Since the beginning of August I have been ignoring the fact that I can buy gingerbread at the supermarket. Why would you skip autumn and jump right to the christmas time? Autumn is, after all, one of my favorite seasons which I am always enjoying with all my senses (aaah, the smell of the forest in autumn…).

However, every time I visit our garden I notice small reminders that the end of the gardening season is coming. Many of our neighbours have been busy cleaning and preparing the beds for winter as most of the vegetables are harvested by now. There weren’t as many vegetables to harvest anyway due to the very rainy summer. Our zucchini decided to gently wither and die. The red cabbage is waiting to be pickled (actually, it’s not the cabbage who is waiting…it’s me. I still have to figure out how to pickle it). There is still mangold, beetroot and some salad there. And two pumpkins which I am tending with the hope that they will still grow a little bit bigger (the other pumpkins are already harvested). Some of the strawberries undergo a second season. The little one and I planted some garlic last week. And the spinach just started to grow.

Every time I am there, I tidy up a little bit. Prepare for winter. Because even if I can ignore the gingerbread just a little bit longer, I like to get the garden done. It feels good, like a proper change of the seasons (something I am much more aware of since we have this garden)! And it’s already so much fun to plan the next year!

Late autumn garden…

…some flowers are still there (though I hoped for more)…

Still hoping for that pumpkin to grow!

blooming fennel

Last hope for that pumpkin is gone…

late salad

late strawberries

blooming dill

mangold

slugsuffering red cabbage (and the little one munching strawberries)