Lull

We have 3 seasons in our gardening year here in NC.  Or at least that's been my experience.

Spring harvests of lettuce, peas, carrots and berries usually meld right into the  typical Summer goodness of beans, squash and cuc's with tomato's pulling up the rear in July.

I usually see a huge lull right around August and September as the garden has exhausted itself in the heat of the "dog days" we get around here.  After that, it's time to plan for the short burst of Fall gardening with more lettuce, carrots, broc and cauli if I can get the bastard bunnies to stay away.  Fall gardening is always a pot shot.  Some years you hit.  Some years you miss.

This year is cooler and wetter so everything is delayed a bit.  We're also experiencing a bit of a lull in our harvesting.  I've picked a few yellow crooknecks and a pot full of beans.  That's it so far.

I'm also dealing with a lot of babies still needing attention.  It's strange to see so many little baby plants still getting started at this time of the year.

The slugs are circling the baby winter squashes that I planted a few weeks ago and I need to buy more DE or else they'll be doomed...DOOMED, I tell ya!

I also went ahead and planted a "round two" patch of beans hoping to extend the season on those.  The first batch I direct sowed just before the big rains came in a few weeks ago.  Nothing came up so I suspect the seeds just rotted in the ground.  The same thing happened with several hills of winter squash.  Nothing.  Luckily, I had a few packages of seeds left so I replanted both and they're just now popping up.

The cuc's are flowering and putting out little curlies.  Aren't they cute?  We're way behind on those. 

Oooo...Look what SM just found! 

How about that!  I guess we've got cuc's to add to the list!

I'm trying something new with the sweet peppers this year.  I never seem to get much from them until Fall so I thought "What the heck" and direct sowed a bunch of pepper seeds in the bed where the bolted lettuce was.  Let's see what happens.  If these direct sowed peppers do OK I just might skip starting them indoors all together.