Gray, warm, humid. Cold and raw. Snow. Dry and windy. Gray, warm, humid. That was been our weather pattern for the past month. Notice the absence of sun. Today, though, was a true November day, with sun coming in and out from behind gray clouds, against blue sky. It was cold, but after one wheelbarrow full of last summer’s garden headed for the compost pile, I was warm.
To be perfectly honest I have done very little in my garden in the past month. I just haven’t had an urge big enough to propel me out there to do the final cleanup. And the uncooperative weather hasn’t helped. But today was a no-brainer. I pruned, pulled and hauled. My compost pile is mountainous, the vegetable garden looks tidy, and I feel invigorated after a morning in the fresh air. I have a few gigantic kale plants that have and will prevail through frost and some broccoli raab and arugula we have been harvesting regularly. Arugula never ceases to amaze me with its speedy growth. With this fall’s warm spells, I have harvested whole sections of the arugula bed to find it has regenerated itself a week later. And the broccoli raab’s tender spicy greens were a welcome surprise. Broccoli raab was a first for me this year.
I have decided to leave my herb bed be for the winter. It is next to the house and attracts a number of birds. So I have left the tall asters with their frothy seed heads that goldfinch like to land on, the spiky hyssop and some rudbeckia. I did pull out the dead basil plants and some of the calendula, and left those that are still blooming (amazingly). I think the garden looks much more interesting this way, especially when little puffs of snow pile up on the seed heads. Tomorrow I will cut back my asparagus and truly move into the winter months of gardening dormancy. I am ready for a break, although, in my head I am secretly planning for spring.
