A couple of weeks ago, Jim decided we should expand our agricultural operation by growing more herbs next year, but not in pots. We’re going to put a four-by-four raised bed — or perhaps a four-by-eight if we think we can fill it with enough stuff — behind the garage and put it not just culinary herbs, but some things that will be good for soapmaking (like lavender). I’ve been meaning to get the soapmaking operation underway again and this might give me a good reason to start.

So here’s what I learned: I have three or four romaine lettuce plants that have been completely harvested, stalks cut almost down to the ground. They are growing new leaves. I have no idea if there’s sufficient time left in their growing season for them to produce more edible crops, but I learned that they’ll re-shoot once they’ve been cut down. So there’s one lesson. The second thing: I took a couple of marigold stems in when I replanted to marigolds we bought for companion plants in the vegetable garden. They had basically broken off the plant when I unpotted it, but they had blooms, so I brought them inside and stuck them in a glass of water. They have since made roots. I didn’t know a plant would do this in my house. Usually they just come in and die. I’m going to throw all caution to the winds and put it in a pot of soil and see what happens.

We’re also wondering what we can plant late in August that will be ready for harvest in mid- to late-autumn. Kale and broccoli seem to be pretty high on the list of possibilities, along with root vegetables. A little more research is in order, but we might see if we can prolong our growing season a bit.