wishing and hoping

I spent the evening transplanting lettuce and killing (hopefully) flea beetles.  This time of year, transplanted lettuce is a little bit of a gamble.  A warm beginning to Sept. and some timely showers and I will have beautiful lettuce by the equinox.  A cold, dry Sept. and I'll be hoping for a late frost and anticipating harvest in mid-October.  The same goes for spinach planted now.  With a little luck we will be eating spinach frittata in November.  The fall garden is more of the same for me and most gardeners; plant it and hope the vagaries of the weather are in your favor.  With costs for seed, fertilizer and land escalating every year, many commercial growers who used to do the same thing can't afford to gamble that way unless it is a desperate toss of the dice.  An early frost or a too wet fall can be the difference between a good year and clinging to your business life.