This a weird time of year. There is very little to do on the garden but wait. My peppers are in overdrive. My tomatoes have put on one more flush of fruit. Okra is going on doing okra things and will soon be allowed to seed for next year. The shift from salads to soup is starting and Fall’s wet weather is giving the garden all the moisture it needs. There is not much coming out the garden nor is it time to start the seasonal closing up. In short, I am stranded in garden inaction and it is a weird place to be.

So What Am I Doing?

It is not picking produce. In the past two weeks, I have only gotten about 5lbs from the garden. A far cry from its summer high where I would do twice that in a day.

I have started planning the off season modifications to the garden. I have also done a small seed order to fill out gaps in my seed supply. As of yesterday, I confirmed with 100% germination on my Dragon Egg seed saving. I am currently working on seed saving my cucamelons and will start some ground cherries. My pimento and Chinese peppers need to get some seed saved from each.

I am processing okra and peppers with an occasional bag of tomatoes for the freezer. Because we are in Fall, its time to get serious on the Egyptian Spinach. Drying and grinding is its future.

I need to prepare my herbs for overwintering by taking cutting and getting them rooted and indoors.

Then there are the new plants. I have several lettuces that need to get into the ground this week. I need to pull my sweet potatoes but the foliage is looking too healthy for me to want to pull them. After the sweet potatoes, I am going to try to sneak in a round of radishes. Currently, I have a couple of dozen planted in my potato pots. With the season rapidly ending, I need to get a round of beets into the ground. A bit late but worth a try, as the season appears to be going long this year, on the monthly forecast.

I need to fix my 3D printer. Without this there will be no winter garden.

It is basically a list of things I ought to do but the time just isn’t right for any of them. Except the 3D printer of course.

What to Do When Stuck with a Case of Garden Inaction?

Honestly, the only thing to do is to wait and work through the outstanding tasks. They are almost all indoors and preparing for the next season. None are glamorous or even that fun but they got to get done.

First, the 3D printer must be fixed. Next, my hoop house part needs design and printing.

With all that, I must finish my cucuamelon seed saving and start on my ground cherries. Because I really dislike growing herbs from seed, I need to get my cuttings and start rooting them.

I just have to remember that there are still things to do and do them. The garden does not stop, even when it feels like it does.