Potato harvest

The potato harvest is in, a multi-hued palette of red, violet, and creamy tan. Since we only had one garden this year, it was a much smaller harvest than last year, despite the late blight. We had such a busy summer what with the new horse and me having surgery in the spring, that we never got our second garden in. John has vowed that next year we will plant in the Eliot garden, no matter what. I suggested we keep it a garden for fall crops, those that don't need constant maintenance throughout the summer--just a couple of weedings. If we plant potatoes, winter squash, brussel sprouts, cabbage, surrounded by a deer-proof fence, we should make out just fine.

We've begun putting the garden to bed, leaving a few late veggies such as carrots, beets, and Swiss chard. The chard may overwinter again if we give it a nice blanket of leaves. A few tomatoes remain, stubbornly staying green, and some bell peppers that are finally turning chocolate brown (a new variety I tried) and red. The Kentucky Wonders got away from me, so I'm letting them dry on the vine and we'll shell them for soups and stews. The carrots need a good mulching, then once we get that first layer of snow, I'll pick them for the winter.

Once the garden is done, it's on to the woodpile. Some of the stumps still need splitting and I need to move the really old stuff to the front so the pieces don't get too punky. These chilly nights have me bringing in wood, staving off the cold the creeps in but never leaves. The sun doesn't arc high enough into the sky and is gone too soon by day's end. But I love this time of year--winter is sneaking closer.