Is Your Garden Just about Done?

Well, I promised you an upbeat post today, but I'm talking about the death of my garden. We've had our first frosts and my garden has taken a beating. And, that's just fine. It's the way it's supposed to be. Sure, I'll miss being able to go out back to grab fresh basil for my dinner or a basketful of Roma tomatoes to make pasta sauce, but I had a rewarding educational and environmental experience with the garden and I know it will be back next year - bigger and better.

Here are a few of the things I think were so great about my garden this year

• I did it from start to finish with my six year old and it deepened his interest in food and cooking
  
• The garden was all organic - I resisted the urge to use chemical critter deterrents
  
• I made my own pasta sauce, pesto, salsa, and tomato bruschetta - most of the ingredients came straight from the garden
• I saved a lot of money on fresh herbs - it cost only a few dollars for the basil, parsley, and oregano seeds and I had fresh all summer long
• It forced me to spend a lot more time outdoors than I would have
• I know what types of tomatoes I will plant again next year, and which ones I won't
• I got to share fresh vegetables with friends and neighbors and even my kids' crossing guard
• I spent time talking with my neighbors on either side about our critter problems and how to fix them 
• I took on a greater interest in writing about food (which has led to a new gig that I will give you more details about at a later time - very excited about it, though)
• New recipes got tried this summer so I could use up some of what was in the garden

So is your garden just about done? Only my peppers still look happy. I'll probably gut most of my garden this weekend - I'll leave the peppers and the one Roma tomato plant that doesn't seem to be caring about the cold weather.