Tumbling Into Fall

Somehow every year, no matter how much I try to prepare for how quickly summer goes, suddenly it’s September. August seems to have done as it always does: arrives and disappears before you really know what happened. If I’m being honest, it was a hell of a month. I try to stay positive but in the current climate (catastrophe) and period of systems shutting down everywhere, it just feels like a lot of things and people are set up for failure. You know? It’s tough out there but I’ve been reconnecting with my garden and my goals with permaculture design. That has been a big mental boost in the fog of August.

So September is here and I am thinking about how to transition my motley crew of pots and containers to be productive through the fall. You can see what things looked like a couple of weeks ago here:

I’m thinking of course too of all those who are being affected by climate disasters. Particularly the floods in Pakistan right now, a nation of agricultural tradition and innovation. It’s been hard to imagine much future hope when you realize the sheer scale and severity of the kinds of crises we are increasingly facing. I think we still think of disasters as one offs and mostly unlikely. But when 1000 year events are happening multiple times a month, it certainly gives you pause.

As ever, I’ve found some solace in the garden. Funny how a bit of good earth and something green can remind you of possibilities and hope. I know growing my own tomatoes doesn’t do much to address climate change but it brings me closer to something culturally and socially important. My tomato plants have become something of a talking point in the neighbourhood. Less so for their productivity and more for how out of place they look among the concrete, plaster, and glass.