Learn about observing the movement in your garden

Autumn in the garden and in nature is full of movement

By Lori Carter

Movement is many things. Movement is motion, activity, transition, or change. Autumn in the garden and in nature is full of movement.

Autumn in the garden and in nature is full of movement. #dwelling #nature #garden #movement

Trees embody movement in autumn

Leaves from deciduous trees change from green to browns, oranges, reds, yellows, and all the colours in between. Leaves fall to the ground, breaking down and transitioning to food for the soil. Acorns falling from oak trees and cones falling from evergreens, which are then moved by small mammals to hiding places for future meals.

Leaves fall to the ground, breaking down and transitioning to food for the soil. #autumn #gardens #thegreatoutdoors

Raking leaves

Raking leaves is great exercise and a source for blisters and calluses on hands. Those raked leaves are garden gold and have many uses.

Leaves are excellent for compost!
- Use it now - add all the leaves at once to the pile, depending on the size of your leaf pile and compost pile.
- Use it later - save the leaves to add to the backyard compost pile, as needed.
Leafmould. Have you heard of it?
- Collect leaves into large compost bin liner (or bags), or in a separate pile, to break down and decay into leafmould.
- Leafmould can be used to mulch the garden, added straight to the compost pile, or spread on a lawn in a thin layer as a top-dressing.
Leaves as mulch. Skip the decomposition and use the leaves right away to cover the garden soil.
- Protects soil from erosion (rain, snow melt, wind).
- Adds organic matter to soil as leaves decompose.
Leave leaves for lawns. Skip the raking by mowing over leaves and letting the smaller particles remain to biodegrade and feed the soil and all the organisms living within.

Moving plants to a protected area

Plants in containers that may not survive winter conditions can be moved to a greenhouse, garage, basement or crawl space, covered porch, or some other cooler (but not cold) space, for the colder seasons. I plan to move a couple of pepper plants indoors for the winter that have been growing in containers outdoors for the summer. While pepper plants are often grown for one season only as annuals, pepper plants are actually perennial and will live longer under the right conditions. Some herbs grown outside can be moved inside, or to a protected area, for the winter too, if grown in containers, like rosemary, thyme, or mint.

While pepper plants are often grown for one season only as annuals, pepper plants are actually perennial and will live longer under the right conditions. #pepperplants #gardening #containergardens

Birds migrating

Birds migrate, stay or move to your area from somewhere else.

Let plants that have gone to seed remain as food for the birds
Plan to grow more plants for bird food next year. Sunflowers, coneflowers (Echinacea spp.), black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia spp.), wild rose shrub (Rosa rugosa), Viburnum spp., and evergreens are just a short list of what to consider planting to attract and feed birds when the cold weather arrives.
Get the feeders ready - clean them up well at the start of the colder seasons with a scrub in hot water, and a 10% bleach solution. Regular cleaning is important throughout use to ensure the feeder stays disease free.
Place feeders where you can easily access them to refill and maintain, but out of reach of rodents and cats, and somewhere near shelter for the visiting birds.

Plan to grow more plants for bird food next year, like sunflowers. #sunflowers #birdseed #gardening #fall

Observe the movement all around us

Whether the trees, plants, or leaves are moving; we humans are actively participating in some aspect; or the birds are migrating; gardens and nature are constantly and consistently dynamic.

We can see it, if we stop, take a moment and observe the movement all around us.

Lori Carter is a gardener, nature lover, baker, pursuer of living sustainably and supporter of local products and businesses. Natural areas around her and elsewhere are also incredibly important to Lori, including how people and communities interact with nature, growing plants and food. Born and raised in Nova Scotia, she transplanted to the west coast 14 years ago to explore all that the west has to offer, including the incredibly long growing season of Vancouver Island. Her heart is in Nova Scotia and her hands are in the soil of Victoria, British Columbia. Visit her website Inquisitive Gardener.