October in the Garden: A Time to Gather

October always brings a certain kind of quiet to the garden. Not silence, the wind still moves through the trees, birds still dart between branches, and there’s the soft scrape of a rake across the soil but a slower, steadier rhythm settles in. The urgency of summer fades, replaced by something more deliberate. The sun hangs lower, the light turns amber, and the garden begins to prepare for rest.

And just as the plants start to wind down, something beautiful happens: people show up.

This month, the SEEDS Fall Fest filled our garden with laughter, music, and the vibrant hum of the community. What had been a place of quiet reflection for most of the season became a lively space of gathering. We had vendors from across Durham sharing their crafts and stories. Fullsteam brought their bold local brews, and Honeygirl Meadery offered up small-batch meads made with North Carolina honey and fruit. Book Harvest created a space filled with the joy of free books and reading, while ReCollective brought a unique perspective on style, sustainability, and creativity. Art tables buzzed with activity as kids and adults alike made their own unique crafts.

 The Fall Fest reminded us that even as the garden begins to slow down, the connections it nurtures continue to grow. The garden is never just about what’s planted in the ground, it's also about the people who gather around it. October is a time of shifting energy. The sun sets earlier. The leaves fall. But there’s a richness in that shift. While some plants prepare to sleep, others spinach, kale, arugula, and radishes are just hitting their stride. The soil, still holding the warmth of summer, welcomes one last round of planting before winter sets in.

This month also brings with it the tasks of care and preparation: mulching beds, composting spent plants, sowing cover crops to protect and enrich the soil. It’s not flashy work, but it’s meaningful. There’s a kind of quiet satisfaction in tending to the land even as it settles. It reminds us that stewardship doesn’t end when the harvest does. It continues in the cleanup, the planning, the protecting.

And as we reflect on another season almost gone, we find ourselves holding both gratitude and hope. Gratitude for what the garden gave us this year, the food, the beauty, the moments of calm and hope for what it will bring next year. We carry that same energy from the Fall Fest, the collaboration, the community, the warmth into the cooler, slower months ahead.