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     Autumn begins with the autumnal equinox that falls (no pun intended) on either September 21-22, similar to how the spring equinox can be either March 21-22.  Not only is this the time for harvest it is also the best time for landscape installation.  This is because the roots can continue to grow relative to how warm the soil is and thus the plants have more time to get established before going through more stressful seasons such as the exertion of growth in spring and the potential heat and drought of summer where having more roots is better.
     September ends with county fairs, Jackson County one week and DeKalb County the next.  A lot of categories go unentered especially in the youth age group(s) thus the prizes go unclaimed.  Hopefully I can work with a scout group to change that for the lots where the premiums paid exceed the cost to prepare an entry, besides these scouts can always use any extra funds that they worked for to help support their activities. 
     October typically has some of the best weather due to Indian summer.  If there is any downside is is that few if any people are thinking of either installing a landscape or as the gradual decrease in daylight that limits what can be dong outside each day at least supplementing this by getting a plan done for a landscape to be put in later.  Meanwhile the leaves are starting to change, although some go earlier especially in dry years.  It is an exceptional year that has a good rainy summer then a long series of warm days and cool nights that get punctuated with a sharp freeze that causes nearly all the leaves to turn at once along with the preceding mad dash to get in all the tender houseplants that were kept outside through the summer. 
     In recent years fall seems to have drug on well into November, so by the time the killing frost arrives there are relatively few leaves left to make a spectacular show especially after a rain and/or wind storm or two considering the secondary peak in tornado frequency in November.  Either way all those leaves need to be raked up along with the dead limbs that also fall thanks to the storms that are all part of providential a plan.  The best solution is to have a mulch pile while the worst is to have it all hauled to a landfill.  Besides the leaves there are also a bunch of nuts:  walnuts, pecans, hazelnuts and even a few chinquapins and/or chestnuts.  Autumn ripening  fruits include pawpaws, persimmons, hard pears, late apples like granny smith, and some of the latest ripening of all are the relatively exotic pomegranates, kiwis, and satsumas mostly grown on the far southwest side of Alabama.  Unfortunately is seems to be getting harder to find a stand of sorghum around here; the last one I saw was unfortunately killed just before harvest by an unusually early freeze that October.
      Social activities change a little from the bar-b-ques of summer to the various holiday themed gatherings including harvest and/or Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas.  This helps fill out with an otherwise almost empty schedule for landscaping.  At least there are somethings that I can do more of from the later part autumn on into winter than any other time of year is make things, whether is be wreath bases from getting an early start on pruning grape vines, birdhouses, or even hiking sticks.