fall cleanup

I've begun my fall cleanup of the garden already. Today I trashed a lot of dead/sick plants: half the Pumpkin patch (really disgusting but now I can look at it without flinching), all the Watermelons- picked the two last ones to put in the fridge; one had rotted on the vine. So each of my five watermelon plants gave me one watermelon, and I only lost one! Took out most of my Green Beans- they were just so pathetic-looking. I'm sure they would have lasted at least until the end of the month, if it weren't for the onslaught of bugs. There are so many stink bugs all over them now, as well as cucumber beetles, and even though I pick them off by hand every day, I never seem to make enough of a difference. So they're all gone. I saved a few of the nicer-looking bean pods just to see if the seeds turn out, but I probably won't plant them, I don't want any more disease. They're hanging in the shed.

So now this side of the garden is mostly empty. Just the double row of Broccolis (which are next on my task list to clean up, I know there are some cabbage moths pupating in there somewhere!) and Marigolds across the back (on the left here). Oh, and now you can see my little Thyme plants again! I'm going to dig a few up soon to have potted inside the house when it gets colder.

I've done that to the Basil, too. Had planned to make basil sauce out of more herbs,  but the plants all started to fall over and look pale. I cut out the worst ones today, chopped up the foliage and turned it under the soil. One stump that was sprouting new leaves I potted for inside.