Fall is in the Air

My asthmatic son is home with a cold and an ear infection since Monday. Between giving him breathing treaments every few hours around the clock for his constant wheezing (poor guy!), I head out into the yard to check on things and clear my bleary head. Signs of fall are everywhere. The maples are just starting to turn, the air has a nice crispness and my pumpkins are ripening on the vines. I love fall!

Every year since relocating to Oregon I have tended a small vegetable garden in whiskey barrels and and along the hill on the side of the house. Last year it was tomatos, zucchini, peppers, cucumbers, herbs and pumpkins. This year we left out the zucchini and added a second cucumber. Last year we had more zucchini than we knew what to do with. I found myself leaving bags of them on neighbors' porches. The tomatos grew like crazy too. We had some nice pumpkins and a pepper every week.

This year was a disappointment. We have had maybe two peppers, three cucumbers and enough tomatos for our family but not enough to give away. The pumpkins are beautiful but I have maybe six growing on the eight vines I grew from seed - not a great return!

My friend's mother is a master organic farmer in Carlton and I am told that she also had a lighter crop this year so I feel a little better. Since I am lacking for sleep I have decided to show you some pictures of my veggie garden. I hope you enjoy it.

Do you grow a garden? If so, how were your "crops" this year?