This became the theme of my weekend, for better or worse. I tried hard to sit at my desk focusing on homework while Jay worked on tidying up the backyard. Have you ever seen those old psychology experiments that tested the ability of little kids to resist eating a mashmallow? It was kind of like that.
Of course I gave up, ran outside, threw my boots on and helped out. Ohhh… the garden beds are so tidy now and all set for winter! I pulled out all those scraggly, dead warm-weather plants like tomatoes, peppers and beans.
I collected the fallen leaves and mounded them over the beds. The runner ducks were huge fans of this process, foraging for bugs in the leaf piles. It’s safe to say we were all having a blast.
The leaves will break down over the winter and add some nice, airy texture when they get turned into the soil with compost in the spring (assuming whoever moves into this rental house wants a garden).
The winter crops are still growing strong – Bull’s Blood beets, Rainbow swiss chard, and Lacinato kale. They looked “tucked in” under a winter blanket. It will keep them a little warmer to have that extra mulch and the slugs attracted by the leaves shouldn’t bother these crops.
I’m too far along in grad school at this point to feel guilty for giving myself a little freedom time. It was a gorgeous day working outside and far better to work in the sun prepping for winter than the cold, rain of most fall days. Even though we’re moving back into our Portland homestead in a month, I still feel good leaving the yard in the best shape and giving the future tenants everything they need to make a sweet garden next spring.
Upgrade your hanging basket game! 
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