The 2026 garden is officially a wrap.
The raised beds are cleared and resting under a big Minnesota sky. The soil is turned, the hoses are coiled (mostly), and the only thing still standing is a stubborn row of onions that hasn’t gotten the memo. The garden crew is supervising, of course. One member is busy chewing a toy in the mulch path. Quality control, I’m told.
The Last Wagon
And then there’s this: the last wagon full of peppers.
Bell peppers, hot peppers, long skinny ones, a few that turned red while I wasn’t looking. It’s a whole wagon of the summer’s last hurrah, parked right in front of the deck, where the other half of the garden crew is keeping an eye on it from the good chair. Somebody has to.
Where They’re Headed
Every one of these peppers has a future. Some will go in the freezer, sliced and ready to toss into chili and fajitas all winter. Some will go in a jar. Some will go in the dehydrator, to become pepper flakes and powder for the spice cabinet.
Probably all of the above. You know me.
If you’re putting peppers in jars too, stick with a tested recipe. Peppers are a low-acid food, so they need to be pickled or pressure canned by a tested process, never just water-bathed plain.
Putting the Garden to Bed
There’s something bittersweet about the last harvest. All summer, the garden asks for attention every single day: water me, weed me, pick me before I get huge. And then one sunny October afternoon, it’s quiet.
But a garden never really ends. It just moves indoors. All winter long, this garden will show up in stuffed peppers, pantry chili, and soups on cold days. That’s my favorite part of homesteading: the summer keeps feeding you long after the beds go to sleep.
Your Turn
How did your garden do this year? What was your big win, and what are you doing differently next year? Email me at [email protected]. I love hearing about your gardens.
Now if you’ll excuse me, I have a wagon of peppers to deal with.
— Granny
📸 real photos
