Garden Journal (yr 2: vol 9)

Visiting the garden after the sun has set is magical. I go down, bare foot, camera in hand and play peek-a-book with my garden plants. The tomatoes are starting to ripen and if I find one that’s ripe I pluck it and let it explode in my mouth. Nothing speaks to me of summer like a vine ripened heirloom tomato. As I walk past the pepper plants, I remind myself not to be deceived by the apparent lack of peppers. I swoop low, sweep back the foliage and smile and the abundance that I see. Before continuing on I double back and head to the bush beans. Earlier last week I picked all the beans and froze enough to fill a gallon sized bag. I can see that the beans have worked hard since my absence and it is time for another harvest. I also need to harvest and freeze some swiss chard and kale but that can wait until tomorrow.

I move on to the corner garden aptly named “the jungle”. I have a tendency to put all sorts of plants in this corner bed. Right now there is a row of the dry beans along the fence. They have grown half way up the lattice and I see that they are covered in blooms. I may yet have beans before the fall arrives! In front of the beans there are two volunteer tomato plants that I didn’t have the heart to pull and half a dozen cucumber plants. We enjoyed our first cucumber last week and it was so crisp and juicy. And in front of the cucumber plants there are several squash plants, one of which has gone rogue and decided to climb the fence and go into my neighbours yard. And along with all those plants there are several sunflowers and a watermelon plant that’s struggling to make it. To find anything in this jungle I have to plunge below the squash plants and navigate through the jungle or enormous prickly leaves. When I come out with a zucchini or cucumber it’s most rewarding!

A couple weeks ago: Garden Journal (yr 2: vol 8)
This time last year: Garden Journal (vol 10) & Garden Journal (vol 11)