My daughter Kathryn graduated from college this past spring.

Great timing, right? (Insert sarcastic eye roll here.)

The nation added a whopping 20,000 new jobs in August.

That’s it.

For the entire country.

Which means when Kathryn and her classmates lined up with diplomas in hand, the universe basically shrugged.

It’s gotten so bad her peers are being dubbed the “Reject Generation.”

Lovely nickname, huh?

Like they needed one more reason to feel special.

The best strategy for her crew seems to be: retreat, re-group, and go back to school.

Kathryn had already planned on graduate studies, but now she’s fast-tracking the whole thing.

This January she’ll be starting at NYU in one of their best professional programs, and she gets to live in New York City. A tough job market, yes, but she’s making something good out of it.

Lemonade out of lemons.

What’s Happening on the Farm

Meanwhile, out here in Cape May, fall is refusing to quit.

The dahlias are still flaunting themselves, heirloom mums are showing off, celosia and eucalyptus are holding strong, and even the marigolds are lingering.

With this extra time, I’ve been tucking in more cool-season flowers and, new this year, collecting seeds.

Zinnias, celosia, bupleurum, and even dahlia seeds are in little envelopes, ready for their future.

To test germination, I tuck ten seeds into a damp paper towel and wait. However many sprout gives me a rough germ rate.

Zinnias and dahlias cross-pollinate like nosy neighbors, so next year’s blooms will be a fun surprise.

I’ve also started planting garlic, one of my favorite fall rituals.

If you’ve never tried it, this is the time. Just a tip: skip the grocery store bulbs. Those are usually treated to prevent sprouting.

Instead, order seed garlic from a reputable supplier like Johnny’s Selected Seeds or High Mowing. Once you have your own homegrown garlic, you can save a few heads each year to plant again.

It might be the easiest “herb” (or vegetable, depending on who you ask) you’ll ever grow.

Plant it once, keep the weeds down, and it quietly does its thing all winter long.

Fall also means pruning perennials, which can feel like playing plant roulette: some want the haircut, some definitely don’t.

I wrote a guide on which is which – you can grab it here. This guide does not include hydrangeas – that’s a whole different animal and I’ll be making a stand alone guide for them soon.

Oh, and bulb update! Ranunculus corms are here (buyers, check your inboxes).

Tulip bulbs should roll in next week.

If you haven’t ordered, you still can right here. Every set comes with my brand-new planting, growing, and harvesting guide, which, not to brag, but I’m pretty pleased with.

And since you didn’t ask . . .

Yes! Love Is Blind is back, and so is Below Deck: Mediterranean. Highbrow farm report, lowbrow TV taste. Balance is everything.