Even as the harvest dwindles and crops succumb to their annual cycle, fall on the farm always has an optimistic feel to it. It’s an “out with the old, in with the new” time of year, as we tear down the remnants of this season in order to lay the groundwork for the next. And in a farmer’s Pollyanna heart, next season will always be our best.
I spent yesterday ripping out the last of the tomatoes in the high tunnel–a demolition job that offered a good bit of catharsis after this season’s disappointing tomato harvest. The tomatoes have to make way for a big load of compost waiting in the wings, so it was time to say “Later, ‘Maters.”
I also spent a good amount of time (probably too much time) admiring all the cover crops in next season’s fields, like the oats & peas blend protecting the soil for our future winter squash. Those delicatas and kabochas don’t know it, but we’re rooting for them already.