It's late November and I live in Maine. Presumably, the garden was put to bed for the winter a month or so ago. That's true for most of the garden. With cold frames and greenhouses we can add lots of time to both ends of the growing season. But outside, without protection, we can't expect to have much a week away from December in Maine. It feels like we should be done in the garden. Weeds were pulled and tossed on top of the soil weeks ago. All of the leaves I could rake and collect from other folks were spread on the garden in October. Finished compost was spread and new piles were made. It was 16° when I woke up at 5 a.m. The soil was crunchy under my feet this morning; so much better than slipping in mud. My boots didn't need to be left on the back porch to give mud time to dry and fall off.
The garden isn't entirely asleep though. Days do still get above freezing and lately the sun has been out, warming the soil a little. The frost leaves interesting patterns on the soil after it thaws. Under the frozen crust there's a lot going on. Earthworms aren't far below the surface yet. If I forget a bucket in the garden overnight I can count on finding big fat nightcrawlers when I pick it up. The chickens love them! Carrots are holding. They aren't growing but they're not freezing either. With the help of a spade I can still harvest fresh carrots for supper. I have a bushel of carrots in the cold cellar but they're not as good as the fresh ones I can still dig. Swiss chard freezes at night, thaws during the day and tastes wonderful in the evening. Brussels sprouts are larger than golf balls and almost as firm. They're so sweet now, well worth the long wait since they were planted last May. Kale is growing, albeit slowly. Every time I pass the kale I think of soups. Soup is one of my most favorite foods. A pot of soup on the back of the woodstove is comforting. Potatoes, kale, a leek, turkey broth left over from Thanksgiving's turkey, a little dried basil, shredded cheddar cheese, sea salt and freshly ground pepper ....mmmmmmmm. A head of cauliflower I forgot about is black now but the broccoli hasn’t given up. It's frosted in the morning but the side shoots are still tightly buttoned and slowly growing. When I go out to pick what I think is going to be the last of the turnip I find a few more that are gaining in size.
The livestock and poultry are getting their share of fresh meals. They get a little comfrey that seems to be thumbing its nose at these cold nights. What a hardy plant. The outer leaves are black and of no use but new leaves keep growing from the plants' centers. Broken carrots are hand-fed to two old goats. They miss the fresh green tops they're willing to go through the pasture fence to get to but these days those are few and far between. The bright orange roots are a good consolation prize. Since Thanksgiving is over and it's time to decorate the back porch for Christmas they're all getting pumpkins today. The 200 pound pumpkin is cracked, frozen and spoiling. If I can get it to the hens in one piece they'll find a crack or soft spot and peck their way to the center for the seeds. More likely than not, I'll take this pumpkin to them in pieces. It looks quite soft and it's huge. I will probably end up wearing mashed pumpkin before I've finished moving the 30 pumpkins that have frozen and thawed many times and are still decorating our porch. The goats will get the smaller pumpkins. Turkeys will turn their beaks up. They've apparently decided they've had their fill of pumpkins for the fall. The goats will be happy with the corn stalks. I learned many falls ago that nothing likes gourds. If I put them in the goats' box stall today they will still be there in spring when I muck the stall.
In October I am ready for the garden to end. I've had enough. I want to do something else and not think about growing more food. I practically beg neighbors to take what's left so that I don't have to look at one more freezer bag or canning jar. One more trip to the cold cellar for more squash, potatoes and roots seems like too much to think about in October. But now, in late November, I'm excited when I find unexpected turnip. I'm happy when I can pull fresh carrots to go in a stew with potatoes and turnip and beef from the cow we butchered this year. I'm delighted when I can take a few comfrey leaves into the hoop house for the hens. They come running for their treat. They appreciate fresh food too. Unlike October, I'm not ready for the garden to end in November.