The Autumn Garden Tasks At Hand

I am always torn about creating to-do lists. On the one hand, they organize and lay it all out for you. Then, there is the excitement about the possibilities behind productivity. And, finally, the all-time high comes for me as I cross things off. Literally, as the pen scratches out one of my tasks. Sometimes with two lines. The real doosies get three.

The dark side of list making is a neglected list. It mocks you throughout the days and the weeks. It taunts you with the 'un-done.'

So it is with this disclaimer (of sorts) that I lay out my garden to-do list for the next month.

1. Clean out the container garden. Compost plants and sterilize all containers with a water-bleach mixture.
2. Harvest basil (Genovese, Thai and Lemon) - chop and freeze in ice cube trays for storage.
3. Harvest sage - dry in kitchen.
4. Plant bulbs! I am thinking of creating little patches along the edges of our woodlands - for a naturalized, magical effect. Ephemerals, alliums, crocuses, daffodils, grape hyacinths.
5. Make herbal honeys. With mints, lemon balm, thyme, sage.
6. Start collecting leaves for shredding and leaf mold. (Shredded leaves are gold in the compost bin - gold!)
7. Start cleaning out raised beds. Prep and amend with compost. Smother problem/overgrown spots with cardboard. Fence in area for next year's tomatoes.
8. Plant a few perennials, shrubs and . . . maybe one tree. In the front.

La-di-da, la-di-da (say with an Annie Hall lilt). If I get half of it done, I will be content. But not without the other half haunting me - until I rip the to-do list into shreds. Tossing it to the wind. And releasing myself from its grip. The dark side of list making resolved. Ta-da!