Access to the Garden: Seasons Change

Seasons Change:
"With the new day comes new strength and new thoughts." ~ Eleanor Roosevelt

Very special mums shared by Tracy from a living memorial for her son, Joshua Michael Dague, 9/10/84 - 1/7/2010.

Autumn is in the air, well, at least it is a little. I’m still running around in shorts here in the southeast, but from what I can see, seasonal changes are occurring. Daylight is less, and plants are changing colors. Leaves and acorns are falling too. Many gardeners are tending to their fall vegetable gardens, and somewhat surprisingly, my summer eggplant, tomatoes and okra are still producing. I’ve started my lettuce and spinach, but that’s pretty much it for now. I’m ready to do some of my volunteer time with our Master Gardener's program. This summer has certainly flown by.

I realized even more this week while I was out burying a rotting banana next to a rosebush how much of an impact Access to the Garden was actually making on me. http://www.ehow.com/how_4597259_feed-roses-banana-peels.html I had read that a buried banana near, but not too close to the rose’s roots, was a good source of potassium and phosphorous for roses. Many people on Access to the Garden have done this in the past and many were eager to learn more. I’ve shared some great ideas for containers, construction plans for raised beds, useful tools, and healthy recipes for using many fruits and vegetables. I’ve also learned many helpful tips on various gardening techniques and more about the amazing healthful benefits of many fruits and vegetables too.

I love seeing and hearing from others who are implementing and sharing some of their useful ideas too. To me, this is very cool. To have over 1000 people who are truly interested in Access to the Garden is quite awesome to say the least. This has been a really fun online community. I have loved sharing my photographs, but I have especially loved receiving beautiful photos and very interesting comments from others. When other pages share their photos with Access to the Garden, I feel as if we are an inclusive part of the online gardening community. This is what it is all about!

As a gardener who cares about nutrition and where my food comes from, this has been an incredible learning experience. We are all learning from each other. Accessibility and adaptive equipment are important, but we are all gardeners. This was very evident recently when I shared a photo of my lap full of red and green okra. The inquisitive responses were great. Many people were unfamiliar with the red okra. It is a beautiful plant with red and green leaves and it’s a member of the Hibiscus family. You can tell from its gorgeous flower that it looks similar to a hibiscus. I just became familiar with the red variety this past summer, and I also recently have learned of a good green variety known as the ‘Clemson’ spineless.

Because it is incredibly easy for me to grow, I am planning on growing more of the red okra next year and I am planning on growing some of it intermingled within our landscaping here on our suburban tract. I unfortunately live in a neighborhood with outdated Home Owner’s Association (HOA) rules and regulations pertaining to anyone trying to live a sustainable lifestyle. Next year’s blog will probably include a story on my personal battle with the creation of a yarden, kidding of course. No worries though, I think that I know my limits. Just be sure to familiarize yourself with your own HOA rules and regulations about front yard vegetable gardens if you have to deal with a neighborhood association.

The internet is useful for finding out new ways to prepare food and for discovering many successful ways of growing just about anything. The people and pages online are a wealth of knowledge. Sometimes it is really difficult to siphon through this abundance of information. Sometimes I feel that there may be a possible necessity to add a disclaimer. It seems that for every pro, there is a con. I trust that all of the followers to Access to the Garden will use their own best judgment for what works best for them.

I hope everyone has a great weekend ahead. Some of you are already getting snow and frost, and that is somewhat difficult for me to remember. Your pictures of the beautiful leaves changing have helped me to remember the beauty of fall. We’ve had cold in late October in the past, but our first frost here isn't usually until after the first week of December, and our last frost is sometime in mid-February. It would be nice to take a little excursion west to the mountains, but chances are I’ll be bidding my son farewell as he deploys again with the US Navy.