Victory Garden: Round Two

Summer is winding down but now's the time to plant for the fall. As far as the spring planting goes there were a few setbacks but all things considered, our first serious foray into gardening was a resounding success thanks to my wife, the new farmer in the family.

We learned a lot about pruning, complementary plants, and insects we never knew existed. It's been a complete treat to share the bounty with family and friends and to have dinner almost every night that incorporates food from our own backyard produce market...

On the downside..

• the dreaded cucumber beetle (who knew there was such a critter) wreaked havoc on our cukes but not before we harvested a good dozen
• the French marigolds (planted to repel pests) muscled out the melon (boo-hiss)
• and the blackberry bush went to the great blackberry patch in the sky

On the upside...

• the squash and squash blossoms were plentiful and mouth-watering good
  
• the basil (ahhh the basil!), rosemary, oregano, lemon thyme, pineapple sage and mint keep putting out
  
• the strawberries and blueberries are building up strength for next year
• the arugula had a short but plentiful life
• the kale could probably survive a nuclear war
  
• the eggplant is coming into its own at this very moment
• the tomatoes and peppers (serrano, poblano and bell) are booming (hopefully the ominous sounding "late blight" has passed us over)
  
• and the okra, beans and peas were all delicious but we just didn't plant enough

So now we move into Round Two. We just planted a bunch of collards and beets (the seeds were so tiny) and in a week or so we'll plant more.

Stay tuned.