I pulled all the cabbage plants yesterday. There’s a few bell plants growing in the same bed and a couple of watermelon plants that are creeping their way through the garden but still enough room to plant a cooler weather crop.

The last of the cabbages looked stellar…so much in fact the local raccoons had a party without my permission. The scene was similar to teenage boys eating everything in a well-stocked fridge after football practice, with nothing remaining but the packages and peels.

Earlier in the season I had battled with cabbage worms and was so pleased to have been able to get them under control with a combination of hand-picking, soapy water and blasts of water from the hose partnered with insults from under my breath.

The raccoons, at least, had a delicious, organic meal and unlike some gardeners, I’m not going to seek them out and kill them. It just seems rather pointless to me. There’s enough killing going on and my garden only supplements the food eaten in this household.

I am fortunate to know many gardeners and farmers that will gladly give, trade, or sell me more cabbage.

With the space opening up in the raised bed I need to decide what crop to plant. This time of year is great for starting radish but no one in the household likes radish except me. Just about any greens will do well as August fades into September. Carrots, beets, broccoli and kale do well when planted now.

Before you plant it’s helpful to add a little compost to the bed. It’s not a bad idea to add supports for row covers at this time. You can continue to have fresh vegetables coming out of the garden through November if you take measures to plan for the inevitable frosts.

Look around the garden and see what is still producing and what is just taking up space. My dill and chamomile are past their prime and should have been removed already. Both of these herbs self seed and next spring I will have them growing in places I never thought possible. This year I had chamomile coming up between the cracks in the brick sidewalk.

August is a good time to remove any diseased leaves from plants so they are less likely to overwinter and cause problems next year. Diseased items should go in the trash, while spent plants that were healthy can go on the compost pile.

Continue to remove spent blossoms from roses, hydrangea and other flowering plants. Feed potted plants so they will continue to thrive until the first frost or they go inside.

I’ve been thinking about opening up even more space in the garden. My trellised pole beans never flowered and I’m beginning to wonder if they ever will. The heat we had this summer may have something to do with it but I’m getting impatient.

It’s been such a relief to have cooler days and almost chilly nights. Even though the signals of autumn have arrived I am not as sad as I thought I would be. This summer’s heat turned me into a grumpy gardener.

There were days on end when I avoided the garden because I simply could not tolerate the 90-plus temperatures and humidity that were the norm in July. Maybe I am just getting old.

As summer transitions into fall I will be able to be much more productive in the garden. There is still a lot to harvest and maintenance to be done to prepare for the inevitable winter.