Fall Chores, Fall Thanks!

Thursday, October 1, 2009

34 degrees here on the mountain, overcast and a 3 mile an hour wind. Karl the Wonder Dog continues to snore so loudly I can hear him across the house. No early morning walk for that boy but there's a dampness to the air that isn't exactly enticing me too much either.

Lots going on here at the house and also at Vermont Flower Farm. It's fall and the chores are plentiful. Gardeners continue to stop and buy a little of this or that as Gail works along cleaning things up. Travelers sometimes honk as they go by, apparently acknowledging the sign I put by the road that says simply "Thanks for Another Great Season!"

Thank yous and congratulations have been arriving from garden bloggers and friends over an award The Vermont Gardener received from Blotanical.com We received the Best Vermont Blog award and we are surprised and pleased. Many thanks to everyone who stops by, comments and helps us along. If you are not familiar with Blotanical, give it a try as garden blogs from around the world narrow the distance between gardeners and make each of us better at what we do. The resource information and pictures are special and the bonds of friendship continue to grow stronger.

Actually the work getting ready for winter led to our surprise with the blog award because we have been so busy that we haven't spent much time writing. A week of rain was predicted so we rushed when the weather was good to get as much done as possible. Last Saturday the day started with white frost on the ground so I put on the longies and headed out to take the shade cloth off the three shade houses. Aging gardeners feel the cold. Three shade houses 20' X 60', 20' X 30', and 30' X 60' may not sound like a lot of work but the shade cloth is secured to the pipe frames every two feet by a bungie cord. Up the ladder, pop off three cords or whatever you can reach, down the ladder, move the ladder, up the ladder, etc is a lot of climbing. By 10 AM when the sun warmed things up to about 50 degrees, those comfortable longies needed at 6 AM became a burden.

Gail showed up with a morning snack and some fresh coffee and we sat for a few minutes rehashing the summer and enjoying each other's company without the urgency of getting organized for another day of customers. It was a pleasant feeling to see how much was missing, how much we sold, and how good the place looks. We have worked hard for two summers now and our hard work is beginning to pay off. Nice compliments go a long way to making long days feel better.

By the end of Saturday the cloth was all down, folded. labeled and stored in the shed. Gail and Alex spent the rest of the day trimming pots of daylilies and I continued to plant hostas in the new shade garden. It's been a great ending for a busy summer. Having fellow gardeners suggest that The Vermont Gardener is a fun gardening experience makes us happy. Many thanks to everyone, from the mountains of Vermont where fall color is majestic, fall travelers and visitors abound!


Writing quickly from the mountain above Peacham Pond as the new Hearthstone wood stove arrives in two hours and I still have some prep work to complete.

George Africa
The Vermont Gardener
Vermont Flower Farm