This season has been cooler and wetter than normal, but our urban garden has done well. We’ve been harvesting and replanting all season long.

There was a large yield from the normal early crops, and the cooler, wetter weather allowed for extra plantings.

We’ve been enjoying the cooler temperatures this season. Extremes in temperature are normal here, and summertime can be very hot.

We did three plantings of green onions and at least that many of lettuce. The garlic has already been harvested. The raspberries came on early and yielded less than in previous years, but production was steady with large berries overall.

The tomato crop was delicious, and we tried a couple different varieties for fun, but the yield was also down year over year; likely because of the reduced heat units this season.

Our cucumber crop was massive, and we eventually pulled the plants out because there were more cucumbers than we could deal with. It was the same story with the beans.

There is still a large carrot crop in the ground, and the vegetable garden is still producing kale, dill, basil, radishes, green onions and lettuce.

Useful herbs, such as: oregano, thyme, marjoram and rosemary are thriving.

This season, I was alerted to the fact that the hazel nuts were ready to pick when a thieving crow dropped a cluster right next to me. Of course, I cracked them open to see how the nuts were coming along, and they were all good.

Some of Our Hazel Nuts

The race was on to harvest the nuts before the birds and squirrels beat us to it. Luckily Shih Tzus can’t climb hazelnut trees, so they are less of a threat here than they are to the bean, cucumber, tomato and raspberry crops. I’ve even seen one of these little devils pulling carrots!

It’s been said that dogs don’t gain weight eating vegetables; I beg to differ.

I take the view that when a Shih Tzu is “helping” with the harvest it’s voluntarily undergoing a vegetable cleanse, so it’s really all about healthy living and being proactive.

A Garden Worker Taking a Break

Some people may ask themselves: Why even bother gardening when there is so much theft and vandalism going on?

The answer is: As long as you are diligent and actually harvest the crop when it’s ready, there’s usually enough to go around.

Getting Back to the Garden

Some of the flowers blooming spectacularly now are: dahlias, fall mums, zinnias, nasturtiums, asters, alyssum, marigolds, wave petunias, snapdragons, verbena and calendula.

Fall Flowers

There is no doubt that flowers are the most spectacular feature of the garden as the season winds down.

Fall flowers can help to alleviate “gardener’s melancholy”, which is a nasty yet common affliction some gardeners suffer from as the days get shorter, and winter relentlessly approaches.

A garden without flowers in the fall can be an incomplete and desolate place.

We’ve been collecting seed from many of our flowers and vegetables for many years. It is fun to do, and we’ve managed to keep vegetable strains alive that don’t seem to be available anymore.

Gardeners get the same sort of satisfaction, growing plants from seed they have collected, as potters do when making pots from clay they have dug and processed themselves.

Our focus now will be on preparing the beds for winter, pruning and starting a significant amount of compost for use next year. What more could you want? You’re physically active outside breathing fresh air, and it’s a lot of fun.