The Fall Harvest
Harvesting What’s Left • Clearing What’s Finished • Making Notes for Next Year
The Garden Is Starting to Go Backwards
There is something interesting about the garden in September. For months, I've watched empty soil slowly disappear beneath plants. Tiny seedlings grew, vines spread, tomato plants became enormous, and eventually almost every inch of the raised beds seemed to be growing something.
Now I'm watching the process happen in reverse. The bean plants that have finished producing are coming out. The peas and lettuce are finished. I'm digging potatoes, pulling onions to dry, and slowly uncovering patches of soil I haven't seen since spring.
At the same time, the garden isn't finished yet. My tomato plants certainly aren't looking as pretty as they once did, but they're still holding tomatoes. I still have cucumbers growing, a few beans appearing here and there, and plenty of herbs to use and preserve.
September feels less like the end of the garden and more like a gradual transition. One plant comes out while another keeps producing. And little by little, the garden bed begins to look empty again.
What I’m Harvesting Now
Potatoes
I’m finally digging up the potatoes that have spent the summer hidden beneath the soil. I’m digging gently, letting them cure in a cool, dry, shaded spot.
Onions
The onions are being dried before storage in a well-ventilated place out of direct sun so the necks can close.
Herbs
Many herbs are still going strong. I’m continuing to use them fresh while also preserving what I can for winter.
Knowing When It’s Time to Pull It
September has me looking at the garden differently. Earlier in the summer, I was watching for new growth. Now I’m looking at each plant and asking: Is it still producing—or has it finished its job for the year?
When a plant has clearly finished its growing cycle, I’m beginning to remove it. This includes:
– Finished bean plants
– Peas
– Lettuce
– Spent vegetable plants
– Weeds that have found their way into newly opened spaces
Healthy finished plant material can often be added to the compost pile, while diseased plant material needs to be handled separately.
And Just Like That, I Can See the Soil Again
There’s something almost strange about seeing empty soil again. In spring, I looked at all that empty space and imagined what could grow there. By July and August, I wondered how I had ever thought there was enough room. Now September is slowly giving the space back. Each plant I remove exposes another little section of soil—and also gives me a chance to think about what needs to happen before winter and what I might do differently next year.
Maybe Next Year...
This year I didn’t plant winter squash, gourds or pumpkins. And honestly, I’m glad I didn’t try to squeeze them into my raised beds. I’ve learned just how valuable space becomes once everything reaches its full size. Sprawling plants can take over a raised bed very quickly.
Next year, I may experiment with giving pumpkins, gourds or squash their own space in the ground outside of the raised beds.
Note for Next Year’s Garden
Consider creating a separate in-ground growing area for pumpkins, gourds and squash so the vines have room to spread without taking over valuable raised-bed space.
From the Garden to the Kitchen
September isn’t only about cleaning out the garden. A lot of what I’ve spent months growing is now making its way into the kitchen.
Fresh tomato sauce
Tomato soup
Salsa
Freezing tomatoes
Drying herbs
Storing potatoes
Curing and storing onions
Using remaining cucumbers and beans fresh
What I’M Learning
One of the biggest things I’ve noticed this September is how quickly the garden begins to change direction. Spring was about filling empty spaces. Summer was about managing everything once those spaces became completely full. And now I’m slowly taking things back out. I’m also realizing that planning next year’s garden is easier while I can still see what happened this year. I know my tomatoes need stronger support. I know how quickly certain plants can take over. I don’t have next year’s garden figured out yet. But September is already giving me plenty of ideas.
This Season’s Reflection
For most of the growing season, progress in the garden means watching something get bigger. September is reminding me that progress can look like clearing things away, too.
The empty spaces aren’t really empty. They’re evidence of something that grew there. Beans were picked. Lettuce was eaten. Peas climbed their vines. Potatoes grew underground. Onions are drying.
There is still more to harvest - but the garden is already making room for what’s next.