Hey gardeners, it’s October. For most of the country this means it is starting to feel like fall. For us Floridians it means it is still kind of summer, just with pumpkins thrown in. But we’re gardeners and just because it doesn’t feel like fall, we’re not going to let that hold us back. So to usher in this new season, Joey and I made our annual pilgrimage last weekend to the farmer’s market in Atlanta, Georgia to pick out pumpkins for the Nursery. You’ll find pictures below of some of our finds. We have been making this road trip for years. It’s one of my favorite Nursery activities that we do together. Mind you, it consists of over fourteen hours riding in our un-air-conditioned Nursery box truck, but even so, I look forward to this trip every year.
Our drive is full of traditions like a picnic basket full of Publix subs enjoyed at rest areas along the way, multiple bags of candy corns, and the requirement that we sing “Way down upon the Suwannee River” at the top of our lungs as we drive over it. Those seemingly small traditions have added up to years of wonderful memories.
Over the roar of traffic and the wind whipping through open windows (did I mention there’s no A/C?) we get the chance to talk without interruption, a luxury we rarely have at home with two chatty little girls. We keep our eyes peeled for landmarks like King Frog and the Plantation House, signs we know mean we’re getting closer to our destination. We always pull into the same hotel after dark and wake up before dawn so we can be the first to pull into the farmer’s market and get top pick of this year’s pumpkins. We walk through hundreds of pallets of pumpkins and squash looking for the most unusual shapes and colors. Once we’ve made our selections, we have to figure out how to carefully fit them all into our truck without breaking any stems. That is no small task. Then we begin our trek home.
We are always excited to pull back into the Nursery with the truck filled to the brim with pumpkins and squash bearing wacky names like Warty Goblin and Jarrahdale and some with skin that looks like someone had a little too much fun with peanut shells and a glue gun. We tumble out of the truck, our legs and backs stiff from the hours of sitting.
As simple as it is, this annual tradition reminds me of how grateful I am that we get to do what we do. We love gardening. It is our passion. With or without a garden center we would choose to spend our time outside in the dirt. But the best part for us is that we get to share it with each other, with our children, and with you. Happy fall, I think it is going to be amazing.
