A Cool Morning, Garden Wins, and Ranch Edition Photos

I woke up this morning, ran outside to check on my pumpkins, and was hit with crisp air. Crisp air. In Southeast Texas. If you live here, you know that is not a normal September morning. I had to just stand there a minute and breathe it in. Fall showed up early, and I’m not mad about it.

Since I was already outside, I figured I’d give the garden a little look. Remember a while back when I told you I was trying this whole gardening thing? Well, it’s still alive—and honestly, that feels like a win in itself.

Garden Update

Right now, my jalapeños and habaneros are absolutely stealing the show. I’ve given away bags of them to friends, and it makes me so happy to see people actually using them in their cooking. (I feel like I’m contributing to other people’s salsa bowls, which is kind of fun.)

The pumpkin patch—now that’s a different story. I’ve got these itty bitty pumpkins starting to grow, but a few of them are turning yellow. I don’t know if that means they’re about to take off or if they’re calling it quits on me. Rookie gardener problems, right?

And then there’s the okra. Oh my goodness, the okra. I planted three plants, and they have turned into giants. They just keep producing. I can’t keep up. (If you see me handing out okra on the corner like a weirdo, just smile and wave.)

Since it’s September, and we’re in zone 9a, this is prime time to get fall crops going. Things like spinach, kale, carrots, radishes, cilantro, and broccoli actually like this cooler weather. So if you’ve been thinking about planting, now’s your chance.

Ranch Edition Photos

And just in time for that cool air, Jenay and I had our very first Wild Roots Senior Rep photo shoot. We called it the Ranch Edition, and y’all, it was so much fun.

We’ve got five seniors this year, all completely different from each other, which is my favorite part. Our plan is to have shoots with them all year long leading up to their Cap & Gown session. I want each shoot to pull out their personalities so that when they look back, they’ll say, “Yep, that was me.”

We’re already dreaming up what’s next—fall cozy sessions, maybe some city lights downtown, a coastal vibe (because when you live by the water, you have to), holiday lights, wildflowers in spring, golden hour fields, and finally the big cap and gown finale.

We’ll be sharing sneak peeks soon, so if you’re not following us on Instagram or Facebook, now’s the time.

Fall really is sneaking in on us, isn’t it? Between pumpkins trying to grow, okra taking over, and seniors rocking their first Wild Roots shoot, I feel like life is equal parts chaos and fun right now. How about you? What’s your “fall chaos” looking like these days—garden, kids, work, or just trying to enjoy the weather before Texas changes its mind again? Drop it in the comments, we would love to hear!

Unitl next time,

Ashley & Jenay 💛