Learning from History: Vermont’s October Snowy Surprise of 1843

October 24, 1843

And it was on this day, my dear friend, that nature reminded us all why gardeners must never procrastinate. The New England Farmer out of Boston, Massachusetts, shared quite the cautionary tale in their November 1st edition.

Picture this: October 24th, a Sunday night, when winter decided to make an absurdly early entrance.

The good people of Vermont awoke to find their world buried under, as the paper reported, "twelve to fifteen inches of snow on a level."

The letter writer from Sutton, Vermont, captured the shock perfectly: "It has taken us entirely by surprise," they wrote, adding that "Nearly one half of the potatoes are yet in the ground. In fact our farmers were in the very centre of their fall work when this visitation came upon them."

Now, my dear garden friend, while we can hope that Mother Nature won't be quite so dramatic this year, this historical surprise snowfall serves as rather perfect advice for us all.

As the beloved garden writer Karel Capek once noted,

The greatest enemy of gardens are not slugs, not even gardeners, but procrastination.

Before winter sneaks up on us like it did those Vermont farmers, might I suggest taking a thoughtful walk through your garden? You see, as perennials fade and leaves drift away, our gardens reveal their secrets. That trowel that vanished in July? It might just turn up beside the phlox. That wobbly trellis you've been meaning to fix? It's never more obvious than now when the clematis has shed its leafy cover.

And speaking of garden revelations, now is the perfect time to bid a gracious farewell to those items that have served their purpose but won't survive another season. That cracked terracotta pot that's been hiding behind the hydrangeas? That splintering garden bench that's seen one too many winters? As Gertrude Jekyll wisely observed, "A garden is a grand teacher. It teaches patience and careful watchfulness; it teaches industry and thrift; above all, it teaches entire trust." And sometimes, my friend, it teaches us when to let go.

Let me share a few more critical tasks that your spring self will thank you for completing now:

First, those precious bulbs waiting patiently in their paper bags – they must go into the ground before they freeze.

Second, your soil needs attention while it's still workable. Adding compost now gives it time to integrate over winter, creating a welcoming spring bed for your earliest plantings.

Third, and this is crucial – protect your perennials. Whether it's adding mulch, wrapping delicate shrubs, or creating windbreaks, these tasks simply can't wait for a warmer day that may never come.

And finally, my friend, please don't forget to clean and store your tools properly. Nothing quite dampens spring enthusiasm like discovering your favorite pruners have rusted over winter.

Those Vermont farmers of 1843, as documented in The New England Farmer, learned their lesson the hard way, but we can heed their warning. After all, as any seasoned gardener knows, nature keeps her own schedule – and she's not particularly concerned with our to-do lists.