As the summer hung in the balance, like the hot sun in the sky through August...the drought took hold of the garden and watering became a chore and a moment of judgement for who deemed worthy to flourish and who wasn't going to make the September lineup. We slowly pulled up tired old cucumber and tomato trellis and twine tangled in crispy crunchy reminders of just how much water a garden needs when nothing falls from above and the sun seemed to tirelessly persist without apology.
We embraced what flourished and preserved what supplied us in abundance.
Bee Balm, Silver Sagebrush & Lavender Bundles.
We maintained steady watering regiments on the gardens highlights like dahlias, cherry tomatoes, green beans and sunflowers.
As the garden blossomed so did the pollinators and when all else fails and the pantry isn't quite as full as we expected and the canning supplies are sitting idle... we rejoice at the life and divesity that the garden does sustain!
We found a few weeks of family time tucked into our busy work schedules to explore our favorite places and show Hazel what makes Maine such a special place.
Sometimes we even brought art supplies and took a moment to create between hiking trails and rock scrambles.
With our creative juices flowing we took advantage of a special deal Mom found online to have a pottery painting morning.
Along with feeling creative with paint we also love the art of garden planning and seeing the layers fill in as the season progresses. Observing and hoping and also harvesting the bounty we do have and using our creativity to spice up a meal or fill every last vase we can find.
September rolls in as the morning chill seems to grip the sunrise tighter with every passing week. We all are adapting to a new school year and begin to dream about glasses of warm apple cider, football rivalries and autumn harvests.
As we adapt to our new Autumn cycles we take our daily stroll amongst the gardens soaking in the last blossoms of the growing season as we reflect on what went well and what needs a reboot for next year.
The drought conditions added stress to this season, but we also are struggling with disease and poor growth in our tomatoes and cukes this year. I haven't decided if its due to poor soil nutrition, lack of rotation of crops or if taking out those large trees a few years back has opened the remaining trees to fill in space that is now limiting full sun exposure to areas of the garden that use to flourish just a few years ago. With every action there is a reaction.
My thoughts as we finish up this years garden is to add even more varieties of flowers next year with a possible addition of a berm surrounding the growing space with new tapped ground for zinnias and dahlia expansion!
