Fruitful Harvest

Autumn Projects

Today the children and I gathered more tomatoes from the garden. There are still vines with tomatoes on them, all at various stages of ripening, so we are sure to be able to gather more in the coming days, if not weeks.

This weekend I am going to endeavour to get a lot of preserving done. It will feel like quite an accomplishment has been achieved, when all these jars are filled. We are definitely moving from Summer to Autumn, with a good portion of the garden's crops now ripening up on a daily basis.

What are your plans for the coming weekend? 
Are you also in the throes of gathering in the fruits of your summer labours, now it is the start of Autumn here in the Southern Hemisphere? 
Or are you planning to work on your own Spring preparations, because you are based in the Northern Hemisphere?  
Each season brings its own unique preparations and projects. What is it you are looking to do over the next few days?

Feel free to leave a comment and share what projects you have planned for the coming weekend.

Autumn

"Gratitude can transform common days into

 Thanksgiving,

turn routine jobs into joy,

and change opportunities into blessings."

William Arthur Ward

My Backyard Garden: Autumn Plantings & Produce

We have been busy raising the raised garden beds. We felt it would be better if they were higher (less back breaking), and so they have gone from being one sleeper in height to three.

This is the first of the actual beds that have been made higher, and in turn it has been filled and finished off with a planting out of Autumn crops. Hopefully the netting will help keep both much beloved pets and unwanted pests out of the completed raised bed from now on.

Chard, Kale, Feverfew, Beans, Parsley, Basil, Carrots and Cabbages have all taken up residence in this raised bed.

These were cabbage seedlings bought in the clearance section at The Warehouse. They are looking so much better now they are planted out in their new home in this raised bed.

A friend quite some time ago kindly gave me carrot seed she had saved as part of her own seed saving endeavours. They were the nicest carrots I think I have ever tasted!

She informed me at the time, that if you save seed for three generations it becomes perfect for your own garden's conditions. This has certainly proven to be true, in our own experience to date. I hope this latest planting of carrot seed will be successful, and I can save seed for next season also!

I had to include this photograph again of the ample harvest of grapes we are having currently. I am going to look at juicing some of the bountiful bunches of Albany Surprise Grapes we have been so delighted to see on our grapevine this year. It will be wonderful to be able to freeze it, and have it as both hot and cold drinks in the months ahead.

This caterpillar was spotted today, on the other side of our boundary fence. We had a HUGE Swan Plant in the actual garden with little activity seen on it this year. However, this plant certainly had been visited at some stage, as there are a number of crysalis and caterpillars present.

One of several crysalis found attached to a range of plants other than the original Swan Plant the caterpillars would have started out life on. I will be interested to watch these over the next few days.

Lavender always makes me think of my grandmother and maternal aunt. This flower looked so stunning and delicate in the sunlight this afternoon.