I realized while we were away that I’d neglected to water the garden before leaving and that, because for the first time in weeks no rain was expected, this could be a problem. I worried we’d return to discover that all the work I’d put into my plot during the spring had been undone in a single quartet of days. I was pleased to discover that my concerns had been unfounded. Nevertheless, my plants, much like my cats, were delighted to see our return.

Rudi had finished watering by the time I reached the garden after work on Monday, so all that was left to do was pick some peas and a head of lettuce, eat a couple alpine strawberries that had ripened in our absence, and admire what was growing:

Tomatoes (the top ones are biggest and we get progressively smaller):

I have more than a dozen cherry tomato plants that will need transplanting from my office window this coming weekend. I do not currently have spots for this many plants, but Rudi assures me we’ll find room.

This weekend, I’ll also need to harvest some chard and some herbs, as well as more lettuce (hopefully harvesting lettuce will free up space for tomatoes…):

My potato patch (and maybe some peanuts) is doing well. I’ll need to add more dirt to it this weekend:

The beans I planted a week ago (no sign of the flowers or the squash yet):

Peppers-to-Be:

Finally, to my delight, I found that my echinacea had re-seeded itself last year:

So far, this has definitely been my best gardening year to date. Having my big shade tree cut down certainly didn’t hurt, but I’d also like to think that some of it has come from all the learning (and prep) I did in my earlier years.