bringing in the harvest

October and November, among other things, is a time of celebration.  A time for remembering our loved ones and ancestors who have passed on, a time for gathering close to our loving families still living, a time for returning home and bringing in the harvest, a time for counting our blessings and giving thanks.  Here at our home, it is a time for reaping the last of the harvest we have sown and bringing in the bounty.

This first year of experimenting with the urban garden has been such an incredible experience in learning and in getting back in touch with the spirit of the land right here where my feet and hands touch it.  We have shared meal after meal the very fruit of our labor, opened our doors and our garden to friends and family and learned so much in the process.

Boule d'Or melon

Buddha Hand Citron

Tomato Medley

Moon & Stars Watermelon

Butternut Squash

And so it is with a little tinge of sadness that we pull it all in, clean it all up, and thatch it all down to prepare for the next season. This is also a time of reflection to consider what did well and what we may change in the coming year, preserve and freeze what we have to use through the short and mild San Diego winter, and possibly even consider which crops could use an early winter start in our fertile earth.  Even now, I'm anticipating bringing in our seed crop to use again next year and sending off for our seed catalogs for what to grow next year... waiting for the inevitable winter rains and rototillers and compost enrichment.  And so, not really an end, but just turning the wheel toward the next cycle and season.

Before the reaping

Ready for the next round of planting