Fall Arrives to the LFP Garden

Torrential downpours last week brought the end to a serious dryspell in the region, and a swift end to one of the hottest seasons in memory. Last night I was convinced we would have a frost, considering my sensation of 'shivering chilliness' as winds blew across the Piedmont foothills.

Much to my surprise it was still in the upper 40's this morning, not even close to a light frost! I then realized that my perception of 'frost in the air' was relative to the oppressive heat of the summer, and in fact what we had last night was just the typical cool of fall.

In other words, the heat of the season had turned me into a cool-weather softy, not unlike someone who moves to Florida and after a while considers any temperature below 80....cold!

Now is the time when cool weather crops like lettuce thrive, still getting plenty of sun, but growing rapidly with the moist soils and damp, crispy evenings of fall. The cool weather concentrates sugars in crops like beets, radishes and asian greens, and sensations of bitterness that prevail in these crops during the stress of summer heat give way to the sweetness of fall.

We have been enjoying meeting in the middle of the organic corn maze at Airlie, the perfect place to brainstorm on LFP programs and production for the next year...