It's Really Food!

I am so excited about this year: we are really growing food!

Sure, we've had our successes in the past, but this just seems to be a great year where most things are behaving...and now I'm sure I've just jinxed the whole thing, but you what - when you're an accidental gardener, you have to bask in the successes!!

The 'early crops' (peas and lettuce) are finishing up, though still tons of lettuce - need to make more salads! And now the summer stuff is starting to shine!

It started with these precious little cherry tomatoes...

Then I noticed an itty bitty baby serrano pepper!

Soon an itty bitty green bell pepper started...

And then there are the berry bushes! 

 Yup - we are eating delicious raspberries, which, knock on wood, thankfully the birds are leaving alone! And it will not be long before the absolutely exploding blackberries are ripe...

And then the accidental tomato, which has just been marching its way up the tomato cage.

A few weeks ago:                                                      And last week - almost to the top!

 And look what's peeking through the leaves!!!

And then this week...over the top of the cage!

Tomatoes!!!!

In fact the store-bought one I planted maybe 2 weeks after my accidental one is still so sad inspite of my fertilizing both.

Aaaaaaand.......BEEEEEEEEEANS!!!!!



We love beans.


Growing up we had an edible garden for a few years and the green beans never made it to the dinner table: we'd clean them right off the plants. Mmmmm-mm! Nothing like fresh green beans!

So that hasn't changed now that I'm an adult.
Husband seems to get to them first, but thankfully he's a fantastic fellow and so he always {I think...hmmm... :-D} shares with me. We stand there next to the bean plants or stroll around the yard and munch on beans.
Such delightful snacking, I must say.




The peas were done last week - just a few remaining over-ripe ones.

And then it hits me: I should save the peas to plant next year!

So most beginner gardeners would go look up how to do that properly.   Nope - not me!
I just pick the remaining peas and tear down the spent plants to allow more sunlight on the rhododendron and then go look up how to dry peas for planting:

"Leave on the plant until browned - about 4 weeks after normal harvest"

[facepalm]

Welp, guess I'm saving the garden plot ones, not these!


 Overall, the little bed looks absolutely beautiful (a thousand times better after a good weeding!)

The cilantro has gone to seed and I failed to hold back a portion of it (we've been traveling a bit), so I'm sadly without cilantro for a month or two :-(

But otherwise, looking great and crossing our fingers for a fabulous year!