Sweater weather is here. I know I’m not the only one who is thrilled to get into cozy mode and crunch more leaves under my shoes.
Prep for winter: Let’s go over your autumn garden to-do list before the growing season ends.
Squeezed from many sides: A South Jersey soybean farmer shares how rising costs and tariffs are making his job harder.
Your outdoorsy experience: Readers share their favorite fall foliage views — and tips on where to find pawpaws around the Philly region.
🥶 Bundle up: The region is about to experience its chilliest spell in a while.
— Paola Pérez (outdoorsy@inquirer.com)
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Winter is less than two months out. As colder conditions creep over the region, your garden will have to cope with the chill.
Beyond removing leaves and branches, here are a couple other things to consider to keep your garden healthy:
🪴 Protect plants from frost: Use old blankets or bubble wrap to insulate containers and pots and keep root systems warm.
🚰 Not just plants: Freezing temps can also hurt your watering hoses. Remember to unhook and drain them to avoid damage.
✂️ Tool care is key: Give your shovels and other tools a proper clean before putting them away, and see if your snips and shears are due for a sharpening. (A local sharpener could help with that.)
🌱 Paola’s pro-tip: Gardening is a year-round effort, so this is the time of year when I like to reflect on what went right, and what I could improve on next year. Keeping a journal to document these developments can be fun.
Get more tips to help keep your garden healthy now and throughout the winter.
News worth knowing
Part of the Schuylkill River Trail in Center City is closed after a large sinkhole formed under the asphalt. A temporary detour route is available until repairs are made.
Despite what you may have read on social media, Earth does not have two moons now. Here’s what’s actually happening in the cosmos.
The popular Wildwood water park Splash Zone has closed after 26 summers in operation.
If you’re looking for a Halloween-themed event, get in the spooky spirit with a witchy guided paddleboarding session this Sunday at Lake Nockamixon — beginners welcome.
🎤 Now we’re passing the microphone to environmental reporter Frank Kummer.
Like many farmers, Patrick Giberson feels squeezed from many sides these days.
His family’s soybean and corn farm in Pemberton, Burlington County, has been flanked by a wave of development — new warehouses, shopping centers, and a Walmart.
Meanwhile, a Chinese soybean boycott continues in response to U.S.-imposed tariffs. Equipment is expensive. And weather remains, as always, unpredictable.
Yet Giberson, 57, a fourth-generation farmer, says he’s determined to adapt and endure. The family’s 800-acre farm, owned by his parents, Jo and Pat Giberson, features a restored 18th-century farmhouse and designated wildlife preserve. — Frank Kummer
A foliage view
As the trees continue to transform, Outdoorsy readers sent in these stunning shots of fall foliage across our region.
Shoutout to Dorothy Stiles, who provided the gorgeous picture taken at Valley Forge National Historical Park (left), and to Joseph and Maria Hill, who captured the Blazing Maple showing off its bright colors (right). They told me they first planted it in their backyard five years ago in Media, Pa.: “We took it home from Home Depot in the back seat of my wife’s Mini Cooper Convertible and now it’s 40-50 feet tall!”
Thank you for sharing.
I’d love to see more of your autumn photography. Feel free to send them here.
P.S. This Saturday, Oct. 25 and next Saturday, Nov. 1, fall foliage tree tours are taking place at the Andalusia Historic House, Gardens & Arboretum. Get more details here.
🌳 Your foraging tales
Last week, I asked you for tips on finding pawpaws in and around Philly, and you delivered.
Dan Scholnick recommended going by the Cobbs Creek Environmental Center in West Philly. He also raved about the “outrageously good” fruit along S. Saint Bernard Street by a community garden, with this great tip to boot: “I’ve learned that the best ones are the ones you find on the ground having already fallen off the tree.”
And Jeff Laughead, pictured above, suggested we check out Ferncliff Wildflower Preserve out in Lancaster County, which he said has a great pawpaw grove: “A bit of an uphill hike to get there, but totally worth it!”
For yummy fruits, it’s always worth going the extra mile.
👋🏽 Take care out there, friends. Until next time.
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