Need help not feeling too exhausted to start your fall garden?

'Inevitably the real garden with a growing family of children will be untidy, messy even, noisy and often destructive. It drives arch control freaks like myself mad. But I hate it when they are not there.'
--Monty Don

Stick a pin in it! The summer garden is over!

Now it's time to start planting next year's garden.

It's kind of a strange concept but the fall garden when planted properly will be with us in the spring too!

I know what you're thinking. You're tired and you just don't want to garden anymore. Or you have a ton of other things going on this fall.

Take a listen to Jill McSheehy of The Beginner's Garden and Lacey as they chat about making the most of the fall garden. ( Apple, Google, Spotify)

The other day we were talking with one of our Academy members about her fall plans.

She had amazing plans all drawn out.

What was going to go into each bed and I'm thinking she was like all of us.

She was dreaming of pumpkins and collards and all the amazing plants.

BUT then she mentioned how tired she was,

how much she had spent getting a garden started for the first time this year.

All the effort she had put in all summer.

The fall plans for the family were going to be really busy.

So we encouraged her down a different path.

Most of us homesteaders and I'm guessing you're like this too, can work through anything. We just need a little more daylight and a little more hard work and we can get it done.

I have to say though when I enjoy the garden the most is when I can sit there and look at the beauty when I can watch the pollinators, hummingbirds, frogs, and the kids eating the fresh veg and fruit.

So we told her to just grow a couple of beds.

PIck veggies like carrots that will last in the ground, are easy to grow, and will grow all winter long in her region.

Another favorite is kale. In our area, Kale will literally grow all winter long. I was harvesting Kale in February of last year.

What I am saying, what we are saying! Is, it's ok to scale back for fall and winter.

Take the rest that the Creator intends for us each fall and winter.

Soon enough we'll be drooling over seed catalogs next to the woodstove and planning the spring garden.

BUT for now, put your spring and summer beds to sleep for the winter.

Cover them in mulch and compost, after the leaves fall cover them with those too.

You could even throw a cover crop like winter wheat or rye over them. OR seed some fall flowers, depending on where you are, there's still some frost free days for flowers to bloom.

Make sure to listen to the podcast for a lot more ideas on fall gardening! Click here ( Apple, Google, Spotify)