The Orchard Garden in October 2022: Fall Colours, Final Harvest, and Late-Season Figs!

Visitors to the Orchard Garden in past Octobers would have been wise to gear up in raincoats and water-proof shoes. Not so this year, where the sweetness of summer lingered late, well past the middle of October. The crispness of these early autumn days was supercharged by the months-long drought that had hit British Columbia, which worked to extend the growing season, and defer the spectacle of leaf senescence. Vegetation remained mostly lush and green with a little help of some daily watering--as did the weeds!

Many vegetables planted out in August were still happily growing under the warm temperature regime. On October 18, volunteers from the Roots on the Roof garden helped us with our final harvest of the year: Beets, turnips, Gai Lan broccoli, kohlrabi, and lettuce. Much gratitude to Roots on the Roof for the help! The harvested produce was distributed to UBC-student run cafes, the community food fridge, and some programs in the Downtown Eastside.

Finally there came the rains, spelling the end of the drought, and ushering in the true hues and blues of fall. This transformation of the landscape is an invitation for us to likewise return inwards, regather our energies, and start planning for the following season. A small bounty of figs surprisingly ripened in the end of October, a delicious reminder of summer.