I thought I snapped a picture to demonstrate this, but as it turns out, I didn’t. So I have to rely on words to paint the picture:

Massive pumpkins lie in various stages of ripeness: many deep orange, some still fully green with a few in various stages in between. Fruit is harvested from its shroud of golden brown foliage that died over the previous night. After a few days, the foliage is already being consumed by the soil leaving only the denser stems as evidence to what once grew in the now barren garden bed.

Moving down the row, the 2 foot high tangle of buckwheat stands erect but devoid of any chlorophyll that had colored the jungle green only hours previously. Within days, the jungle had deteriorated revealing the low growing mat of deep green that could only be expertly cultivated clover.

Ok ok, the clover mats occur in splotches sporadically located throughout the garden beds. Not in a manner that indicates expert cultivation.

Now with all the pumpkins and hops harvested, the leaves either changing or dropped from the blueberries and grapes, the only remaining green in the garden is the asparagus ferns and clover ground cover (and grass aisles).

Also, the oregano plant has been an absolute doll all season. It sat next to its grape companion, just slowly growing while never bolting (unlike the basil and dill) and is now making me wonder if oregano is an evergreen. It is still retaining its low, wide growth of only leaves even after a full summer and a freeze while still smelling and tasting amazing. I’ll certainly be planting more next season!