Seeds for a Bright Future

Most people are much less enamored with their gardens once we get to October in Iowa.  As a matter of fact, many vegetable gardens become lost causes by August and are typically mowed down or otherwise cleaned up on a sunny, dry, Fall day.

But, this is the time of year when some of next year's promises are made.  This year's plants are working hard to create seeds to start next year's seedlings.  Perennial plants are working hard to store up energy so they can wake up again once the soil warms and the Spring rains encourage their return.  The bees, wasps, toads, snakes and other creatures are putting the finishing touches on what they need for hibernation or to prepare the emergence of the next generation.

The seeds for a bright future are here, in front of our eyes - even if we don't recognize them.

Not every seed will reach its intended goal - to produce a new flowering plant.  Some will provide energy to birds and smaller mammals during the colder months.  Or perhaps they'll still be there in the early Spring for the critters that emerge earliest or return as they migrate back to the North.  

Perhaps still others will not have what it takes to germinate, or they will fall in a spot that does not nurture them enough to grow into the plant they could be.  These, too, will still have a purpose as microscopic life breaks them down so they can help to feed those seeds that find themselves in the right spot to emerge and grow.

 
Perhaps the humans at the Genuine Faux Farm will step in and circumvent the process a bit.  Collecting a few seeds and giving them a better chance of becoming next year's flowers.  Or maybe, they'll just let nature do its thing - making its selections as to which seeds will reach their fullest potential.

Every year, we get a few surprises on the farm.  It has been a few years since we planted any hollyhocks here.  Even so, a couple of volunteers popped up in the corner of the plot where we were growing Thelma Sanders squash and pumpkins.  We recognized the plants for what they were and found a way to cultivate around them.

The reward?  A couple of plants with some flowers.

Flowers a bumblebee visited.

Maybe.  Just maybe.  We'll have hollyhocks again next year - even if we don't plant them.

We can hope.  We can dream.  And we can select a few seeds for ourselves too.