FROSTY NOVEMBER

This growing season is coming to a close.  We finally had frost--although during the first week of November marks it as a late frost.  However, at this point we haven't had a hard freeze.  So although we're working on cleaning up the gardens, I look around and there's still a lot to admire.  The garden clean-up got me thinking about horticultural terms.  Like any other subject, gardening has its own terminology.  Some of it is pretty basic and clear, some is not.

Annuals are plants that grow, flower and produce fruit or seed in one season and die off at frost.  Basil, being extremely cold-sensitive is always the first thing to go.  Other warm weather lovers, like zinnias, mexican sunflower and brazilian buttonflower (with big, fuzzy purple flowers) got zapped.  Some annuals did not - which leads us to half-hardy annuals.  These are annual plants which will tolerate some frost, but are not truly winter hardy like perennials.  The nice thing is that they are hardy enough to extend the garden season, perhaps by several weeks, depending on the weather.

So, still blooming are pincushion flower  with dark purple blooms studded with white dots (resembling pins), cheerful yellow and orange calendula and snapdragons.  One day, when it warmed up, I saw a couple bees happily roaming over the calendula flowers.  Calendula and particularly  snaps, will tolerate quite a bit of cold.  Sometimes they look frozen, but the sun comes out and they pop right back.  I love snaps for many reasons, not the least of which is the fact that they survive so long.  In mild years, I've had snaps blooming at Thanksgiving.

Our greenhouse toad is back and settling in for his long winter nap.  He's not hibernating yet.  He's buried in the dark in the back corner of the greenhouse, but his head is still sticking out.  On sunny days, it still gets quite warm in the greenhouse, so he can emerge when he gets warm and crawl back in at night.  Soon, he'll bury himself completely and I usually don't see him until we turn the heat back on.  Compared to even a protected spot outside, I guess the greenhouse is like a luxury toad hotel.  Although I refer to it as he, I have no idea if the toad is male or female.

I've been working hard in the shop and I'm now beginning to stock it with holiday items.  Generally, I think the retail Christmas push starts much too early - before Halloween in some places!  I like to enjoy fall first and then bring out the holiday items.  For DIY'ers, it is a good time to stock up on supplies and containers.  That way, you'll have everything you need once you're ready to create your herbal gifts.

RENEWED TRENDS

It's been interesting to note several trends that have developed over the time since we opened the farm.  The first, which I noticed a couple years after we opened the shop, was a renewed interest in herbs for medicinal use.  It makes sense for several reasons.  For thousands of years before the development of pharmaceuticals, people used what they had to treat diseases and injuries - namely plants.  Prior to WWII, plant based medicines were the norm.  The trend never disappeared in Europe.  They continued using plant based medicinals and researched their effectiveness.  The knowledge filtered back to the U.S. and was part of a consumer-led resurgence of interest in medicinal herbs.  When you read about all the side effects of some prescription medicines, who wouldn't prefer to start with a more natural, less aggressive approach.

After the recent recession, I talked to so many people who said, "I've never had a garden before - but now I'm going to start."  This was in addition to the many people who had always grown fresh herbs and vegetables for their families.  Our vegetable sales really increased during this period.  I don't know if everyone stuck with it when the economy improved, but it certainly is satisfying to produce your own food, not to mention the cost savings and improved flavor and quality.

The latest trend is an extension of the local food movement.  It seems that people have gone beyond just growing their own food to producing their own soaps and body care products.  We have seen increased sales in supplies, containers and essential oils in the last year or two.  More people seem to be concerned not only with what they put in their bodies, but also what they apply to them.  Customers who are purchasing supplies almost unanimously talk about the chemical ingredients with multisyllabic names in commercially produced soaps, lotions, shampoos, deodorants, etc.  Producing your own gives you control over the process and ingredients used, resulting in high quality items.

The common thread running through these trends seems to be a strongly renewed interest in the use of natural, organic products in our lives.  The trend seems to be back to the basics - and that everything old is new again.

Our newsletter will be coming out during the first half of November.  Be on the lookout!