The long cold nights grow shorter and warmer as winter fades. May. Gardening focuses on bed preparation, nursing starts, and early plantings. Deciduous trees and shrubs provide stunning displays of color as the temperatures drop and the days shorten. November will see the first winter storms roll in, sometimes with substantial snows. Wildlife migrate down from the high country.
Leaves fall and open the forest to the low-angled light of winter.
Autumn gardening focuses on harvesting, drying, seed collection, and putting the garden away for the winter. There is much to learn, much to experience, and much to accomplish in a short time. Such an intensive could only function as a residential program. During these two months participants will read several texts and outside selections, write and present 3 papers and 6 short reports, keep three journals, create a map, and take an exam. Graduate level requirements include additional reading, research, and written work.