“Do remember that each kind of work has its season…” Hesiod, Works and Days
A simple, mundane truth about the end of August. The mid-Atlantic growing season is moving toward its completion, so now is the last opportunity in the garden to plant something that can grow to fruition this year—such as a few more radishes, or greens. Time is short.
But all life, and dare we say all good things, start as ‘seeds.’ Seeds sown by someone; in love. And so all of us need to be, in some sense, sowers of seeds–of various kinds.
And there will come our last chance to plant—in this person, in this community, in this place… whatever the kind of seed. Perhaps even just a word of praise, or gratitude.
In the bustle of life, we might miss the last chance to plant in the garden. We should be especially careful not to miss other last chances to plant seeds.
Photo: Swiss Chard: one of the gardener’s most dependable and nutritious delights; it will grow right up to and beyond the first frost. Like other hearty greens, planted in August it might over-winter if well-mulched.
Hesiod (8th century B.C.) was a Greek contemporary of Homer, and likewise an epic poet. His Works and Days sketches the year-round work on a homestead.
Originally posted at Bacon from Acorns
My mid-atlantic garden of chard and beets has had a serious problem with beet-leaf miner flies this year.
Sorry to hear that Kullervo. I haven’t had that problem. This year I did have some chickens wandering around the garden–though that comes with its own challenges–and perhaps that was the margin of difference for me.
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