It's summer in our garden (a Kathi post)

There's a lot going on in our little garden. 

This picture is from 2013, and that year we just let the pumpkins grow up the net behind our square foot garden instead of on the ground. It cracked me up (well, it still does) to see pumpkins growing, basically, up in the air. People are surprised that the vine will hold once they've gotten so big, but the vine somehow knows it needs to be able to support it differently than it does on the ground. It just does.

This year we have four containers that each have a tomato plant in them -- two plum tomato and two of a heritage tomato that are kinda small. The plum tomatoes are finally putting on some fruit, and the heritage tomato has had little fruits for a couple weeks. Next year, we'll remember to plant a slicing tomato.

We have one container with a zucchini plant in it. Jim said he saw two small zucchinis on it, so that's good.

In our square-foot garden, we have strawberries, and we are still pulling a small or medium berry or two or three or four every day. We have not had a large berry in a week or two now.

Jim wanted to make something artsy out of gourds, so we planted one in each of the back four squares in the garden. We've got them trellising up the net at the back of the square-foot garden, like the pumpkin pictured above, and they all have blossoms on them. This is the first year we've tried to grow them, and they seem to like all weather -- hot, cool, wet, dry. Well, so far.

We planted two varieties of pumpkins and one heirloom watermelon. They are all booking right along and the pumpkins all have blossoms. The watermelon does not, and we have heard that it is never hot enough long enough here to grow them, but we try every year anyway. So far, this year's vine is the largest, at a whopping 1-1/2 feet. Still. . . maybe one day.

Oh! And cucumbers. We're growing them in a large container, and trellising them up a big tomato cage. So far, lots of little yellow blossoms and some pickle-sized cukes. They are a pickling variety, so some are about ready to be plucked.

We also planted three lavender plants this year. Next year, we'll plant a bunch more if they seem happy and do well, and we can use them in soaps and stuff.

One thing I do miss this year is my gardening buddy, Nugget. He's been gone a year and two months now. Last year, I didn't -- no, couldn't -- plant anything without him helping me. This is what I we see as I sat at the kitchen table cleaning and preparing whatever we'd bring in from outside. He was helpful that way, ya know. Sweet pup.