Sometimes I have to trick myself to get anything done! When feeling overwhelmed with things that should be done, my strategy is to decide on some small task that is enjoyable yet puts a bigger task in motion. I tell myself that if I only accomplish the small task, at least I will have gotten something done. And sometimes, a small task accomplished opens Pandora's Box!
Yesterday, feeling overwhelmed with the gardens, I set out to cut a few echinacea seed heads to plant in another garden that needs to get filled in a bit. My goal was only to gather a few, but the task was simple, and the gardens so beautiful, that I strolled along cutting and filling my basket until it brimmed with the spiny urchin-like echinacea spawn. With nippers in hand, I also added to my task a bouquet of fall flowers for the kitchen table.
This morning, while it was still cool, I went to plant some of the echinacea seeds in the garden with gaps. This was a quick job, and with so many seed heads cut yesterday, I continued to poke holes and drop seeds into other gardens around the farm. One of the gardens had been overrun with goldenrod, and I decided to see if it might come out easily. Sure enough, with the soil dry from little rain, the goldenrod pulled easily, and after a few minutes, I had cleared a large patch that had been bothering me for a couple of years. Not only that, but I cleaned and cleared other weeds from the rest of the bed then decided to mow off the mess that was left behind to give it a clean slate for next Spring. Once it was mowed, it was easy to poke more holes and plant echinacea where goldenrod no longer rules the roost!
In one small paragraph this may seem a tiny task, but on this farm, where perennial gardens are the size of a city backyard, having taken on the echinacea seed saving, then planting, then executing perennial garden repair is the result of one very ambitious gardener...at least today!
Not only did I do garden maintenance, but I did a little pumpkin cutting and decorating.
And, I discovered this very beautiful flower in a veggie garden I planted in July...anyone know what it is? Not a common plant grown in the north...
It's okra! The gorgeous flower above is from the okra plant.
The combines are out around the neighborhood on the big farms. William harvested the sunflowers, and despite their blow down in one of our summer storms, the harvest was good. Soybeans are the first to go on the conventional farms and the corn will start going in.a couple weeks. In the small gardens and farms, GARLIC will be planted in the next couple of weeks, and of course, it is time to save seeds (or plant perennials) for next year's gardens! One small task at a time!
FARM STORE: We are open through October 31st (Thursday - Sunday 9-5). We have lots of sunflower seeds for your bird feeders, our very delicious sunflower oil for all your culinary needs, CBD oils, balms and butters for moisture and relief, and gorgeous felted wool hats for the next season's fashion.
Happy gardening!
Sarah
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