I don't think this will keep the garden from becoming muddy though, and with Ko-dog's love of mud and the lack of a good fence I'm afraid most of the garden will end up in the house before spring returns.

Well, I still have a couple months to determine the best route. Any suggestions?

Slow growth

The late start to summer is showing in the garden. The corn should be producing silk but it's barely four feet tall and not a sign of an ear anywhere. The beans are very small but they are starting to produce tiny green pods and the zucchini has bright yellow flowers all over it. The tomatoes are the real winners, covered with flowers-if even half of the blooms become fruit we will have a bumper crop.

In other news, I have found a perfect french bread recipe that is better than store-bought, and simple to make to boot:

And...(drumroll)... I have also taken the big leap of quitting my job to stay home and be a full-time mom to Miss M. It's a little scary to not have the income coming in but with careful budgeting and some sacrifices everything is comfortable. I am one very happy and lucky girl.

Grow babies grow!

The garden is finished except for updating the fencing and putting in the decorative border. Yay! Transplanted all the seedlings to their new homes, hoping that it's not too late in the season for them to produce. The corn seems especially happy to be in the ground rather than in their small containers-they were getting rather root bound. Next year will be easier and hopefully the weather will be more cooperative. Today it's supposed to get to 95 degrees, finally it seems like summer is here to stay!