our victory garden

First of all, I apologize for the shabby vegetable garden coverage this year. I honestly didn't think it would be much of a success. You see, I planted it in the shadow of our neighbor's privacy fence. This spot doesn't get full sun until about 2pm, but it worked perfectly with the layout of our postage stamp-sized yard, so I thought I'd give it a try. All I had to lose was a few seed packets.

And all I had to gain, it seems, was about a billion tomatoes.

These pics were taken a few weeks ago, before everything ripened. These tomatoes are now a lovely shade of yellow-red, almost ready to be picked. Oh, and these are cherry tomatoes . . . about the size of a golf ball, these cherry tomatoes. All three of my cherry tomato plants are producing beautifully, even with the mild grasshopper infestation they had to endure.

Then we move on to the cucumbers.

These two plants actually look better in this picture than they do now, mostly because I epic fail at harvesting them. Two cucumbers escaped my notice long enough to tell their plants to shut down. Most of the leaves are now yellowish-brown, although there are a few at the top that still look like this and have some new flowers, so maybe all is not yet lost. And even if they are done producing, I've still gotten my money's worth and then some. Anybody know a nice recipe for cucumber salad?

Then there are the string beans.

These probably won't be part of the garden next year. I didn't realize just how many bean plants you need to produce enough beans for a decent meal, and that number is way beyond the capacity of my garden. Maybe with the extra space next year, I'll be able to find all my cucumbers!

Not pictured is our lettuce, which, because of its sheltered position against the fence, didn't go to seed as early as our neighbors'. I want to try ripping it up and planting some spinach there in the fall. Can you imagine not paying an arm and a leg for baby spinach leaves? I know I can.

Also not pictured is my sad little strawberry plant. Maybe it just needs some time to "get established," or maybe the bugs just love it way too much, but I've only managed to harvest one little strawberry from it. It's supposed to be everbearing, though, so there's still time.

And that, ladies and gentlemen, is our victory garden. The garden I never expected to succeed, let alone flourish. I'm already excited for next year.