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To All Of You Still Harvesting Fall Lettuce

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Bob Bauer
November 30, 2018 (Last Updated: ) | Reading Time: 2 minutes

November 30, 2018

To all of you still harvesting Fall planted lettuce, congratulations. The birds are enjoying mine and I'm ok with it. I've left the plants in the ground for them, and feel like it's the right thing to do. The cabbage are continuing to head up and we've gotten four so far. Neither the Swiss chard nor the Kale are producing new leaves so I guess they are done for the season. I've still got beets and carrots in the ground, and the spinach is in hibernation. It's not growing but it's not dying either..

The artichoke plants look good. Perky, and hopeful that the freezes are done. I'm not going to tell them though. I'm enjoying the tall grasses and weeds in my wild patches more than I should. Weed seed pods and gentle breezes are a soothing attraction of my attention. It makes me feel like I'm out in the fields and woods where I belong..

December 01, 2018

I scored a whole wheelbarrow load of trampled hay yesterday by cleaning the stalls carefully. There was no one here so I cranked up the barn radio on a Classic Rock channel and had a blast. Scoop'n poop to the Stones and the Who. Those guys could rock. I need a shirt that says " Will work for mulch"..

All gardeners rake leaves for mulch but this hay gig lights my fire. The more hay I bring in the garden the less work it feels like I have to do there. Planting areas and mounds get surrounded by a thick band of hay and the pathways can stay weedy. If I get enough hay I'll start putting it in the pathways, but for now just breaking the garden up into zones is fun..

December 02, 2018

I noticed that the first mound to get encircled with hay is starting to look thin. As the rain wets it down, more of it comes in contact with the ground, and it decomposes faster. It's like my soil has teeth. This is a good thing, and I've worked hard to achieve it, but I feel like the ground is saying "Feed me, feed me" and I'm a slave to the soil. If leaves weren't free I'd be spending a small fortune on straw. The balance between aesthetics and enjoying the garden is an ever changing dynamic..

I'm less willing to maintain an attractive landscape if it's purpose is to please others. It's something you need to do when you're younger and raising kids because part of the reason for a garden is for show and tell. Teaching kids the value of the land and the vast connectivity of nature's interactions helps them find a sense of significance and purpose. Learning to respect nature is the beginning of gentleness towards all creatures..

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