The heat is daunting, the days are long, the pests are out of control, and morale is at an all time low. I’ve decided to give up on the spring/summer garden…what is left of it, that is.

I do this to myself every year. I hold on to every bit of hope I have, grasping desperately at the weeping and wispy strands of vegetables that are hanging on for dear life.

I can’t seem to let beautiful things go. I longingly stare out at my gardens every winter, praying for the day the sun feels warm and the day provides enough hours of sunlight to sow just one little seed.

Letting it go seems unfathomable.

But I must.

And I will.

Yet, this year there is a second wave of hope in my heart. I have researched and heard about the fall garden for the last couple of years but by this point in the year I feel so defeated and burnt out that I hadn’t dare try what feels like a exasperatingly large task.

However, I am welcoming the challenge with open arms.

I just spent my morning, half clothed and fully drenched in sweat pulling, yanking, and dang-near cursing the fried remnants of the spring and summer garden.

You may ask, “Elizabeth, it is still summer. Why are you starting over?”

My answer would be the promise of new and bountiful harvests with less pest pressure and lower temperatures.

I have always been a fall girl. Sipping pumpkin flavored coffee, breezy walks through bright orange leaves, and sweaters are basically my blood type. Why would I not add beauty and productivity to my favorite space to ever exist?

Though the work is labor-some and exhausting now; the pay off will be so great come October.

It is one last chance for me to fill our pantry with vegetables to sustain us through the frigid winter months.

If you are curious what vegetables I am planting, browse the post just before this one. In the mean time, I will keep you updated on the progress.

Back to the scorching garden I go.