How is the weather in your neck of the woods these days? Just when I thought we had seen our last wave of warm weather, the peeps at the weather center are calling for round two!
Cooler days are on the horizon though, so I don’t mind. The HH mowed the lawn yesterday and about an hour later, I noticed a bunch of leaves had fallen to the ground… Orange and yellow crispy brown leaves… wouldn’t that be nice right about now? Without a doubt, the transition from summer to fall is my favorite time of year.
Look at the blooms on the Autumn Joy sedum! It’s perfect.
I was going to pull up the spent dill and cilantro but decided to let it go to seed in hopes that planting seeds next year won’t be necessary.
Same goes for the basil. Fingers crossed the seeds will drop and it will be back again next year without having to replant.
Anyone know what varieties of cherry trees bloom in the fall?
The bees are LOVING these late flowers.
I haven’t counted, but I’m pretty sure a single packet of spinner gourd seeds will get you about 500 little babies.
Wind fallen apples.
Fall greens!
Cherokees didn’t do so well this summer and I wonder if somehow covering the tomato plants with a thin layer of fabric {like you’d put over veggies for frost protection} would help with the cracking issue next summer. Has anyone tired that?
The eggplants! Oh the egg plants. Once they get going, they just don’t stop! I need to remember to plant them again next year.
I missed picking day but that’s okay, there is still plenty of time for the Kentucky pole beans to dry out and before the first frost and be harvested for seed for next year. Lazy or smart gardening… I’m not sure what you call it. 😉
And last but not least… a little sneak peek at one of the giant pumpkins growing in the backyard. I think I counted 3 that will be in the 10-15 pound range. Which, considering Peter Rabbit made our vegetable garden his home away from home this summer, that’s not too shabby.
Fall, it’s almost here, and I couldn’t be happier.
Wishing you the best of Thursdays,
~Mavis
Jennifer McC says
Wow, your warm temperatures are our winter temps down here! Ours will be in the high 90s this week, 98 and super humid tomorrow…but only 94 today (hopefully no more 100+ days). It feels like fall here, too…woke up to 72!
Katherine says
Yep, it was 99 degrees in Atlanta today with zero rain in sight and we really need the rain.
Renee' says
In Kentucky, we are expecting temperatures in the mid to high 90s for the next week. Several temperature records have been broken this week. I am eagerly awaiting autumn to arrive. It is definitely my favorite season.
Tracie@SomewhatAwry.com says
It’s the same here in Virginia. Cannot WAIT for fall to arrive!
Lisa Millar says
Mavis! Your garden is looking magnificent!! Summer to autumn is my favourite season too… although I am going to thoroughly enjoy my spring that is finally here!
So much great stuff happening in your space!
Hope all your self seeded stuff goes well. I tend to get parsley, fennel, rocket and tomatoes with no effort now 🙂
Re the cracking tomatoes. Usually thats the result of changes in soil moisture levels. Often after a heavy rain, they get a bit of a shock! Consistent watering and a decent layer of mulch will really help with that!
Loving your photos! Can’t wait for my garden to get back into the swing of things!
Jen says
Good morning Mavis!
I agree with Lisa, above, about the tomato cracking. It’s uneven watering that causes the cracks. Nothing you can do about it if you get summer rainstorms. Here in NorCal we don’t get rain in the summer. At all. But my tomatoes want more heat in think (I’m 15mi from the coast).
Love the fall transition too! So enjoyable after a nice long summer. I have let dill and cilantro go to seed, even pulling off seeds and tossing them into new spaces. It worked. I had dill all over my yard, which was fine, and cilantro here and there.
Your beautiful sedum reminds me of when the first time I ever saw hydrangeas, which was in Seattle 20 years ago. Fell. In. Love. Never tried sedum. But the look is right.
Sue R. says
Do the spinner gourds stay green as they dry or do they change color? So cute!
Mavis Butterfield says
As they dry out they’ll turn a beautiful pale tan color.
Elise in the SF Bay Area says
Well, my climate is COMPLETELY different from yours, but I do have a new cherry tree that is giving late blooms for Van and Black Tartan varieties (grafted tree with 3 different varieties – the Bing “arm” isn’t doing anything right now).
My tomatoes went in REALLY late (around June 15) due to yard construction this fall, so they’re producing now, but we have a least 5-6 weeks of good weather left, and usually another few hot spells before the end of October (more with climate change than a few years ago – I can see the difference around my own home). So far I’ve collected just over 1/2 pound of tomatoes (mostly cherry), but with 4 plants pretty full of fruit, that will grow a LOT in the next several weeks.
LOVE your garden updates 🙂 They are always so beautiful.
Margo says
Mid to upper 80’s today reaching into the 90’s later this week in southern California. I miss autumn in the northeast, the most beautiful time of the year.
Sue says
Hot and dry in central Alabama, your yard is so green and lush. Beautiful, everything is so beautiful.
How did you deal with the voles, they have cut down 5 late planted tomato plants. Sneaky little critters.
Elise in the SF Bay Area says
Sue, we have SUCH a gopher problem that when we re-did our yard this spring EVERY plant was protected by a “gopher basket”, a mesh basket. May be too expensive for annuals, but maybe you could leave the basket in place when you remove the plant, and re-use it in place year after year? Our vegetables are in planters with wire mesh bottoms (and there are 2 layers of wire mesh under the lawn!).
Jennifer says
We have an Apple tree that is laden with hundreds of apples. I don’t bake and we are diabetics so we can’t go the usual route. Friends have gathered their share, so I’m looking for ideas on what to do. We have a huge bird population in our yard, so I’d love to save some for winter for them and the deer that live up the mountain from us. Do I pick them and let them dry out? I’ve never done anything like this so any ideas would be great. If there are other thoughts, please let me know. Mavis your temps are almost identical to ours and we are 20 miles from the NC ski slopes!!
Tracy says
Donate your lovely apples to a local food bank! Healthy food for both kids and adults that keeps fairly well if stored in chilled space.
Laura says
No sugar applesauce! I canned 35 quarts one summer (that was a job!) and we are still enjoying them two years later. Just apples and water. I am not sure if apples have too much natural sugar for your diabetic situation, but we don’t add any sugar and we love applesauce this way.
Joanna says
Autumn Flowering Cherry (Prunus subhirtella ‘Autumnalis’) flowers in the fall, but its flowers are light pink and it blooms after the leaves have fallen.
A Jens says
Dill and Cilantro both self re-seed very well in my experience. Be prepared for an abundance next year!
Teri says
Your yard is gorgeous! Love that tree that’s flowering in September!! AWESOME! Let us know what it is when you find out. Would love to have one.
Thanks for your blog. You ROCK, Mavis!
Angela says
Yes. Please let us know if you ID that fall flowering tree.