By mid-July, the summer garden can feel full and tired at the same time. The tomatoes are working, the heat is building, and it may not feel like the right time to think about lettuce, broccoli, kale, collards, cabbage, or fall greens. But this is the quiet window where the fall garden begins. It is not time to replant everything outside because it is hard for fall crops to establish in the mid to late summer heat. The soil can be too hot for good germination, the surface dries quickly, and small seedlings can struggle before they ever get a fair start. So instead, we start a small steady succession indoors or in a protected seed-starting space. Then, as late summer heat begins to ease, we move sturdy young plants outside. Lettuce is a good example. Looseleaf types are usually the easiest and most forgiving for a July indoor start. Slobolt, Salad Bowl, Red Sails, Tropicana, and Ruby are good practical choices. Romaine takes longer, although it gives a fuller fall harvest and holds well as the weather cools. Jericho, Parris Island Cos, and Green Towers are all worth considering. Butterhead and Bibb types are tender and sweet, although they are less forgiving in heat. Buttercrunch is probably the safest first choice for this type. So, for a simple strong fall start, we could begin with: Main lettuce crop: Slobolt, Red Sails, Salad Bowl, Tropicana Romaine row: Jericho, Parris Island Cos, Green Towers Tender fall heads: Buttercrunch, Little Gem, Nancy Dependable fall backbone: collards, kale, broccoli, cabbage, kohlrabi, and Swiss chard Trial crops: Brussels sprouts, Florence fennel, Asian greens like tatsoi, mizuna, Tokyo Bekana, and bok choy, plus beets in trays. Once the seeds are selected, seedling care is just as important as the variety. We need to keep trays cool, bright, and evenly moist. A hot greenhouse or sunny porch can cook fall seedlings in July. Use a small fan for airflow if you can and avoid heavy nitrogen that makes weak, stretchy plants. Before transplanting, harden the plants off with morning sun and outdoor air for several days. Then transplant in the evening, water them in well, and give them light shade for the first week or so.

For me, we finally recieved some long awaited rain, for a cople days of slow soak, sun came out a couple days and now its lightly raining again again... In between the rain, I have been stringing tomatoes, clearing the low leaves and starting to add this summers sponge layer starting with a 50:50 mix of soil and compost I made through the winter. Once the beds are complete and I get about 20 more plants transplanted, I bring in fresh shredded hardwood mulch to top the beds off. I pulled the poly off and the shading off the tunnel...

Lemon balm and linden have a lot in common, although they do not support the body in the exact same way. Both are gentle calming herbs. Both can help when the nervous system feels stirred up, sleep is light, stress sits in the chest or stomach, or the evening mind will not settle. Lemon balm is bright, lemony, and uplifting. It can help with anxiety, low mood, nervous digestion, and emotional heaviness. It is a beautiful herb, although it carries a stronger caution around hypothyroidism and thyroid medication, especially with steady daily use. Linden is softer and broader. It calms the nerves, moistens dry tissues, soothes the throat, supports gentle sweating during cold season, relaxes chest tension, and has a long tradition around heart and blood vessel support when stress is part of the pattern. That is why linden may be a better everyday base herb for many family tea blends. It gives a similar calming feel, although it also brings moisture, heart support, throat comfort, and fewer thyroid concerns. A simple way to remember it: Lemon balm is the bright friend that settles the mind and lifts the mood. Linden is the shade tree that helps the whole system soften, breathe, cool, and rest. Both belong in the home apothecary, although linden may be the easier daily choice when we want calm without pushing too hard in one direction.

Opened up the poly tunnel to increase air flow as well as continue to spring tomato plants guiding them to share their space. Going to experiment with leaving the shade cloth on for a bit hopefully shading them from the heavy rains predicted this week.

@Betsy Moll I remember when you was filling your beds last year, there was opinions on the best raised bed soil and method but do not remember the mix you settled on... For everyone that uses raised beds, what is your soil mix?