A Hint of Change Is in the Air

As Blackberry Farm’s Master Gardener, John Coykendall brings decades of deep, hands-in-the-dirt wisdom to the changing of the seasons. Read on to learn how he tracks subtle changes, and how they tell him it’s time to start planting for Autumn growing.

Here at Blackberry Farm, seasonal changes rarely take place overnight, and that is the case this year as we approach the beginning days of early Fall. For most of July and early August, we were blessed with ample amounts of rain. As a result, all of our gardens and the surrounding countryside have retained vivid shades of greens resembling those of late Spring and early Summer. When we approached mid-August, the rain ceased and extremely high temperatures set in through September. 

Our landscape’s changes of colors begin subtly. Early on, trees begin turning from green to subdued tones of yellow, to yellow-ochre greens. Along the banks of our country roads, wildflowers flourish as they make their final stand before their season ends.

As the days go by, and the signs of Fall season become more evident, I watch daily as varying patterns of falling leaves pass by me as they drift towards the ground. 

These falling leaves remind me that it is time to tend to our Fall gardens. 

– John Coykendall, Master Gardener