Flourishing

Lest you think my dream of a flourishing vegetable garden fell to the wayside I wanted to share some photos from our garden today.

The experienced gardener next door said we wouldn't be able to grow broccoli. But low and behold, check out that stalk! Broccoli is a beautiful plant, with tinged purple, gorgeous leaves. It adds wonderful colour to our garden.

Our cucumbers have begun to appear. For a while the stems and gigantic leaves were taking over our garden and yard. I over planted them, not trusting that a single seed could produce a harvest. Next year they're going to have their own box. 

Ha, ha. A pumpkin. Why is this funny? I never planted any pumpkins. At least not intentionally. Apparently the pumpkin seeds got mixed into my mail order of cucumber seeds. Right now the cucumbers and pumpkins are intertwined, growing together. 

The cherry tomatoes are just ripening. The branches are so heavy with them that they're starting to collapse. I have to do some serious pruning and reinforcing or I'm worried I'll lose our crop.

The zucchini and beans have produced the most consistent and abundant harvest. The beans keep growing no matter how many I pick, and the zucchinis are huge! I should have measured the one in this photo because I had to hold it with two hands it was so heavy and long. It made tons of fresh zucchini sticks as well as a gigantic zucchini loaf.

I still feel like a very green gardener but I've learned some valuable lessons for growing next year. I'm also hoping to plant some fall vegetables like yams, beets and sweet potatoes.

My mom was in Oregan last week and picked up this book for me. I love reading about other urban gardeners and their experiences. Helen Babbs writes beautifully and a cup of tea on the front deck, overlooking my garden, with her book in hand is a perfect summer evening!