Perfect Weather for Seedlings

It’s always a challenge to find space in late summer for all the seedlings that I start for fall and winter. This year I got especially energetic though, probably because I’ve spent the last year writing about it for my forthcoming book.

Earlier in the summer I’d planted some of the longer-season vegetables, but by mid-September I knew I’d need to rip out summer plants to make space for a flat bursting with shorter-season fall vegetables

and the ones I want to overwinter.

Lettuce, kale, bok choi, tatsoi, mustard greens, broccoli raab and spinach all went from the seed flat to the beds in the last few weeks, and the weather has been perfect for getting them off to a great start.

I already have a bed of Brussels sprouts, two rows of onions, a hearty batch of cabbages and, of course, some of my lovely winter radishes. But I had to sacrifice some of the winter radish supply, and this is what I ended up with:

Black Spanish radishes and their edible pods.

That’s the actual color of the radish roots, but when peeled there’s a snowy white interior. And even at handball-size, they still provide a nice crunchy, slightly spicy slice, without being too woody.

But I still had to find space for more seedlings, so out came the last of the summer carrots, some underperforming peppers, and a row of rangy marigolds that I planted to attract beneficial insects.

A number of the lettuces got tucked in under the large leaves of tomatoes, and i pruned the bushy basil up to sneak a few under there as well.

Thinking ahead to

fall and winter is tough in mid-summer, but after Labor Day, it gets easier and easier to say goodbye to the summer garden and get ready for the cool season to come.