Every October, the air changes. The nights lengthen. The ground remembers winter. I do not guess when to harvest. I watch the thermometer. I record the hour.
These are the entries that matter.
The first hard freeze arrived at dawn. Temperature dropped to 28°F (-2°C) over the raised beds. All tomatoes harvested by 0600 hours. Zucchini vines cut back.
Final pruning of the heritage apple stock. Thinned the lower branches to maximize sun penetration. The first blush appears on the Honeycrisp.
Seeds saved from the 2024 harvest, dried and stored in the root cellar at 38°F. Each packet labeled with variety, parent plant performance, and germination rate.
"We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors; we borrow it from our children." But first, we must ensure the seed survives the winter.