Garden Transition

Let's see... temperatures in the mid 90's, heat index over 100 degrees, humidity high enough to make my glasses fog up.... Yep! Seems like the perfect time to do some gardening! Okay, I admit my timing could use some tweeking. I had a 3 day weekend since my daycare child isn't here today. So, I gave myself 3 days (early mornings actually) to get my garden transitioned from mid-summer disaster to pre-fall planting.
This is the first year that I've attempted a second planting (I know, it's only my second year of gardening at all.. but still...). After reading "Four Season Harvest" last winter, I decided to try to extend my harvest as much as possible this year. So, instead of giving up on my garden right about now... it's time to regroup and replant!

First I spent 2 mornings weeding the beds that were done with their summer plantings. I went outside from 6:30 am until about 8:00. I don't think the bugs were even awake yet!

I pulled the rest of the carrots so I could replant that bed. I filled a gallon sized ziploc with them!

I pulled up most of the greenbeans. They were about done producing and I wanted to put in a fresh crop.
After I weeded the beds and sprayed Roundup in the aisles, I added a bag of compost/manure ($.75 a bag at Walmart on clearance!) and sprinkled in some organic fertilizer to each bed. I mixed it in a bit and then the beds were ready to plant.

Isn't this parsnip seed beautiful?

I direct seeded broccoli, zucchini, Jade greenbeans, 3 varieties of carrots, and parsnips.

I'll be waiting another month before planting spinach, kale, mache, peas, and lettuce.

Ready for the Before's and After's? Feel free to click on each picture to enlarge it.

Before....

After

After

Before

After

Before

After