Start to the Fall Garden

      Even though it has not been in the beastly 90's recently, it is still hot and uncomfortable most days in the muggy 80's.  Not even early mornings are pleasant with the high humidity and temperatures over 70.  The gardens and the yard are showing signs of being tired with it all.  Most of the tomatoes and peppers are still doing well, yet is time to pull some failed plants, yank out the weeds, and start anew.

Kale remnants, August 27, 2012

      This bed had the remains of some kale plants that were still struggling through the heat.  I was tempted to cut off the old leaves to see if I could get good new growth, but finally decided the space was too valuable.  So out they came, and in went lettuce and arugula.

        Arugula went in on the right, black seeded simpson lettuce in the middle, and four seasons lettuce on the left.  In another bed, I put in two favorites, Tango lettuce and winter marvel bibb lettuce.  Last year I sowed seeds on August 22nd and still got good results, so I am hoping I am not too late now.  I bought some beautiful lettuce plants this morning to cheat a bit, as it has been a long time since we had any fresh lettuce.  The cole crops were tempting, but I still have harlequin beetles around both gardens.  No point in feeding those little monsters.
       August 28th, AM:  Weeded and cleaned out bed #6 at the park.  From west to east, I planted Beedy's Camden Kale from my own seed collected for 2011.  Next to that was Territorial's Ching-Chiang bok choy, then Fedco's Tenderleaf Hardy Green OG.  Filling out that section was Fedco's Ice Bred Arugula OG and Heirloom Seeds' early Siberian Kale.  In the little square bed at the far east end of bed # 6 went Fedco's Chinese Thick-Stemmed Mustard OG and Territorial's Tah Tsai.  I finished many of the seed packets, at last.  So this winter I will have the pleasure of actually ordering some seeds from the catalogs that arrive.