July and August are for siestas and margueritas...  Have you been to Spain?  Spanish people disappear  in the coolness of their casa during the summertime afternoon hours.  They resurface after sunset for long walks before packing up their tapas-joints well into the night, kids included... 

I think we should try to model our summer gardening after this glorious lifestyle.  Prime productive hours are from 6am to noon, usually enough for most of the more physical work.  Then it's back to the den for lunch and nap until 6pm.  That leaves another 2 or 3 evening hours to finish the work in progress, and do some harvesting when plants are dry.  Even with a full-time job you might be able to use some of those hours to keep up with your summer garden.

Most people quit gardening around this time of the year, content to finish off with the harvesting of summer crops.  But there is yet a whole gardening season left.  Fall gardening is challenging but can be as rewarding or more than Spring or Summer.  Think of it as the ultimate gardening challenge that few raise up to.  Think of fall carrots which are so much sweeter than their Spring counterpart.

 Possibilities are many: broccoli, bok-choi, lettuce, mustard, spinash, beet, turnip, chinese cabbage.  True, it can be very discouraging to germinate some of those crops in the heat of summer.  Some are easier than others: arugula, turnips.  Some like spinach might have to be reseeded twice or trice.  One way to force-start your plants is to seed trays in the shade of trees, although this is not recommended for carrots or beets which do not transplant well.  For the latter, direct sowing in perfect soil with constant moisture is a must.

Try to play with the shady part of your garden.  This is our chance to take advantage of the partial shade garden spots which are all too common around Eureka.  Lettuce will work very well in the shade of trees.  Chose a heat-tolerant variety like "Sierra"  (available from Johnny's Selected Seeds 800-854 2580) to increase your chances of success.

Fall gardening is not easy.  But for the true-blood gardener there is no time to waste for a great fall harvest which can last well into November...

last modified on: Monday November 10, 2008 06:41 AM -0600