Autumn Is Mostly Putting Things Away
Nobody photographs this part. Autumn on a small lot is dragging dead vines to the compost pile, coiling hoses, and doing the boring work that decides…
Seasons
What Summer Actually Does to This Yard
I left for a week in July and came home to a yard that had given up. Summer here is not the abundant part of the…
The Changeover Weeks Are the Busiest Part of the Year
The hardest stretches in this yard are not deep summer or deep winter. They are the seams between seasons, when one thing has not finished and…
I Missed the Spring Window Again
Spring on a small lot does not arrive as a season. It arrives as a narrow opening you either walk through or watch close. Here is…
The Months When Nothing Grows Are the Ones That Matter
I used to think the quiet stretch of the year was wasted time. Then I noticed that every good season I have had traced back to…
Winter Here Is Mostly About the Pipes
A split hose bib on a January morning taught me what winter on a small suburban lot is actually for. Not growing. Maintenance, repair, and paying…