Pickin' Cotton

Today I will be linking up with other gardeners from around the world to celebrate Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day for November.  A certain sign it is Fall of the year here in southern Tennessee, USA, is seeing the white fields of ripened cotton. They are beautiful. I recently passed by a field ripe for pickin' and couldn't resist slipping in to pick a little.

Cotton is definitely a southern crop.  It requires heat and sun to develop because it is a tropical perennial grown as an annual.  They don't like wet feet so our weather is perfect, usually.

Planting begins mid-March through May. The blooms are self-pollinating meaning they don't need bees or wind.  After the bloom dries the boll forms with the seeds and cotton fibers growing inside. As summer ends, the leaves change color and drop off; the bolls begin to crack open and show the cotton fibers.

Fresh cotton feels much like a cotton ball bought from the store except it is softer since it's covered with a natural oil.  

White cotton is grown commercially because it can be dyed any color. There are other varieties which produce colors like brown, green, yellow, mauve, reddish and there is even a black cotton. There is a new movement toward raising the colored varieties since they require no pesticides to grow and no chemicals to dye the fabric.

Cotton is something I have never grown but would love to plant. I keep telling myself my garden next year will be smaller.  How do I do that when I can't stop wanting more plants?