Rambling on

Writing, Garden Writers, Fall Gardens

Writing Nowadays

If you have been subscribed for a while, I am sure you have noticed that I have been writing less about gardening. There are a few reasons for this. A little over a year ago, we moved back out to the farm. Since then, we haven’t really had a garden. Not one worth writing about anyway. That will change and I’m sure once it does, my garden writing frequency will change too.

You have probably also noticed that I do not write monthly, seasonal guides anymore. I’ve wondered if anyone has noticed. Or, if anyone has missed them. I stopped doing this partly out of intention and partly because I got behind and have found it increasingly difficult to get back into a writing habit. The intentional part was due to our expanding audience and the fact that seasonal gardening advice isn’t applicable to someone in Maine the same way it is for someone in Alabama.

However, the primary reason I do not intend to continue writing seasonal guides on a monthly basis as I have before is because of the rise of artificial intelligence and large language models (LLMs).

When Morgan and I started “A Common Life” we wanted to encourage the revival of activities that were once common, but are now lost in our culture. We emphasized gardening and living seasonally because we believed these activities push us towards a lifestyle that is slower, more grounded, and connected: to others, ourselves, our Maker, and creation. This effort was in response to what Morgan and I saw around us. We saw people who were longing for life to slow down and searching for connection and meaning.

None of this has changed for us. The core of our message is still the same. However, something has changed around us. When we began, chatGPT was not on my radar. It wasn’t in the wild yet. Artificial intelligence, in particular, large language models (LLMs), were not being widely used by humans to write, problem solve, and learn. Now, they are prevalent. These models are great tools and ones that I regularly use. If you have never used one, I encourage you to try it out. These tools are excellent at giving custom answers and are only getting better. For example, you could ask for a month by month garden guide for your specific location, for your specific garden type, with a list of vegetables that you want to grow, and in less than 5 full seconds you would have an annual garden plan tailored to your specific needs. Information is commoditized and the cost of learning is rapidly moving towards $0.

In response to this change, I have re-evaluated what it is I should write about and what it is I want to write about.

For me, the mission of A Common Life has never been more dear to my heart. It is also more clear. I’m writing because I believe in the intrinsic beauty of humanity. I want to be a voice that encourages us all to embrace what makes us human and what makes us beautiful. Gardening and living seasonally is certainly on that list and I will continue to write about these topics. However, my writing will likely take on a more personal, story telling tone. In a world where letters, words, information, articles, and books are growing exponentially, it seems appropriate to only add what I know is unique; myself.

And so, there will still be occasional guides on gardening and seasonal living. There will still be monotonous ‘noticing’ articles. But, in between and throughout, expect a push towards our human side, and an embracing of it.

Substack Garden Writers

If you started reading A Common Life for gardening advice and information, and you have found yourself lacking, perhaps give these excellent garden writers on substack a look.

Brett Gallagher

Alex Zeidner

Beccalynne Jordan

Laverne

Michelle Aronson

Fall Gardens

I have always tried to plant garlic and onions by the end of October - before the ground freezes. Having these crops in the ground during winter has always given me a sense of relief. It means I’ll have something planted year-round. Something green in the garden always. And they are super easy to grow.

I previously thought temperatures were the primary limiting factor for gardens during the fall and winter. More than temperatures, it is the length of daylight that is limiting. With that in mind, our fall and winter gardens should be filled with crops that require minimal energy to produce the target crop. (Think: leafy greens). Arugula, kale, mustard, collards, turnips, spinach… all make excellent fall/winter crops to grow in the garden or in containers. And, it still isn’t too late to plant a garden in the south.

Beach Camping

We camped at the beach at a Florida state park. It was… a learning experience.