Autumn in the Fence Garden: Seasonal Assessment & Harvest Moon

October 19, 2013—heading into fall, preparing gardens for winter through cutting, moving, and dividing. Time to evaluate the fence garden's progress.

Still working on composters behind the fence. A new shed may go back there eventually, but in a different spot.

Current Garden Status

• Cut back heliopsis, mallow, bee balm
• Daylilies fading
• Jerusalem artichoke towering along fence—sprouts suggest possible flowers
• By month's end, these will come down too

Bloom Tracking System

Light frost curled some coleus leaves. Days gorgeous at ~20°C (68°F), but temperatures plummet at sunset. The Harvest Moon—closest full moon to autumn equinox—has been spectacular. Historically, farmers used its light for late harvest work.

Plants categorized into bloom stages (my own system) for weekly tracking and year-over-year comparison. Some plants span categories—coreopsis blooms continuously with deadheading.

This documentation creates a valuable reference for future seasonal planning.