Out with the old garden, in with the new
The last of the summer garden veggies have been harvested and now all that’s left is cleanup and preparation for the fall garden. It doesn’t carry quite the same excitement and anticipation as preparing for a spring garden, but it runs a close second, particularly because this summer has been on the difficult side, with too much rain, then too little. I’m looking forward to spending time in the garden without sweltering temperatures, a million bugs, and fewer weeds.
The fall garden is going to be much smaller than the spring one, so today I focused on clearing just that portion of the garden area. I pulled up spent tomato and pepper plants and the stakes that supported them, along with tough weeds that insist on spreading no matter how many times I pull them up.
After spreading some beautiful black compost over the area, we fired up the tiller and turned over the ground, mixing the compost in. The ground is ready for cabbage and squash plants that I bought, along with seeds of lettuce, spinach, and beets.
Can’t wait to see how it turns out.
These are the remnants from part of my spring garden.
These green tomatoes, the last of the harvest, will taste good after they're battered and fried.
These cabbage and squash are the first to go into the fall garden. See the lavender in there, too? That's for a new flower bed.
What are you planting in your fall garden?
We’re nowhere near pulling out garden plants; ours have just begun to produce here in S. Washington due to a wet and cloudy spring then sudden summer the past few weeks.
Cabbage, collards, broccoli and Brussels sprouts (already planted), salad greens and radish as you’ve said, just put in some green onions and chives (the chives to be transplanted to shelter when it gets too cold).
We’re counting on a few more weeks of sun or this year will be a disappointment. Last year wasn’t too great either—much of the same.
We had a rough spring, as well. Hoping you get that sun you need for the next few weeks!
Don hauled in a large load of my home made compost (which also now has squash and tomato plants growing in it and they will get composted, too), tilled it into the raised bed and on Wednesday I planted spinach, lettuce and kale. The rains came and the lettuce is already popping up. I can hardly wait for that fresh fall salad.
Aw, Mom, you’re the best gardener I know. :)