During today’s sunshine — a nice break from rain showers — I headed down to the veggie garden to take stock of the remaining crops. The beautiful maples near the bottom of the hill enticed me.
From every angle, they are at their peak of color.
I opened the hens’ pen and chuckled as they followed me downhill. The flock stopped beneath a couple of maples that have recently lost their leaves, including a vine maple that was stunning just weeks ago. Here the girls scratched and pecked among the leaves, clucking excitedly as they found bugs. Soon all nine hens were discovering treasure.
I found my own treasure in the veggie garden. Since our nights have only dipped into the upper 30s, many plants are in a holding pattern throughout Coppertop, and the veggies are no exception. I harvested the last four cabbages to store indoors and left other veggies in their beds, minus a couple enormous carrots for our supper. They are “Atomic Red” from Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds, and each is a foot long.
Gardens at Coppertop 
Very nice.
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Thank you, Elisabet.
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March, I am full of admiration for your gardening prowess. You (and your husband) seem to do it with such “sprezzatura” (Italian term meaning the appearance of effortlessness, nonchalance), but I know that in fact you put a great deal of work and effort into it. Your “girls” are delightful. Do they take care of the slugs, or do you just not have any?
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Hi there. The girls do eat slugs, yet we battle slugs mainly in the springtime with Sluggo and bowls of beer. I have a love/hate relationship with them (did you know slugs are as beneficial as earthworms in breaking down organic matter and releasing soil-enriching nutrients ? 😉 ). The plants slugs favor here are ligularia, young dahlias, and veggies so I make sure to deter them from our raised beds. Devastation can happen too quickly. Wow, I am flattered by “sprezzatura” but most days it’s sheer diligence and a hopeful attitude that carry us through. A presto!
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