Garden Withdrawal

Well, folks, this is the last post from the Florida garden. By this time next week, we'll have already unpacked the bulk of our possessions and started settling into our new home in Georgia. I thought I might have regrets or feel the tug of a place that we have called home for the last four years. But we are decidedly moving forward, so the unraveling of my garden here has been quite easy for me. In fact, I've enjoyed deciding which plants and items should come along with me and which I should leave behind.

Things are starting to look a little stark around here. I've bequeathed my pomegranate bush to my neighbor across the street. I wished her many fruitful years with it, and I didn't ask her to pardon my pun.

The pomegranate loaded with fruit

I've been able to pickle my jalapeños and my pepperoncini. I'm waiting until Tuesday night to pickle a jar of cherry bell peppers because a few more are ripening at the moment. It will be nice to pull one of these jars off the shelf in Georgia one day and with the thwack of the seal popping, open my Florida garden one last time.

I was worried about forgetting any of my various creatures who inhabit my garden, so I started staging them in one place for the packers. Once I had them all together, I realized they looked like a police lineup. I'm pretty sure whatever crime has been committed, the gnome on the turtle is to blame (though the ant looks a little suspicious, too).

The usual suspects

We've dismantled the bean arches in the vegetable garden and emptied all of the pots and planters in preparation for the packers who arrive in just two days. It all looks so different.

The blue pot and armillary are gone

The shed dismantled, the rain barrel removed

No more fountain, and the swing awaits
removal

Next week's post might be a little abbreviated, just a few photos of the new space. With 5 acres in my future, though, the garden adventures are certain to continue for quite some time.