Letting Go of What Isn't Working Anymore

Giving up on a garden plant is easier said than done, but at this point in the growing season, there may be cause to let go of something in order to enjoy something better.

What Might Not Be Working In The Summer Garden

Potatoes, lettuce, greens, strawberries, and other cool season veggies are just done at this point in the season. They will not continue producing a high enough yield to make it worth while for them to stay, so you may want to consider letting them go to make room for something better.

Veggies like squash, zucchini, and cucumber are short term veggies, which in the beginning of the season is wonderful because in just about thirty days, they are producing. But in the later season, they have given just about all they've got. It may be time to let them go.

What Does It Mean To Let Go?

When veggies are no longer beneficial in the garden, you can cut them off at the ground, leaving the roots behind, and put them in the compost. By doing this, their job lives on as their roots become food for the soil microbes in your garden beds, and the spent plants turn into soil for next season in the compost.

Be sure to jot down when you removed each plant in your garden journal. This will help you next year as you determine how long a particular veggie will take up real estate in your garden bed.

All plants have a life cycle, so it is not something to feel guilty about or question. If you feel that a particular plant has served its purpose, let it go.

How To Know When To Let Go

When veggies begin to look dry and discolored, even after watering, and the fruit production begins to slow, it is a good indication that a veggie is spent. You may have disease or pests, or it just may be the end of this veggie’s life cycle. He has done his job and is ready to move to the compost, where he can continue to serve your garden.

The easiest way to determine whether it is time to let something go is to remember that while not everything is a crisis, if something is looking worse and worse in spite of your best efforts OR if it is no longer bringing you joy, it is time to let go. This can be different for everyone. I still have strawberries in my garden because they still bring me joy....even though I am only getting one or two strawberries a day. They plants are spent. The season is coming to an end. But they still bring me joy, so I leave them.

And The Cycle Continues

It is not too late to plant something in the place of the spent veggies you remove. Squash and zucchini are great to plant in succession. Keep seeds started indoors and as you remove one plant, replace it with another that you have already growing.

Warm season veggies like okra, melons, and green beans are just starting to get going. There is plenty of time to enjoy them. Plant only transplants this time of year. It is too late to direct sow these summer favorites, but it is not too late to plant a started plant for a late summer harvest.

Finally, it is important to remember to not be afraid to remove what is no longer bringing you joy. In its place, just waiting to be planted, may just be something you really love.