July 2010 Update

Well, I was busy the first 7 months of the year. A neighbor tilled a portion of my garden and I laid down some black plastic to control the weeds. Historically, they grow higher than the plants.

I'm fortunate to have very black, rich soil that I feed on a regular basis.

So I got about a dozen tomato plants and half that many peppers planted. In a small planter, I have some herbs. The rosemary is still in the kitchen sink because 1) I never had time to plant it, 2) bought it midsummer and 3) it's been too darned hot to be outside. I have to be careful.

So now, it's harvest time. Joel has made two batches of banana pepper relish. Oh, it's so good. He first made it 4 years ago. Now, I'm relishing my relish. Will it get processed in the canner? Maybe. It's really good!

The guy who does my yard has been working for his parents at their beach house, so my grass and weeds are growing. Today, I tried mowing, but both lawn mowers are going to the shop. I'm stranded. YIKES! I'm overcome with weeds and need to get them out of the way so I can harvest.

In the meantime, I am working the soil to stop the blossom end rot. That's a simple fix, but you do lose some fruit along the way.

But the glowing star in the garden is our globe artichoke. I planted it last year.