Fall Garden Ideas

Fall Garden Ideas: it's fall in the portager garden and we're harvesting our crops, planting mums and kales, and enjoying all the pumpkins.

Jump to:

• Harvesting
• The Pumpkins
• Mums and Kale
• Fall In The Shed
• Fall Treats In The Garden

It's time for fall garden ideas from the portager garden.  Harvesting veggies and pumpkins, enjoying the last flowers and adding pots of kale and mums are all on the agenda.  Along with enjoying some treats on long warm fall days in the garden.

This spring, while we were safe at home during the beginning of social distancing, we started a family project.  You can read all about how our family created a portager garden -which is a French term for a garden that combines veggies, herbs and flowers.  We built raised beds, hauled in soil, and pea gravel, created perineal garden beds and even put together a shed.  And then we planted seeds -lots of seeds.

And they grew, and grew, and grew.

So four months later here's how the new portager garden is looking.

The flowers, especially the cosmos are looking so beautiful.

Harvesting

I almost forgot about the red onions we planted.

When I started doing a little fall tidying up of the beds I saw them.  They could have grown bigger, they were a little too shaded by all the other stuff that grew so well.

Next year we'll try and give them a spot with a little more light, and a little more room.

They're delicious though.  They look like little red jewels.

The Pumpkins

The pumpkins were my greatest garden joy this year.  As a blogger, I always need pumpkins before they're out in the stores.  I always end up hunting everywhere for them at the beginning of the season... or maybe even a little before the start of the season.  So a few years ago, after Halloween when it was time to get rid of all the pretty pumpkins, I decided to try and save some seeds so I could grow my own.

So I cut open all the pumpkins and spread out some seeds on parchment lined trays for them to dry.  After they dried, I stored them in some paper envelopes until spring.

Last year my attempts didn't yield much.  I planted too many seeds, and the vines didn't really mature.

This year while we were building the portager garden I started some seeds inside to give my vines a head start.  And when it was warm enough, I planted more directly in the garden.  They all grew.  So I ended up having to thin them, and pull out some to give them more room.  They did so well.  It was definitely a highlight of my day to go and check on them each morning and see how much they grew.  We had one giant one, that has to be my favourite.

We picked them all and they're my pride and joy!

And since the temperatures have cooled off the pumpkins are growing even more.

Mums and Kale

I changed out some of my planters for fall and added some pretty mums and kale.

I've been decorating inside this year with pretty pinks and deep Burgundy colours -see my fall home tour here.

Outside I used the same colours and I love how they look all grouped together with my succulents that are still going strong, and some of our pumpkins.

Fall In The Shed

This little garden has become a favourite spot for us.  Our little shed has a desk and chair, the perfect spot for a little computer work.

And over on the other side of the shed, I've got a few things drying.  There are some pretty hydrangeas and some sage.  I always dry some sage in the fall, and use it for my Thanksgiving and Christmas stuffing in the turkey.

Fall Treats In The Garden

And the seating area is the perfect spot for two.

I put together some fall favourites to enjoy here.  We had apple fritters, and apple cider.

My helper here was sleeping on the job... while I took some photos.

Soon it will be time to pack everything away for winter.  This little shed will be full of furniture staying nice and safe and dry during a snowy Canadian winter.  All the pants will get pulled out or cut back, and we'll have wait until spring to sit out here.  But until then, we'll enjoy the fruits of our labour in this cozy little spot.

With all these fall garden ideas, life really is a party!