there's green yet

stopped by the garden to see how things are going and found just about what you'd expect for the end of november...which isn't to say there's nothing going on...we aren't under feet of snow...yet...so there's till some movement going on out there even if it isn't in a vernal direction...the new zealand white clover is definitely down for winter ( top photo ) and the hope is that it will provide an adequate mulch for the asparagus...with the clover down it is a bit easier to pick out the year old asparagus and see that it is shutting down for winter as well ( second photo )...the alfalfa has joined in the supine ( or, perhaps, the prone ) movement ( third photo ) but it should regenerate in the spring as should the clover...in opposition to these seemingly lackadaisical behaviors, the winter rye in the fourth photo is standing up and as green as it was in september and probably will do so until it is pushed down by snow...it and the garlic will be among the very first to recover in spring...the cherry tomatoes in the fifth photo are all the evidence i need to believe we will never have to plant them consciously again in the garden...critters will doubtlessly glean these and the ones in the corner box by washington street...but they will never get all the seeds and those seeds will generate so many volunteers we will be culling them...the reality is that the tomatoes in the corner box were not planted...the seeds from the cherry tomato plants in the old garden hitchhiked over when we closed out the old garden and moved the soil...they did not erupt spontaneously but no one put them there either...finally the arborvitae is looking robust and very seasonal with about a foot of new growth added since it was planted last spring...clearly it has adapted to its new home and that doesn't make us anything but happy...we are in good shape in the garden...everything is preparing for winter a sit should and spring officially starts in about four mo9nths ...barely enough time to get ready.