End of the season Moaning

As I read back upon the latest posts, all it seems I can talk about is the end of the season. Well that's not quite correct. Most of the nursery will be buttoning up in November - all the garden perennials, but I am still going to grow herbs, potted plants, houseplants and I'll try some tomatoes in the greenhouse. I also am gardening at the Oakland County Greenhouse that will keep us in salad all winter. So I am not about to retire to the couch.

November also brings me to a new winter market - the Lapeer Flea Market - where I will be offering my homemade jams, baked good and produce, plus a smattering of items from my mom's estate. Lapeer is an open market - a vendor can sell practically anything as long as it doesn't explode, so my first market will be November 3rd. It's an indoor market, in a hall in downtown Lapeer, so I'll be warm and dry. I'll soon be going down to Detroit's Eastern market and scoping out the produce to see what kind of buys I can get. Then, I'll divvy up the crates and sell them in smaller portions. I'm excited - I really have become a fresh produce fan - it tickles me to no end to see the heaping piles of veggies the farmers bring to market. I only hope I can rival their displays.

Today, I am going back to one of my tried and true markets again - the Oakland County Farmers market in Waterford. I only hope I can find homes for my dollar perennials. That's right - all the small stock is reduced to a buck (with the exception of the Hellebores) so I can just get a little money out of them and have less to overwinter. It kind of is like trying to find free kittens a good home - just as tough.

Wednesdays, I go to the Walled Lake Market - on Maple, right next to the municipal offices and Sundays I'll still be going to Armada provided it doesn't rain. I did go out and invest in a good pop-up canopy to keep the weather off, but at those big open markets - if it's raining - nobody comes. I think the canopy will come in handy next year when I start selling more of Paul's Produce.

So October may bring an end to the outdoor garden, but a number of irons are in the fire to keep the budget up to snuff. I hope you are enjoying this beautiful fall weather as much as I am. May you be dreaming of the 2014 garden to come.