Late season happenings in the curmudgeon's garden...

We're at the point in the growing season in central Ohio when we harvest perhaps the last of a particular crop, pull out whatever is no longer producing and plant the crops that do best in the cooler fall weather.  And so it is in the curmudgeon's garden too.  Some late summer/early fall perennials are making their show at this time.

I harvested the last of my yellow wax beans and composted the plants.  Tomatoes of all kinds are still coming on (I'm giving them away, I have so many). 

 And my lunch today was a massive batch of cooked Swiss chard - YUM!

I saute the chard in a skillet with an oil & balsamic vinegar mix and a little bit of pesto.

Voila!  Add a touch of salt & pepper to taste and what a great, easy treat!

Last Saturday, I planted my fall vegetable crops: lettuce, arugala and a French radish.  They were all seeds planted where previous crops, like the wax beans, had been removed.

What has become a true revelation is that the radish seeds germinated at about 100% and came up through the soil in 3 days!  Here are "before" and "after" photos:

"Before"...and

"After".  In three days! I have never ever ever had anything germinate that fast before in over 40 years of gardening.  It's nice to be amazed by a task that can be viewed as the humdrum norm.  The real test is how well they develop and taste, of course, but for now I'm enjoying the fast growth and sheer will of the little seedlings to grab the sunshine and grow.