The garden's last gasp

The end is near, and it feels a little earlier this year than last. I pulled out the summer squash plants yesterday to make room for a fall crop of collard greens. The tomatoes still have fruit, but it's either ripening or rotting, depending on where you look. The weeds have taken over. I got no eggplant this year, and the chili peppers did virtually nothing (compared to those I kept in the greenhouse which are doing well).

Tasha is ready to help with garden clean up. Or to play ball. Whatever.

So, it's time to start the clean-up. I'll keep picking tomatoes for a little while, but it won't be long before they get ripped out, too. Even if we get no more, we've had a great crop over all. This past summer was strange, with hot spells interrupted by cold spells, alternating all through the season. The last cold spell was wet, and while the weeds enjoyed it, the tomatoes did not and some rot has set in.

We'll spend the next month or so slowly cleaning up the garden, tilling and otherwise preparing for winter. When the leaves fall, we will gather them up and cover the garden with them. They help keep weeds down and then they get tilled into the soil in spring as compost.