Autumn Equinox, Chores, A New Word

I may be jumping ahead.  The autumnal equinox will be on 
September 23 at 4:21 am (ET). Officially for the northern 
hemisphere folk, the day and night will each share 12 hours, 
(give or take 5-7 minutes). This is Fall, Autumn's start….
and from that point on the temperatures begin to drop and
the days get shorter than the nights. It is a transition time.
               
It is the summer's great last heat,
It is the fall's first chill: they meet.
              -Sarah Morgan Bryan Piatt

Fall is a favorite season, a thyme of festivals, football,  apples
and pumpkins. Glorious days of watching the leaves change
to their beautiful golden and red hues, the slanted sun's rays
providing a more vivid richness to those colors, while at the
same time giving us warmth. We are eager to be outside for
just a little bit longer. As we begin to bundle up against the
cool crisp air, we'll sigh and yes miss our summer…..
Melancholy.. no way.. how about festive, flavorful, flannel,
and fireside. I'm feeling good right now.

By all these lovely tokens
September days are here,
With summer's best of weather,
And autumn's best of cheer.
        -excerpt from September, Helen Hunt Jackson

September also finds us winding down our garden areas. It's
putting away the "stuff." We take another weekend day to 
finish our task of yard clean-up. And finish we did. Ron in 
the picture above made many trips to our storage shed down 
the hill where we keep the yard decorations. Whew! We were
exhausted and dirty by the end of the day. While garden chores
remain, I consider that the easy part for it's what I like to do.
So next day it's golf thyme for Ron and I busy myself mowing,
emptying herb pots, and weeding. I spent thyme as well in my
wonderful potting shed. Rearranging, rehanging, finding spots
for additional stuff from the yard, I want to keep everything
neat and tidy. I'll share more pictures of my potting shed soon
and show you the updates. 
Remember to water as needed, we haven't had that much rain 
here and it's important for good root development…for the
established plants as well as new plants, trees and shrubs.

Word of the day: HEAVING
Heaving will occur when the soil expands and contracts as frozen
soil thaws and then refreezes. This will cause plants to shift up
towards the soil surface where the roots become susceptible to
freezing temperatures. To prevent this frost heave: rake out any
low spots in your garden, leveling your soil. Add compost to
amend the soil and to improve the soil's drainage. Add extra
protection with a layer of thick mulch. You can remove the excess
in the spring. Lastly avoid planting perennials late in the growing
season (mid October), they will not have sufficient time to 
develop a good root system. 

next up: sharing field trip pictures from the Country Living Fair
Thanks for stopping by.