First Real Harvest + Garden Update

The garden has been doing great so far (knock on wood).  In the last several months, I've been harvesting this and that throughout the season ( kale and collards, 1 or 2 cucumbers) but none of my crops have ever ripened all at the same time until this morning!! Today was the first time that I was able to harvest more than 1 or 2 things from the garden....

I was finally able to harvest that cabbage that I was growing in a bag of soil, and that zucchini is actually the second one of the season! I had to eat the first one right away especially since I've been having such a hard time with zucchini pollination.  I'm getting tons of basil and thyme and CARROTS! The carrots aren't all stunted and deformed! Well, at least the ones picked today.

This was my very first carrot...

SO WEIRD! We were a little freaked out and I forgot to cut the tops off so it wilted and shrank.  The worms get to eat it now.

The collards! Holy Mess! I've been waiting for them to go to seed and they just won't! I stopped harvesting leaves though because they started to get too bitter. If you want a variety of collards that are heat and drought resistant, get the Vates from Seed Savers Exchange.  These guys have been through a lot! Being blown over as seedlings by high tornado like winds, bunnies, cabbage worms.... they are tough!!!

My zucchini plants have taken over my first bed. Like REALLY taken over.  I've been very vigilant as soon as the cucumber beetles and squash bugs appeared in the beginning of July, squishing and drowning those suckers every morning and now they're finally producing zucchinis. 

And for my favorite crop this year.... the watermelons! Two started growing right away in the beginning of July. The second one is hidden by the foliage.  I placed them on top of landscaping fabric to keep them off of the dirt.  They are heavy little suckers.  I was going to be happy with just the 2 if that was going to be all this year but this morning, I looked over at one of the other vines....

I have a third watermelon!!!! I swear, it wasn't there yesterday! 

This is the best part of gardening.... the surprises!  Happy weekend!