The blue hue of the early morning coaxes me out of bed. There’s something so magical about the wee hours of the morning. Fog clings to the mountain tops and the crickets play their good morning song as the birds sing in the sun rise. The air is cool in these Pennsylvania mountains. It reminds me to soak up the last few weeks of summer. I sit on my back steps with a hot latte looking out at my garden.

Gardening is one of my favorite hobbies.  I gain so much from it. It gets me out into the fresh air, it breaks down and rebuilds the muscles in my body , it helps me to release my creative energy and it nourishes my body with the produce I grow.  With the addition of my toddler, I have the added joy watching my toddler grab blackberries off the bush and eat them or watching her run to the end of the garden, grab a grape tomato and eat it. It is how I always imaged my life would be, my children and I in the garden together working and enjoying the bounty of the land.

My garden at the moment is pretty overrun with weeds. Last fall when I should have been clearing the beds I was battling first trimester exhaustion. Early this spring I was in my last trimester of pregnancy.  During late spring I had a newborn and was recovering from a c section. My garden has been seriously neglected.

At first I was frustrated with myself for letting my garden get so overrun with weeds.  Last spring, I spent days with my toddler strapped to my back taking wheel barrow after wheel barrow from the front of the house to the end of my backyard in order to create that garden bed. I had to remind myself that it was okay, even though I am currently in a season of life where I can’t dedicate as much time to the garden, it doesn’t mean I should give up.

I created a goal to try and clear one square foot of space in my garden on the days I’m able to get outside. Where I live in central Pennsylvania, it’s been either 100 degrees or thunderstorms most of the summer. The weather has been hard to get things done in the garden.

The other day while my toddler dreamed her toddler dreams, I grabbed my two month old, put her in a rocker and went out to the garden.  My two month old gifted me with almost 30 minutes of babbling contentment. I was able  to clear several square feet of space AND plant some cover crops! It was a big win for my gardening heart.

Even though I hadn’t had the chance to plant anything in my garden this spring. I did try my hand at growing potatoes in a 5 gallon bucket.  They may have been small but I successfully grew some potatoes! I felt so proud and accomplished. I’m looking forward to growing potatoes again.

My vegetable garden may be almost nonexistent this season but my flower garden is growing beautifully. The wonderful thing about perennials and self seeding plants is that you plant them once and every year they get fuller and more beautiful.

There are a few plants that I’ve learned from experience are good self seeders that may surprise you. Tomatoes, arugula, pumpkins, and zucchini have on more than one occasion popped back up year after year from fruit that was left on the ground. 

Depending on where you reside it may be too late for a summer garden but if you feel inspired to garden after reading this, there are a few things you can grow in the fall. Some of my favorite fall plants are beets, swiss Chard, kale, carrots and spinach, broccoli, and cabbage.

I take the last sip of my latte as the neighbor’s rooster calls from across the road. The sun has fully risen but is hidden behind pale blue clouds. Today is going to be a great day for gardening.