I start a lot of my fall stuff in containers and keep them lightly shaded and moist, especially if they'll want to bolt in the strong summer sun. I also try to plan for a fall garden by saving a portion of my spring garden for this purpose. It all comes down to math, how long your season actually is, and what successions and rotations you can manage within your space. It sounds like you have a great garden that's heavy on summer crops, so I can understand your concern: who wants to remove anything that's growing well? Maureen

You can add more beds, or just reuse space that's finished.
I just started rutabagas in a bed where the snow peas were done. I will be growing kohlrabi where the lettuce and chard is finished. Leek starts which were grown in a tiny area will be transplanted to the same spot. Cool season crops like radishes, broccoli, cauliflower and carrots grown early will open up space for summer plantings.

I've been thinking of putting in another raised bed too, but for now, I have containers started with seed. They will go in as transplants when I pull up the broccoli that has FINALLY produced and given me some room.

Just a quick aside here. The one lasagna bed I started in the spring has done well with carrots, broccoli and kale and one tomato. When I pulled up a few broccoli plants yesterday, that soil was absolutely beautiful! Black and crumbly!!!Not a trace of all the stuff I had layered in there in the spring. I'm amazed!

I pulled all my overgrown radishes and planted other radishes. I pulled all the bolted greens and planted other greens. I found space for a row of turnips along the edge of the garden. Eventually the lettuce will be gone and replaced with something else, maybe the radicchio seedlings I have in a flat. I would like to tuck in some escarole here and there. It's a great fall crop.

Jim

It's tough, for sure.

Ideally I'd have reserved space that had a winter cover tilled under in mid-spring. That'll have to wait until I have unlimited garden space. Until then it's as mentioned by the above folks......

I use flats and start in a shadier location so they don't dry out. I use Rootmaker flats that allow me to keep them in the flat longer than I could with any standard container - if I need to. Rootmaker containers limit root growth by air pruning, so roots are more fibrous and plants start better.

Eventually spring planted stuff gets cleared out and I prepare beds for fall.

I have the same problem. I am planning on starting cabbage and broccoli seeds in peat pots on the first of August, because it is still pretty warm where I live in September. I also got a late start planting my summer crops - with my melons maturing probably the last 2 weeks of August. Like yours, my summer crops are really starting to come in, and I hate to pull them. But, i've made my mind up- and i'm pulling everything on September 1st.

EG

It must be even tougher to pull Summer stuff in Alabama than it is here in MD. My highest value is on tomatoes, but they take up most of my space. There's no way, I could yank out a producing tomato for kale. I guess I'll just have to start things in flats, and remember to water diligently. This will be my first year trying to do year-round and I'm excited to try it, so I don't want to miss the boat. Thanks for everyone's suggestions.

I just started 9 flats of veggies for fall/winter harvest. I'll be putting up a 10x20 greenhouse with row covers and hope to harvest greens and roots well into winter.

4 types of lettuce
Detroit Golden Beets
Swiss Chard
Parsnips
Kohlrabi
Broccoli
Snap Peas
Pole Beans

I still need to get seed for rutabagas and spinach. I'll wait a bit to plant more carrots and radishes.

Sandra christie - this is my first year to grow year-round as well. Typically, I can still get some small tomatoes the first week of October, but the quality isn't very good. I'm more excited about the fall crop than the summer. I guess because it's something new.

EG

I'll be planting my fall/winter parsnips, kale, spinach, and carrots in the spots where I've recently pulled my lettuce, garlic, and spring carrots/parsnips. Last year I ripped out a couple zucchini to make room. It's tough to do, but sometimes...

Patapscomike,
I know you are in my area, HOW WERE YOU STILL EATING LETTUCE until just recently?!!!! Mine was gone by end of May, I've seen lots of other folk around our zone 7 with greens at this time of year. Are you shading them? What's the secret?
Oh and zucchini would be my sacrifice too. But I generally force mine to scramble out over my grass from my raised beds so they don't really take up much gardening room.

As for fall space - by about the 3rd week in August my early melons & loupes are pretty much shot so I'll pull them out and use that area. My fall garden is typically 1/4 the size of the summer garden as I plant the usual broc, cabb, turnips, collards, kale, carrots, beets, & kohlrabi. My mid summer late cukes & squash usually go where the early corn was.

I have the exact same problem. I will squeeze in what I can into the garden spot. In an area where I have raised beds, I'm planting stuff in the ground between the beds and at the center point so I can still access it and around the perimeter of the beds too. This buys me about a half dozen or more eggplant, more peppers and a few more tomatoes.

Then add to this mess about a dozen pots with squash in them and cucumbers and cantelope. I had so many seedlings left that I couldn't stand to toss them and I gave away as many as I could. The rest went into 3 gallon nursery pots. We shall see if they do anything, some dont look half bad, I can move them around as their size dictates.

As much as I'd love love love to plant fall stuff, I'm about at a maintenence limit.

I have my GH too and I guess I'm going to have to brave the heat and get out there soon and get it ready for possible winter growing. I still need to put in my brick floor and have serious weeds growing in there. Plus it's become a catch all storage area for empty flats and containers!!

The projects never end. EVER

I had this problem with spring and summer crops. The peas took waaaay longer than I thought (first time to grow them), and the canteloupes and vining cukes needed to go in that same area. I went ahead and started them in containers, but they sat in them for at least 3 weeks after germinating, before I finally decided to plant them right in front of the peas, which will probably get pulled later this week. The problem is the canteloupes didn't go in until 7/11, which may not be enough time to get any melons before the first frost here.

I need a better plan for managing the limited space along the fence for next year!

Bonnie

I'll use garlic beds the cleared out mid june and
onion beds cleared out late july/ early august.

I just added a second 4x8 raised bed myself.

Doing the SFG as I can't find a tiller to get the ground ready.

I have toms, cukes and sweet taters in my other 4x8 so they won't be coming up anytime soon.

I'm getting a straw bale to for some salad seedlings I have started. I got a late start and nothings ready to move out yet. I've read the straw bale can be completely covered w/ lettuces and It'll be placed where it gets after noon shade so the hottest part of the day will be shaded.