The last of the summer and autumn season, I shot some photos in the morning light. The weather report promised snow storm and 20 degrees Fahrenheit (- 6 degrees Celsius). So I really believe this is the last of the growing season. Enjoy!
Autumn is here. In fact this photo is from a week ago. Today winter is approaching fast, and I went out into the rain and storm to see to things in my garden. On the soil of one of the planting boxes outside, I had placed the pot with the sweet potato plant. I started to take care of the withered plant, cut it by the soil and sorted it into the compost.
Then I wanted to dig out the soil from the pot – and stopped dead! My God, there was something in the pot, something big!
The impossible had happened! I had in fact grown sweet potatoes, in an ordinary pot that had been standing on a bench in the sun all summer. All books, instructions, articles say you can grow the plant and get a nice flowering plant, but to harvest sweet potato like this is impossible. The season in Sweden is too short and too cold.
And look at them, they are big – HUGE in fact. The sweet potatoes I buy at the grocery store are not this big. I could hardly hold them in one hand. Two of the three potatoes measure nearly four inches (10 cm).
This will be a nice dinner for two. I will clean them, peel them, cut them into cloves, put on a baking tray with some olive oil and salt and cook for about 15 minutes in 350 degrees Fahrenheit (175 degrees Celsius). I will serve them with som feta cheese and sprinkle persil from the garden on top. Mm, looking forward to that!
Closing down the garden, that could be a sad time. But my experience is that every season 
has its beauties and pleasures. The last few days have shown us magnificent weather with blue sky, bright yellow leaves of all kind of shades and a soft temperature. Yesterday I took a walk by the lake, admiring the huge trees by its side.
Perhaps that walk got me going, because this morning, while the morning light was still at its 
best, I started making a wreath to put on our front door for the season.
I have this base structure made of willow I once made and that I can use with different components depending on the season, to make a wreath of the season. For October and November it felt right to use lichen and lingonberry leaves.
I put a piece of lichen and some lingonberry leaves together and bound them to the wreath with ordinary sewing thread. A few turns with the thread, and then a new “bouquet” of lichen and lingonberry leaves. Until the whole structure was completed.
To finish it off I tied a nice ribbon “With Love” at the top and put it on our front door. Hopefully a welcoming touch to every guest.
When we moved into our dream house three years ago, there were many plants and trees I did not know. We had a bunch of some mixture betwee
n tree and bush growing next to one of the neighbours and I couldn´t figure out what it was. Until I saw a squirrel! Yes, of course, it was hazelnut! Full of nuts every summer. And strange enough, empty of them in September. Where did they all go? Well, I blamed the squirrel. Thought he had collected them all in a secret place for winter use.
Anyway, this autumn by chance I found out the hazelnuts let go of the tree and fall down to earth when they are ripe. Just like apples or any other fruit. In the grass under the hazelnut tree I found a lot of them. And I silently asked the squirrel to forgive me for accusing him. In fact, there was enough nuts for both him/her and me.
They are so beautiful how they grow, often sitting several of them together – and when ripe opening up their protective green shield to let the lime green nut 
fall out. Then, on a dry place, they will quickly turn brown. I will certainly save some for Christmas, to treat my friends and relatives with gardengrown hazelnuts.
Crazy Swedish Gardener 