Clockwise from Top Left: 1. This is a view of half of one of the raised beds, situated about midway down the garden on the west side. This bed housed an assortment of crops last year, but this year it holds several determinate (bush) and dwarf tomato varieties that have quickly turned into a jungle of foliage, flowers, and now some fruit are on the way. The stake at the back is empty as that variety was mangled by the squirrels and has never recouped. I haven’t claimed the space for something else because I was so determined that it would bounce back. The poor thing is clinically dead and here I am still rooting it on.

There is a ‘Turkish Orange’ eggplant at the front of the bed (already full of adorable little fruit), and in front of the actual bed is peppermint and thyme. I have since planted a dwarf tomato variety in the open spot next to the thyme. It was floundering in its pot so I decided to give it some space in the ground. I’m completely out of pots now, and potting soil, too for that matter. I don’t suggest transplanting tomatoes once they’re making flowers (as mine was), but it can be done if you are careful not to disturb the roots.

2. I pulled almost all of the peas out to make room for beans. This is some of the remaining harvest that we have since shucked and put up in the freezer.

3. This is the second carrot I have harvested from this bucket. It is a cute little, thumb-sized variety called ‘Parisian Market.’ I recommend it if you are short on space. Good flavor and not woody.

4. We ate the first ripe tomato from the garden just the other day, a dwarf called ‘Hahms Gelbe Topftomate.’ This image is of what I predict will be our first ripe indeterminates, ‘OSU Blue.’ I don’t think it is a particularly early variety, I just happen to start the seeds early and planted it out earlier than most of the other indeterminates that I am growing. The last time I grew ‘OSU Blue’ was in 2010. Both of the plants I grew that year featured quite a bit of blue in the foliage and stems. Unfortunately, the one seed that I germinated this time around has developed into your basic green plant. Since it gets as much sun and heat as my rooftop grown plant did I can only attribute the difference to genetics.

My garden on July 5, 2012. I hesitated to show you this one since I have made several changes since taking this picture. After Friday’s hellish heatwave (our outdoor thermometer was reading 40C around the outside of the house), we were welcomed with a light rain on Saturday that brought a massive temperature drop. The garden was in such desperate need that I put aside pressing writing work and worked like a mad person in order to take advantage. I worked so hard and tirelessly that I could barely move the next morning. I practically hobbled downstairs! Still, it felt really good to get caught up.