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Rest
(by Alexandra Heath - November 10, 2008)
Cornstalks rattle in the autumn wind. Rain turns garden furrows into miniature rivers. Pumpkins lie about amidst the yellowing vines. The harvest has come to an end another year.
In ancient times, Samhain was the “last of the harvest” festival, a time when earth-honoring folks gathered to feast and celebrate. They marked the beginning of the fallow season when thoughts turn inward and people stay close to the hearth with a funeral of sorts. The Sun deity is dead and begins his annual journey to the underworld. The world grows colder and darker. The veil between worlds thins and on All Hallows Eve it seems possible to contact those loved ones who have passed, to share food and drink and give thanks for an abundant and fruitful year.
Although most Americans think about costumes and candy at this time, there are a few garden celebrations you can enjoy courtesy of those earth-honoring ancestors. Tie some cornstalks together and decorate around your front door, front yard or even your garden. Give thanks for the Earth Mother’s great abundance. You might even purchase a few bales of straw for decorating. These will come in handy as your prepare to put the garden to bed for the year.
During Biblical times, it was common practice to let the fields lie fallow for an entire year at the end of each seven-year period. This was a way to both honor the land and keep it fertile for years to come. While you may not want to forgo your favorite fall and winter veggies—broccoli, cabbage, spinach—you can consider leaving at least one planting bed to fallow for the winter. This is a wonderful opportunity to start or expand your composting endeavors. By using one planting bed as the foundation for a new compost pile, you will be adding rich nutrients and organic material directly to the soil underneath. When spring arrives the compost can be added to the remaining planting beds just at the time when new growth needs all the nutritional help it can get.
When yard decorations turn soggy, break up and scatter those straw bales around frost tender plants. This year I’ll mulch the raspberries and strawberries, asparagus and artichokes with straw and turn the potato patch into a compost pile.
This is also a good time to put your garden tools to bed for the winter. Clean shovels and spading forks of dried mud and oil any wooden handles to prevent cracking and splintering. The winter is cold, but it is also dry. The most vulnerable part of any tool is its wooden handle. Honor your tools (and save money by not having to replace improperly stored tools) by treating them well and storing them in a clean, dry location. It’s also helpful to have a 5-gallon bucket filled with sand saturated with used motor oil. By plunging a shovel pan (that’s the digging part!) into the sand you both clean and protect the metal. Spading forks and other tined tools benefit from this as well.
Electrical- and fuel-powered tools need attention as well. Now is a good time to check electrical connections and cords and to drain fuel from gas-powered tools. Gasoline tends to gum up in cold weather and fuel “sours” from sitting too long. You’ll be rewarded in the spring with quick starting and smooth running power tools by taking the time now to care for them properly. Check electrical cords to locate frayed ends or broken places. If possible, replace damaged cords and retire worn-out tools. Some folks have made a virtue of using old gardening tools as unusual outdoor decorations or as components for garden art sculptures.
And finally, it’s time for YOU to rest as well. As the weather turns blustery, curl up with a good book, brew a cup to herbal tea, make some pumpkin muffins, call old friends and reconnect. Honor yourself with care and comfort and make sure to give yourself some “fallow” time as well. Rest well!
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