Week 15: 22 July -- The first harvest

So I've learned that I can never, ever go away for a week in the middle of the summer again. The lads in the garden got quite unruly while I was away.

But first, let's talk about what I pulled out this week. My first zucchinis, some squash, some string beans and a cucumber. Here's a picture of the collection.

Now if you're thinking that I have a rather big zucchini there, you're right. Here it is on it's own with a 20-dollar bill for perspective. It's kind of ridiculous and well past it's prime for eating. My mom did take it and swore she'd make zucchini bread with it. I'm looking forward to that.

Back in the garden, things had gone haywire. What was left of the lettuces had bolted so I hoed both plots over and left the remainder to rot back into the soil. The peas had come and gone without too much to show for it so I tore those out as well. I'll throw some lettuce in the pea plot in a few weeks when things start to cool down.

But it's the tomatoes that required the most work. All of my heirlooms had flourished to the point that they knocked over the bamboo stakes I had tied them to and were growing along the ground (as Stephen predicted). Not good for the ripening tomatoes. I spent hours untangling them and getting them firmly attached to more substantial six-foot stakes. I'm not sure how well they will do at this point but I should get some yield from them. The other plot of tomatoes were safely ripening in their cages and much happier for it. Cages all the way in '07!

And the pumpkins are continuing their conquest of the garden. They have managed to make their way through two adjacent plots and seem to be heading toward the house. Here they are devouring my sunflowers!