As the owner of a greenhouse business, my gardens are completely neglected between snow melt and late July. This is a problem. Our seasons are short enough as it is, and to lop off about 4 months of key gardening time is a pity. I try to make up for it by making time for the gardens later in the summer and I spend a lot of time on prepping the garden in the fall so that spring planting activities go smoothly and quickly. Early August is a great time to plant or replant the vegetable garden. Throw in some broccoli, lettuces, cabbage, cilantro, salad turnips, radishes, spinach, and even peas. They will be so good in September and October, and you will head into fall feeling like royalty. Rather than see the garden's decline in the heat of late August, you will see a spruced up and abundant second coming. The cool night time temperatures of late Augusst and September are key to a successful fall garden. You can also use this time to fertilize the feed the garden soil (I use Compost Plus) around the annual vegetable plants. They'll reward you with glossy, dark green foliage and scrumptious meals well into late fall.

So as I sit out and look at the raised beds behind my house, I feel better. The overgrown jungle is mowed, the beds are weeded, replanted and looking beautiful. I wish I had more time in spring, but I just don't and I have come to accept it. It's okay, gardening without guilt, right?