The Garden in November

Thanksgiving is over. Most of us have eaten the last bit of cornbread dressing (or fed it to the dog) , made fudge out of the leftover cranberries, and scarfed up the last bit of pumpkin pie. In a few weeks it will be time to get back in the kitchen and rattle those pots and pans all over again.

In the meantime, winter paid us a little visit last night. For you folks living in points north of Zone 8, this is not a piece of news. There are parts of the US that experience 'winter' from October to April every year. They get to see the seasons change gradually, and I must admit, it is a beautiful sight, indeed. They also get real snow, black ice, and ice skating on frozen ponds.

High Antler Farm is not located in any of those magical winter wonderlands. However, we harvested the last three zucchini squash right before the storm hit last night. When the cold rain fell the temperature dropped last night just after 6pm. This morning, we awoke to find about an inch or so of beautiful white snow on the ground, and it is falling gently right now.

This may not seem like a big deal to some of you who have seen Nature in all her majestic glory in snow country, but it is a pretty big deal down here. Yesterday afternoon the mercury rested at a sweltering 74 F, and we were trying to stay cool in Tshirts with a glass of iced tea. After hearing the weather news at noon, we knew we were in for the first freeze of the season. Those last three zucchini had to be picked.

So, yesterday, ... we put our garden to bed for the winter. This isn't as much of a big deal as it sounds. Instead of composting kitchen waste and piles of leaves from our farm in a container or bin, we rake the leaves on top of anything that can be salvaged.

Back in August, we pulled some tomato and pepper plants, one pot of okra, that looked rather healthy, and repotted them in self watering garden pots. They are now inside and still green. The tomatoes are no longer setting fruit, but the peppers are still in fruit. On sunny days, they will spend mornings on the back deck, as long as it isn't too cold, and come inside for the night. This might seem like a lot of work, and I must admit, it is not much fun pushing big pots in and out of the house, but until we get the greenhouse up, this is the format.

Why spend so much time on five pots ? Tomato plants have nobbly bits on the stems (Bill calls them nodules, perhaps that is the right term). Each of those rough little spots can sprout, with the right conditions, and the resulting new tomato plant is strong and sturdy.

As Spring approaches, these plants will go back into the garden. More on this in a few months.

Welcome to High Antler

Where is High Antler?

North Central Texas. But in a larger sense High Antler lives within the hearts of all homesteaders. It's gardening, goats, chickens, rabbits, fur bearing local wildlife and breathing free air that didn't just come out of an exhaust pipe.

It's worms and compost, fruit trees and fertilizer, and deer eating your peaches in the middle of the night.

It's more tomato plants than you thought you had room for in May, that sprang up out of the ground after moving the chicken tractor in March , and the only zucchini were the ones that grew as volunteers in the compost pile.

More importantly, High Antler is our home. We try to spend our money wisely, make do with what we have, and enjoy life. We view life as a journey, rather than a destination, and ourselves as participants, rather than spectators.

So, come on in. Sit a spell. Take your shoes off.

Ya'll come back now, ya hear ?

~~KimLee and Bill
at High Antler Farm