I know: Where are the July chores, Margaret? I'll post them this weekend, but first, I want everyone to focus (as I am!) on just one item from the promised upcoming list: a fall vegetable and herb garden. Shortcut to that story ... or read on. 

Oops! The lettuce that was succulent, sweet and gorgeous a week ago just stood up in bold protest, doubling in size and turning bitter, and the spinach and peas bolted. So what's next -- besides empty soil?

What's next is officially called succession sowing, and organic farmer Katie Spring shared her harvest-stretching advice for fall bounty. Wait till you see the list of vegetables and herbs to sow now--and how.

birdnote: explaining the antics of baby birds

A Mama (or is it a Papa? catbird and I are on serious speaking terms. That is, (s)he talks a lot, loudly, when I approach certain shrubby areas, and I know why: baby birds! I asked Ellen Blackstone of the public-radio show BirdNote how nestlings become fledglings and beyond: begging for attention (yes!), learning to sing, and more. The adorable story. 

when to harvest, and cure, garlic

Need a reminder how to know when your garlic crop is ready? Most "experts" say to harvest when several of the lower leaves go brown, but five or six up top are still green -- and it typically happens here in late July. All the details on harvesting and curing.

speaking of vegetables...how are those cukes? 

Misshapen, bitter, or maybe no cukes at all? Cucumber answers.