I consider September in South Dakota my favorite month, unless you ask me in September.
From November through August, I miss September most. September means fantasy football starts again, and I get to whup some butt. The kiddo goes back to school. It’s still summer in September, yet halfway through we open the windows at night, the temps going down along with the air conditioning bill. The rains return most years. Thanksgiving plans begin to take shape each September.
While my garden plans fall apart.
In September I realize I will STILL not have that elusive two pound tomato. I did everything correct. I chose the correct varieties. I fertilized and watered. But chlorinated city water will never provide the same benefit as the clean deep rain denied South Dakota and many other locations.
In September the weeds have taken over. Even doing a little a day isn’t cutting it. The rains did not come this summer until it was far to late to provide the grass clipping mulch I needed. What worked in a verdant May had no chance in our drought-stricken August.
In September, the sunflowers die and I have to try to pull them out of the ground. Ever tried to pull up a Mammoth sunflower with stems as thick as your wrists? They did their job, creating a more than ten foot high wall between my sanctuary and the tackiest neighbors on the block. Yet now I grumble as the heads dry and droop waiting to be tended in their misery.
In September I figure out which dahlias will not bloom in time and begin the stress of still not having mastered over-winter storage. Last year I did the best ever, I kept most of the dahlia tubers alive til January/February, when their condition demanded PLANT ME OR LOSE ME. So I planted them in pots in winter.
In September I can and freeze extras but I dislike canning. It’s messy and hot and I don’t have the proper equipment and my kitchen is lovely but small and already over-flowing with machines and utensils. Then I harvest my delicious grapes, but let them sit a day too long. I jar them anyway and the recipe did not work for some reason and the jelly tastes like sugar, not my precious grapes. I even used the low-sugar recipe and pectin! All that work, for ?? Grape harvest...poof and gone.
In September I go to my sister’s house, where I planted some plants for her and yet for another year, see her tomato output is double mine. In a garden I check every few weeks and she literally ignores. Yes, I am jealous. Oh, and she probably has a hundred pound pumpkin laying in her yard, that I planted.
In September, I throw away gorgeous tomatoes that have just a little too much bacteria speck to cut around. This year it’s been the worst it’s ever been.
I do some future self journaling and a critical component are gratitude exercises, something I do now multiple times a day out of habit. So I will share my list of why I am grateful for the September garden.
~The garden has the most variety of harvest, and my menu reflects those bountiful options.
~We live off the fat of the land and it shows.
~Neighbors get yummy goody bags of my extra produce as I *adore* being the veggie fairy of the block. Any neighbors unaware of the delicious variety of shape, taste and color of tomatoes has been educated.
~Fall crops start to do well again. Go brassica go!
~Few mosquitos.
~Watching this year’s harvest reseed the next season is affirming.
~Best month for pumpkin and dahlia photos.
~Harvest provides the produce to make pizza sauce, breaded eggplant, pepper dipping sauce and diced summer squash for my tikka masala, all frozen for fall and winter dishes.
- I just ate the best watermelon of this season.
Blessings!
A big DK Thank You to Rexxmama for the tutorial and to all of you for reading. Please feel free to share everything that makes September so wonderful!