I had a wonderful day in my garden yesterday! I haven’t been feeling well enough to do much garden work lately — and a lot needed to be done — but yesterday the stars really aligned because I felt good, I’d gotten all my “money-making” work done and didn’t have any meetings to go to, and weather-wise it was a million dollar day! Usually I like to do my spring-to-summer garden transition in late May, but that didn’t happen this year, so I’m a little behind. But that’s OK! You just have to say “oh well” sometimes.
So basically I have two different gardens each year — “spring” and “summer” — all in the same beds. (You can read more about how I plan my dual gardens here.) The “spring carryover” veggies will stay in the ground through the summer, so I don’t need to worry about those. But the spring veggies (like lettuce and spinach) are at their peak right now and will be pulled out soon (but not quite, because they’re still producing like mad), so I like to plant summer veggies in their midst. (Click here for a list of spring, summer, and carryover veggies.)
In the photo below, you can see that I’ve pulled out enough lettuce to plant a tomato. This works well because the lettuce provides a bit of protection to the tomato seedling, and by the time the tomato starts getting big, we will have harvested all the lettuce.
I did the same thing below by harvesting enough spinach to open up a circular area where I planted winter squash seeds. The spinach will shelter the seedlings, and by the time the squash gets big, the spinach will be gone.
I don’t have a picture to show you, but in another bed I decided to just pull out all the spinach (it was ready anyway) and plant my cucumber seeds. Since I like lots of cucumbers and plant several rows, it just made the most sense to pull out the spinach completely rather than trying to plant multiple seeds in multiple rows in amongst the spinach plants.
But I do have a picture of the laundry basket full of spinach I harvested from that cucumber bed! Look at it all! Gorgeous stuff, and so delicious. 
*****
What’s your garden up to right now??
Wow, your garden looks beautiful. My garden needs some rain desperately.
Your basket of spinach looks fantastic! x
Thanks Trish! I wish I could send you some spinach! Looks like you’ve got some lettuce & peas though, despite low rain. I’m hoping for rain for you!
Loved your gratitude post by the way. (I’m not sure my comments go thru on your site.) 🙂
Love your transition method (cause it’s exactly what I do!). Hopw you will feel better soon and be out and about the garden with ease. Warmly, jill
Hi Jill,
You do that too, ehh?! Cool!
Thanks for your well wishes.
Enjoy your garden too! 🙂
What a great idea. The thing I can’t seem to get a handle on is what plants don’t make good bedfellows. My spinach is nearing its end, but I am unsure what to seed among the spinach plants and what wouldn’t like it there. I had a terrible experience last year of putting the kohlrabi too close to the pole beans.
Hi Erica!
Hmm, I’ve never grown kohlrabi, or put it too close to pole beans…you’re absolutely sure the cause wasn’t something else? Actually I’ve never had a bad experience planting things together that didn’t get along. In fact, the thought never even enters my mind when I plan my garden… either it’s not that big a deal for the majority of things, or else I just seem to get lucky year after year!! 🙂
Sorry I can’t be more helpful. But don’t let it discourage you! Just go for it. Every year is different…I find that some years, some things just do better than other years (or worse, as the case may be).
Best of luck,
Lindsey