"Summer is over and gone," they sang. "Over and gone, over and gone. Summer is dying, dying."

Summer is officially gone. With it goes gardening season, the time of growing green things. The temperature is dropping everyday and I felt frozen precipitation on my face over the weekend. And so my first season as a home gardener has come to an end.

The potato crop was pathetic, my carrots were quite entertaining and I had a good tomato crop for my first year. In fact, my tomato plants were still blossoming last week! We will probably have frost tonight, but there are a number of green tomatoes left on the plants that I will try to collect tomorrow if they survive. I've successfully detached myself from the fate of the tomato plants, and even the oregano plant we bought at the farmer's market that is still gripping life with its last few leaves. But the lettuce that reseeded itself...I'm really worrying about.

Tonight I took an old sheet and tucked it over and around the 1" lettuce plants that have made a thick carpet across one of my beds. From what I've read, this will probably protect it from being ruined by the frost. I'm hoping to save it until I have time to transplant it into pots this weekend.

Why so much concern for things that I didn't even plant? Good question. All season, the lettuce has been my pet project. I was devastated when I discovered rabbits were chomping plants off at the stems. I was the proud parent, dragging zip lock bags of salad to coworkers and potlucks. And now I am nurturing the unplanned offspring of my plants which have long since moved on to the compost pile. I do not understand it, but I really love my lettuce plants.

Speaking of compost piles, my dad bought me a pitchfork for my birthday. I am freaking excited about this. Last week I turned the entire pile using a shovel. It was not fun. Although, I am happy to report that there is quite a lot of brown, crumbly material at the bottom of the pile(as well as some horrible ammonia-smelling parts, thanks to a miscalculated addition of lawn fertilizer. oops.)

Winter is coming on and now I will have time for more indoor projects. I am excited to finally use the sewing machine I received as a Christmas present and get back into reading. But I miss my garden already. Which is why I am planning to maintain indoor lettuce and cherry tomatoes and an active compost heap throughout an Iowa winter. Wish me luck.