View From our Garden: Summer Chronicles

So, it’s been raining in Maryland for the last few days, which is not so good for us, but great for the garden.

Today, we decided to take advantage of the comparatively cool weather & start weeding. As you can see it’s a jungle out there, in need of serious TLC

Speaking of needing TLC, our cat, Pinico, was feeling uncommonly affectionate/sociable, this afternoon & joined us in the garden. (She, normally, steers clear and doesn’t like being fenced in). Here, she is keeping my wife, @dianarpo company:

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When I sat on a stool, nearby, to do my share of weeding, Pinico surprised me by climbing onto my lap, gently nibbling & playing around:

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Also, surprising for this city boy, is the tenacity of some of the weeds, how firmly they cling to the earth with their strong roots & stand their ground on thick stalks. It proved to be something of a workout, sloshing around in the mud, wrestling with these tough, baby-tree-like weeds:

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All of which, of course, is a small price to pay for the splendors of our vegetable garden. Let me show you around. Here’s our cabbage patch (green and purple):

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Next to that is where we pick our table salad: fresh, fragrant and tasty lettuce, kale and dill

This year, we’re experimenting with growing our sweet potatoes out of buckets, instead of in the soil:

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The squash are beauties and I’ve yet to try eating their flowers (I heard they’re delicious sautéed)

But, the biggest hit every year are our tomatoes, which find their way into pasta sauces and gift bags when guests visit. As you can see, they’re not quite their juicy, ruby-red selves, yet:

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Thank you, for joining us on this virtual tour. I hope you are eating/living well & enjoying your summer 🙏🏼