Summer has made way for fall. Despite unseasonably hot temperatures (“unseasonable” is the new norm), the trees around us have erupted in gorgeous colors. Falling leaves pile up on our woods’ path.

Lettuce still grows (slowly) in the garden, but my hopes for a fall crop of kohlrabi and bok choy fizzled. Something devoured the first emerging seeds, and most of the second attempt. The few survivors seem too small—and are growing too slowly—to make it. We’ll see. So far we’ve had little success extending our growing season into colder months, but there is always next year.

I admit to a slight feeling of relief when the growing season is finally over. We still have plenty of work—weeding (of course), pulling out dead plants, and fortifying the beds. Cherisse is getting manure from our neighbors (they have two cows and a horse), which we will work into our soil. I ordered snowdrops from White Flower Farm which I’ll plant this weekend. With a couple valiant exceptions the flower garden has died, so I need to cut back, pull out and mark places where I will move things around come spring.

Spring glimmers in the distance: the Fedco tree catalog has already arrived, and their seed catalog won’t be far behind. For now though, we have autumn, with vibrant color, cooler temperatures, and shorter days.