Carrots. Once again, the carrots struggled. Maybe something feathered ate the seeds. Maybe something furry nibbled the greens as they emerged. In the end, I picked six. Six carrots. I had planted a smaller variety to give them a fighting chance at getting through the topsoil without fighting the clay below, and I think the few that actually grew did pretty well. Buttercup had three, including greens, for her supper tonight. She liked them well enough. 

Lettuce is done. Buttercup is nibbling the last few leaves of yellow/green lettuce tonight, too. Such a lucky bunny! 

I turned the soil with my as-seen-on-tv Garden Claw that I bought from a rummage sale a few years ago. I felt a little sad when I overheard the teenagers at the sale saying, “Oh, Grandma always loved using that in her garden!” I don’t know if Grandma passed away or moved to an apartment, but I hope she knows her as-seen-on-tv Garden Claw is in good hands. I use it often. 

Next: the decisions. I could start spreading compost now to let it settle in sooner rather than later. I could plant peas again; chances are good they’ll come up before the big frosts in October or November. Climate Change has stretched the fall gardening season a bit; planting again might be worth the effort. 

And that’s only half the plot, really. Tomatoes are growing and producing well. Broccoli and cauliflower are starting to smell like broccoli and cauliflower. They’re not big enough to pick yet, but I predict they’ll be delicious. Zucchini, of course, is thriving. We’ll have zucchini bread at least once this week. 

And then there’s the random corner, the area full of volunteer and mystery flowers and others. This might require pictures to do it justice. Before I plant any peas or spread any compost, I’ll share the odd corner with you. And readers? Yes, you? Teachers go back to school this week. There will be limited time for gardening. Limited, I said, not no time at all. Playing in the dirt is an after school sanity saver, after all.