We’ve never had tomatoes in our garden to match this year’s crop. The stars aligned to bury us with fruit.

It all started one day last February. That’s about the time some gardeners start missing dirt. They get a head start on the season by planting seeds indoors. For me, it means buying new seeds, a few flats that each hold 72 plants and some potting soil. In case some fail to germinate, I put more than one seed in each of the 300 or so cells.

Most of our gardening efforts involve flowers, particularly perennials, but annuals such as African violet, nasturtium, lobelia, godetia and gazania help provide ongoing summer fill-in colour. This time, they took up much of the flat space. But a garden needs herbs, vegetables and fruits so the seed list grew to include parsley, Thai and sweet basil, peppers, melons and tomatoes. We found out later, a couple of stinging nettle seeds somehow found their way into the mix.

I squeezed the flats onto four shelves in our south-facing front porch. Within a couple of weeks, sprouts appeared. In short order, some needed transplanting. Most of the seeds had germinated, so I needed more flats – ended up with 10. Indoor space needs had grown to include tables in the living room and dining room.

For the tomatoes, I used small peat pots, one for each plant. At seeding time, I was organized enough to label the cells. Not so much now. I lost track of which were beefsteak, cherry or roma, but not to worry, they would all need similar conditions and space in the garden, or so I thought. Found out later some plant sizes are predictable or determinate, some not, like one cherry tomato that eventually covered 12.5 square feet of garden. That’s called indeterminate.

The seedlings basically sat about two inches high from late March until out-door planting in May. In the meantime, friends Julie and Leah reported their tomatoes were reaching a foot or more in height. My wife, Marlene, and I discussed whether we should chuck the plants and buy new ones at a local nursery. Others said dump them. I didn’t. I heard the German word storrisch – stubborn – a few times.

Marlene’s brother Ken has taken growing tomatoes in his Taber back yard to new heights. His efforts this year produced around 200 plants (his neighbors love him), so he brought us 18, more than enough for our needs. With our spindly seedlings, add another 30.

Planting the 48 began in the back 40, then moved to the front yard, among the flowers. When that space ran out, the boulevard beckoned. The neighbour next door has what she calls a boulevarden, so this seemed like a logical extension.

Fast forward to Thanksgiving weekend: we have canned batches three times with more ahead, offered bags to family and friends, made a couple of trips to the soup kitchen and still face eight bowls full.

Tomatoes anyone?

We’re blessed in Southwestern Alberta with an abundance of spectacular, scenic spaces where we experience the outdoors in infinite ways. But, few can top the Castle-Crown wilderness for its beauty, biodiversity and recreational opportunities.

Problem is, there’s fear we’ll either love or exploit it to death.

Had it remained as part of Waterton Lakes National Park, its protection would have been assured. But in 1921, it was removed from park boundaries because two federal departments were playing politics. It has since gone through a number of changes that have fallen short of necessary control of human activity for the sake of its sensitive environment.

A grass-roots organization has been meeting in Pincher Creek since June trying to define how the Castle-Crown might be protected. The committee evolved from a meeting last fall at which the province outlined a process that would lead to greater protection.

 It’s tough to bring 20 or more people representing diverse interests together in a province that relishes minimal control or regulation. But most at the table are fairly certain more protection of this roughly 1,040 square kilometers in our backyard is needed and will ultimately be the result.

For one thing, the Castle River and its tributaries provide about 30 per cent of the drainage of the entire Eastern Slopes of the Rockies. That water keeps about a quarter-million people downstream from going thirsty. That is enough for provincial authorities to send up a flag. It’s the nature of control needed that’s not universally accepted.

Since 1998 called the Castle Special Place, its boundaries are Waterton Park, the B.C-Alberta border, the Castle-Crowsnest watershed divide, and the Forest Reserve east boundary. A West Castle Wetlands Ecological Reserve and a Castle Special Management Area Forest Land Use Zone have been established. That covers about 2 square km, leaving 1,038 square km under-protected.

It’s cherished for its skiing, hiking, angling, motorized recreational vehicle riding, camping – the list goes on. Add to that industrial development and you have the potential for conflict with the environment.

The discussions have been delicate. It’s tough to project just what might result, but some principles that got the nod this week generally focus on limiting activities that would harm the area’s ecological integrity while maintaining public ownership, access and traditional recreational and cultural uses. The target is to complete a proposal in six months that can be taken to the local MLA, Tourism, Parks & Recreation Minister and, ultimately, the public.

The province’s guidelines list as options Ecological Reserve, Wilderness Area, Wildland Park, Heritage Rangeland, Provincial Park, Provincial Recreation Area and Natural Area or a combination. The province has also set preservation, heritage appreciation, outdoor recreation and heritage tourism as goals for parks or protected areas.

The working group includes organizations such as the Crowsnest Conservation Society, Nature Conservancy of Canada, Castle-Crown Wilderness Coalition Lethbridge Fish and Game Association, Southern Alberta Bowhunters Association, and Royal Dutch Shell Canada. Local governments and ATV users are not yet formally part of discussions.

Stay tuned.

Monday 3:44 p.m. GMT marks the Autumnal Equinox, the official beginning of fall. Summer’s end. We know it’s here because the sun shines lower in the southern sky. We wait for Indian summer to balance the chilly night air.

It means the sun’s rays beat directly on the equator and there’s as much daylight as darkness.

Seasonal changes come with their own traditions. The next-door neighbor celebrates the Spring Solstice with a garden get-together. A group of fly-fishers gathers on the Crowsnest River each year at the Winter Solstice. Harvest rituals come attached to the Autumnal Equinox.

According to Celtic lore, autumn’s beginning, called Mabon, signals a time to pay our respects to the impending dark and give thanks to the waning sunlight. The equinox honors The Green Man, the God of the Forest, by offering libations to trees, ciders, wines and herbs. Among autumn activities are gathering seed pods, walking in the woods, scattering offerings in harvested fields and adorning burial sites with leaves, acorns, and pine cones to honor those who have passed.

It’s also a time of balance, when we enjoy the fruits of our personal harvests, whether it’s gardening, working, raising families, or just coping with everyday life.

For some, like a core group of Henderson Lake golfers, autumn signals a move from the links to the rinks at The Lethbridge Curling Club. For others, it’s a time to change gear – in storage go the fishing pole, sailboard and garden shears, out come the rifle and rake. Hardcore cyclists, runners and hikers simply dress differently when the seasons change.

Clearly, the seasons relate to how we approach the outdoors. Something compels us to spend time outside. Open Air Magazine released a survey this month of 1,027 adults who were asked what they most look forward to outdoors. Exercise topped the list, followed by inspiration, solitude, forgetting about work and companionship.

For me it can be all those things. When I’m fishing on the river, it doesn’t matter if I catch a rainbow – it’s part of the pot of gold, the total package that leaves me in awe of what we have in Southern Alberta. Expect regular reflections on the wonders of the Prairies, the Porcupines, the unique ecosystems of Waterton and the Castle-Crown and upper Oldman drainages, the infinite natural phenomena they hold and the ways we enjoy them.

This weekend, for example, the TD Friends of The Environment Great Canadian Shoreline Clean-up will focus on the Crowsnest River today and Oldman River in Lethbridge Sunday. The Crowsnest clean-up from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. is organized by the Crowsnest Conservation Society. Meet at Sobey’s parking lot in Blairmore. The local effort by Helen Schuler Coulee Centre and Oldman Watershed Council staff starts at 2 p.m. in the Nature Centre parking lot.

Beyond that, watch for discussion of issues in our corner of the world.

To borrow from Celtic lore: may your Mabon be memorable, and your hearts and spirits be filled to overflowing.