I don’t know what’s happening in your neck of the woods, but here in rural Pennsylvania, there was a wee nip in the air the past few evenings. I even pulled a beloved flannel shirt out of the closet after the sun went down. The onset of cooler weather brought on a problem I always have with my garden this time of year. 

 

 

The tomatoes could go either way; we’re playing will they ripen in time or won’t they. I’m getting a little tired of picking green beans. And the poblano peppers have long since lost their appeal. I even pulled the shade down on my window so I wouldn’t have to look at my garden. 

 

 

As the cooler weather approaches and we throw ourselves into the final push of the growing season, it’s easy to burn out. It’s been go, go, go since early April.

 

Get these seeds started, get this in the ground, prune that, fertilize this. Pick these, tie those back, pick more of these. Freeze some of those, can all of this, and hang that up to dry. 

 

 

Last week we talked about how homesteading is a form of self-care. And by the resulting emails, this theme resonated with our readers. So, this week, I wanted to flip that coin and take a look at what happens when our gardens or our list of homesteading chores makes us feel burned-out instead of an act of personal care. 

 

 

As I stood on my rooftop, I wondered if I shouldn’t just pack it all in and call it a year. Taking care of a garden and preserving the resulting harvest is a lot of work. This is why, as much as I love gardening and growing things, winter is my favorite season. The cold weather and the storms that make travel difficult force us to slow down. 

 

 

So, when that first crisp breeze hit this week, announcing that fall was on its way, I was ready to move on to the next season. Unfortunately, there’s still a lot of work to be done. Here’s a few things that will help reinvigorate your waning garden energy. 

 

 

Let’s face it, come early September, many garden plants start to look the worse for wear. Get in there and give things a good pruning. If it’s touch-and-go with a certain veggie, don’t beat yourself up –yank it up and call it a year. You’ll want to spend more time in your garden when it’s neat and tidy.

 

 

There is no rule saying you have to harvest every piece of produce that a plant can produce right up until that first frost. If you’ve harvested plenty of a specific vegetable and it’s still coming on, don’t feel obligated to keep investing the time and energy in growing it. Again, yank it up and call it a year. 

 

 

Sometimes you need to look at that huge pile of tomatoes on the counter, take in the neatly lined up rows of peaches on your table and go do something else. If you need a break, take one. Those veggies aren’t going anywhere. They will be there tomorrow, and you’ll be in a better frame of mind to get back to it. 

 

 

I know, this seems counterintuitive, but it works. If you think of fall as the second act for your garden, rather than the time to shut things down, you get to enjoy the excitement of spring planting all over again. The bright, fresh green of budding lettuces, radishes, and carrots renews my will to grow on. 

 

 

Alright, dear readers, we’ve got some interesting reads this week. Check out these new articles. And as always, don’t forget to send in photos of your gardens, harvests or preserving endeavors so that we can share them here in the weekly newsletter.