Autumn Harvest in Amish Country

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Nothing says Autumn more than an Amish wagon loaded down with the fall bounty of pumpkins, squash and gourds, a crisp wind and the crisp autumn leaves falling .  The harvest has been tremendous and the local Amish wagons are a testimony to that.  We are truly blessed to live in an area where we can learn so much from our wonderful neighbors.  They know the true meaning of heirloom seeds and how to grow just about anything.

I am constantly learning new information, new techniques and simple ideas from them, which I will share with you.  Most gardeners will read all the information they can get in regards to gardening, saving seed, buying seed etc.  in any media form we can get our hands on and we spend an incredible amount of money doing it.  Our neighbors have all the information they need to grow more than enough to feed their large families for the year and then some.  They are a wealth of information for gardening and preserving and they will gladly share all they know with a smile.  I feel like a child in a candy store when talking to them about what to grow and how to grow it.  One lone gardener can provide a bounty of food, while saving the pure seed that has been handed down within their family for generations, and not have anything cross-pollinate.

Learning how this is done is my newest journey because they do all of this without bagging the blossoms or worrying about how far apart they have to plant anything even though they grow different varieties of everything including squash which is guaranteed to cross-pollinate.  How is this done?  They do it by timing the blossoms, it is a real science.  Everything must be planted at just the right time so that everything blossoms at different times.  Time, practice and knowledge passed down from generation to generation results in a wonderfully orchestrated garden that produces large bounties and pure seed.  What more could you ask for?

Here in our garden, the tomatoes are still blooming and there is plenty of fruit still hanging on the vines.  I noticed the beans are still blooming, the lettuce is in it’s glory and even the roses make it look more like spring than fall.  The Zinnia’s are also in full bloom and this afternoon I found myself urging a lone Monarch butterfly to hurry up and move on south before his wings get frosted.

I would really like to know how your gardens are looking and what you’re planning already for next year!