Taking a lesson from failure

As the big gardening season winds down, I have spent some time reflecting on my accomplishments and failures this year. One of my big gardening failures was corn- I planted it on the wrong side of the house and it didn't get nearly enough sunlight. It grew, but the ears that did develop got moldy and stayed small. Next year, more sun. Check.

One of my big personal goals this year is to reduce the amount of waste in my household. My first inclination was to pull out the nasty dead ears and throw them away, but I decided that I might just take them and make a fall decoration for the front of my house. Free fall decor? Sure, why not.

I think it looks pretty decent next to our pretty red mums, and it breaks up all the white on the front of our house. I dont usually spend money on  seasonal decorations, mostly because I don't see the point as we need to use the money on other things. But it feels kinda nice having something out front. A few pumpkins out there and it will be complete.

Before you throw something away, consider how you might be able to reuse it. Most of the time you probably can't, but you never know what kind of creative idea might pop into your head.

As for the garden, I think this weekend I will be pulling out the tomato plants. They are full of green fruit, but none of them are ripening anymore. So, I think i'll put them on my windowsill and see what happens. Maybe I'll plant some cabbage out there? Or maybe just a cover crop? Who knows.