Last night was the Harvest Moon – the full moon closest to the autumnal equinox – when for much of the northern hemisphere farmers and gardeners are gathering the last (or nearly so) remnants of a bountiful summer’s harvest and putting food by for the winter to come.

But here in SWFL, the Harvest Moon signals planting season. Yes, our seasons are backwards – especially to those folks who move here from “up north” like we did 31 years ago.  A month or so ago we started our seeds in flats and cells and tilled in our “green manure” of cowpeas planted early in the summer. Then we covered the garden with black plastic to heat up the potential nematodes.

For the past couple weeks we’ve been sifting compost from the bin, and preparing a couple new raised beds where we planted lettuces and peppers last weekend. Yesterday we scored two new planters from our good friends Brenda and Rick, and today we planted the first transplants of the season – tomatoes, broccoli, cucumbers, and kale. There’s nothing quite as wonderful as doing hard work outdoors in the garden and reaping the rewards as the gardening season goes on. For those of us in southwest Florida, that time is now.

So, friends up north – enjoy your Harvest Moon and your harvest – and come visit us soon as we anticipate fresh tasting food on the table in a few weeks… Here’s to backwards seasons and fresh food on the table!

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