It is Fall Now - Have You Noticed?

Yes, the leaves are falling in my garden, and cucumber plants have already dried off, so I've pulled them up.

My tomato plants are bearing a bumper-crop of cherry tomatoes. I can pick a bowl full every day!

The raspberries are about done - though I check them every few days, just in case. I should cut back the canes soon, but I've misplaced or lost my garden sheers, and have been revisiting the places where I might have put them down.

There are plenty of zucchini and also squash and two giant (but oblong) pumpkins, and some small watermelon (though I keep losing count of them). I leave these plants alone as I want as many good mature vegetables from them as possible.

The marigolds, zinnias, etc., need to be dead-headed. That is cut them off and bring them in to dry up, so I can get the seeds out of the flower heads. But this is a sit-down job I can do indoors even when winter starts.

I've already stopped weeding and watering the garden. In fact, I'm hoping to have most of the garden cleaned up in the next week or two so that I will be able to go shopping for a small but reliable car before winter sets in.

No doubt, even if you do not have a garden to clean up, I can imagine that you have a change in some of the routines you do differently from one season to another, right?

For those in school, or with children in school, there is the matter of getting back into the classes and study routines. May all the changes in your life be pleasant and welcome ones!

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How to Become a Seed Saver

Being a seed-saver has been handed down to me from at least a half-dozen generations of ancestors, but I've learned to enjoy it more now that I'm doing it on my own - for my own benefit - or to share with others.

The process is so simple; cut off the dead flowers and bring them indoors set them aside in a plate or open container so as to become totally bone-dry.

Then when you have small blocks of time to spare, put an extra clean container, (a plastic yogurt tub, or a glass bowl or jar, or even a paper plate for the time being, and rub the petals lose from the flower head.

You may not always recognize the "seed" part but it is usually a short black stem, about a quarter inch or less) at the end of each petal. That's most likely the seed part, but you can check online for images to show you exactly which is. If it is hard to pull the petal off, leave them together.

Depending on how many seeds you collect, you can put them into small brown coin envelopes, or if a large number into empty supplement bottles.

Be sure to label them because in a few months you won't recall which seed is from what type of plant. The petal may give you a clue as to the colour of the flowers, so jot that down too when you label the envelope or larger container.

One day you may exchange seeds with a friend or neighbour; at that time you will be extra glad that you saved some this year.

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