š Every fall, I remember the rhythm of my childhood in Romania: raking leaves with my parents until the piles were taller than I was, then jumping into them with squeals of joy. Back then, I thought of leaves as workāor at best, play. I didnāt yet understand their quiet wisdom. Years later, as a…
šæ Introduction: Guarding the Tender Beginnings The earliest weeks of a plantās life are also its most fragile. In fall, when seedlings are just breaking through the soil, they face an army of threats: hungry insects, pecking birds, curious pets, and unpredictable weather. One of the simplest and most effective ways to safeguard your seedlings…
šæ Introduction: A Gift Already Falling at Your Feet Every autumn, trees release one of the greatest garden resources we could ask for: leaves. For many homeowners, theyāre just a mess to be raked, bagged, and hauled away. But in the hands of a gardener, they are nutrient-rich mulch, soil builders, and protectors of the…
By the time the cicadas quiet down and the sun shifts just a little lower in the sky, Iām ready to exhaleā¦ and also to ignore the nutgrass thatās still waving at me like an uninvited guest. š But hereās the truth Iāve learned (the sweaty way): the weeds you ignore in autumn are the…
š„¬ Introduction: Protecting the Harvest Before It Begins Few pests are as persistentāand as destructiveāas the humble cabbage worm. In Zone 9 gardens, where warm weather stretches well into fall, these tiny green caterpillars can strip a healthy kale plant to bare stems in a matter of days. If youāve ever checked your broccoli patch…
š¾ The calendar might say āfall,ā but here in Zone 9, September still feels a lot like summer. Even so, the garden is beginning to shift. Little by little, the days shorten, the nights cool ever so slightly, and the soil begins to open back up to fresh possibilities. After a long, hot summer, September…
