Our bountiful harvest

For my entire life, my parents have had a garden. They have successfully grown everything from apples to zinnias-literally. I wish I had pictures of their yard/crop. I even have memories of my mother's grandmother's garden on their farm- with everything you might imagine growing there. Both of my grandmothers had small gardens in their yards as well when I was little. So, when we bought our house 6 years ago- I picked out my little area where I would have my starter garden. It was just a part of having a yard- nothing special about it really. In years past I have had enjoyed tomatoes, cucumbers, even okra freshly picked from the yard. I have had my own zinnias, sunflowers, moon vine, and other beautiful and aromatic selections to enjoy. Even with a newborn and a 2 year old last year-I managed to cultivate enough tomatoes that by season's end, they were used as bouncy balls against our fence much more than they were ever actually eaten.

So this year-I should have been all over my little garden with the cost of groceries increasing in conjunction with the movement of "going green" (does this phrase not invoke a memory of Kermit sitting atop his lily pad in a few moments of lonely solitude- I know it was not easy "being green"...but I digress). Well, we did a little kitchen remodel at the beginning of the summer- so I was certainly thrown off my usual summer routine- but I did get some plants out, though late. It is basically summer until October around here, so there was still plenty of growing time- so I thought. Perhaps I did not give them enough miracle grow, or water, or maybe we did not talk to them enough- but this is without a doubt my lowest yielding crop.

Behold the harvest: