My Fall Garden by Lori Shapiro

Linda Relson • November 23, 2025

The days may be shorter and colder, but my Watertown garden is still bursting with colorful, flavorful and healthful food. The leafy canopy of summer’s showstopping tomatoes, eggplants, squash and peppers have succumbed to the seasonal chill and been cleared away. From beneath their former shadow, the many edible plants that thrive in fall can emerge.

Steps from my kitchen are patches of native red veined sorrel, spicy mustard greens with varied leaf shapes and colors, scallions, dill seedlings and parsley. The kale and collards are sweet and crisp. Beets (and their greens) are waiting patiently for harvest. Together, these hardy greens and herbs make a delicious and diverse assemblage for cold seasonal salads or warm soups and stews. Many of these plants self-seed and are now naturalized in my garden, so germinate and flourish on their own with no additional work from me. They are gifts that will regenerate indefinitely.

Fresh rosemary, sage and thyme are still thriving in our fading light and warmth. I use these leaves to elevate all my fall cooking. Sage and thyme are perennial hardy herbs that will happily overwinter outside, but rosemary is a touch more tender and needs to be potted and brought inside through our coldest months. Rosemary is a wonderful winter companion, and its presence on the kitchen counter means that I remember to add its aromatic leaves to sweet and savory dishes alike throughout the coldest months.

We aren’t done with flowers, either. Alyssum, pansies and calendula are still producing edible flowers that add a splash of color to garnish any meal.

Our fall crops may not be as juicy and dramatic as summer’s peak harvest, but they are still full of charm and delight. It is a joy to still be able to gather daily greens for salads bursting with flavor and herbs to enhance warming fall dishes, even if I have to do so in the dark with a light. As I gather fresh leaves, roots and blossoms in the evening chill, I also begin to mentally plan for the inevitable return of lengthening days and the abundance that will return in next year’s garden.

About the author:

Lori Shapiro is a Watertown resident who lives at 34 Edward Road. She converted her small front yard into an urban flower and food garden to support humans and wildlife, without the use of synthetic agro-chemicals. She is an advocate for sustainable, local, healthful and accessible food systems.

< Older Post

Newer Post >

Share this post on

Seeking a Volunteer Social Media Manager

June 3, 2026
Do you enjoy storytelling, community engagement, and helping good work reach more people? WCG is looking for a volunteer Social Media Manager to help share the energy and impact of our community with a wider audience.  This is a great opportunity for someone who enjoys creating engaging posts, building community, and supporting local environmental and community initiatives.
People gathered outdoors around a table in a park, chatting near a path and leafless trees.

“Greening the streets” one planting strip at a time, part 1

May 30, 2026
by Marilyn Salvas and Melinda Dennis
Friends of Bees logo

Watertown Community Gardens Welcomes Friends of Bees!

May 19, 2026
by Pam Phillips  As you may know, for the last several years, Friends of Bees, a working group of Watertown Citizens for Peace, Justice, and the Environment (WCPJE) , have been meeting and collaborating with WCG’s Pollinator Pathways Committee. Together we have held the Life-Friendly Garden Tour, maintained public pollinator gardens, led pollinator walks, and more. Together we support Watertown's Mayor's Monarch Pledge . Together, we educate about and advocate for our native bees, Monarch butterflies and other pollinators. This year, Friends of Bees are making that togetherness official by merging with the Pollinator Pathways Committee. Twelve years ago, Watertown Citizens asked “What is happening to the bees?” and formed a new working group, Friends of Bees. Friends of Bees learned about the many challenges bees face, especially pesticides and habitat loss. Today, we welcome Friends of Bees to a new home with Watertown Community Gardens. The Life-Friendly Garden Tour, with its rich history of 28 chemical-free garden tours over nearly twenty years, will also be hosted by WCG. WCPJE has always served as an incubator for community groups. Over the years, many initiatives started and fostered under WCPJE later matured into independent organizations expanding the circle of like minded activists. Watertown Community Gardens was one such group. Friends of Bees thanks WCPJE for an abundance of enthusiasm and support as we branch off, while maintaining our role in the larger Watertown community. To stay in touch with Friends of Bees and the Life-Friendly Garden Tour please visit Watertown Community Gardens at our new website . When you sign up for the WCG newsletter , make sure to indicate your interest in pollinators and eco gardening. Details of the 2026 Life-Friendly Garden Tour will be shared in the WCG newsletter this summer. Keep buzzing!

RECENT Posts