This week is all about finding space -- space for the "succession sowings" of vegetables such as fall peas (can you believe those purple ones up top?), space in the freezer for the incoming harvests that are beginning to happen. Uh-oh. Somebody needs to make some room over here. Sound familiar? 
freezer-emptying hot 3-bean vegetarian chili Vegetables will want "in" soon -- into the kitchen, then into the freezer in sauces and soups and pestos and such. But my freezers are still pretty well-stocked; it's time to anticipate coming harvests, and make room. The first space-creating step: "Chili," I said to garden helper and friend Susan during a recent monsoon that curtailed outdoor chores. "Let's make chili." Into the pot went bags of frozen whole paste tomatoes, frozen peppers both hot and sweet -- even frozen garlic cloves from the 2012 garden. Maybe you have some such leftover ingredients -- or just want an easy vegetarian chili recipe for when your 2013 produce ripens? making room for fall peas, and more vegetables I need to make room somewhere for a big row of fall peas, due to go in the ground here ASAP. Which varieties will I grow again? A purple-podded snap pea called 'Sugar Magnolia' will definitely be in the mix (who could resist that color?) as will the unusual big snow pea called 'Schweizer Riesen.' More on both of them -- and my overall succession-sowing plan to keep the vegetable garden going well into fall.  doodle by andre: how NOT to make more space
I sincerely hope that you have not made space in your garden following the method in Andre's Jordan's doodle, above. This is NOT recommended (but all too often the way it goes). Sigh. | 
