Mid October garden notes

Changing seasons -  Each day we get closer to the rainy season here, but it hasn't fully arrived yet.  I'm forever grateful for every bit of sunshine we receive, and feel obliged to be outside working in the yard.  Fall weather here can be sublime.  The past few days have been sunny and warm.  It rained last night and I expected more today, but instead it is beautiful. I've been overhauling the front yard, digging out tons of overgrown lily-of-the-valley and sweet woodruff. I've been hoping to get it all under control and my tulip bulbs planted before the cold, wet weather sets in.  I'm making pretty good progress, but am not finished yet.

Our vegetable garden is changing rapidly now, but is still providing us with good things to eat.  Twice now I have thought that I had picked the last of the cucumbers, only to find another one ready to be eaten a few days later - a gift from Mother Nature.  The basil plants are giving up their leaves to brown spots, the remaining tomatoes are slow to turn color, and the summer squash seems to have given up at last.  However, we have lots of cauliflower, and carrots, and the chard marches on. Still growing big beautiful leaves and strong red stems. We've been eating broccoli and the brussel sprouts are beginning to form.   We also still have a nice supply of salad greens. In the next few days we hope to get the cold frame set up to cover the new bed of mesclun mix I recently planted.  The greens have successfully germinated, but our neighborhood squirrels are very busy hiding any type of seed or nut they can find, and they have taken to digging in the mesclun.  I'll have to convince them to try next door.

One thing of particular note that I forgot to add is that we are still picking strawberries!!!!  They are still big and beautiful, though not quite as flavorful as those grown in the heat of the summer.  We enjoyed a lovely strawberry clafouti for dessert yesterday.  What a treat in October!