My garden just keeps on giving…and giving. I continue to be amazed at the bounty it is so freely offering, but it is creating a problem for me because I have more than I can use or even give away. You see, I did not pay attention to the seed packages that told me, in no uncertain terms, how far apart to space the plants. I never have the heart to “thin” my plants and save every single seedling that I can. I gave some of the seedlings away, but in the end I had to put them somewhere. I did not want to plant anything next to the house since replacing windows, rebuilding the front porch, and painting are in the very near future for this house. Any plants that had been put there, would surely be trampled to death. So, I tucked seedlings into every empty space that I could find in my small raised bed. As if they weren’t crowded enough, I tossed at least a dozen old flower seeds into the center of the bed, thinking that the vegetables could grow over the edges. I still had a dozen tomato seedlings, in addition to the three that I had placed in the garden, and given away all that I could. I planted those along the east fence.
The zucchini wasted no time growing over the edges and into the center of the bed, as well. It shaded out many of the herbs and flowers that could not begin to compete with their giant leaves. I tried to harvest the zucchini while it was small, but those crafty squash would hide under their big leaves. With the sun glaring off my glasses, I could not always see them until a few had become zucchini monsters. I ate a lot of zucchini. I made all kinds of zucchini dishes and zucchini bread. I took it to work with me and gave it away to neighbors. I recalled a story a friend had once told me – that people in Iowa lock their cars – or they might return to find it filled with zucchini. Since the base layer of my raised bed was compost, topped with a layer of organic raised bed soil, my zucchini was in a very happy place. However; a couple of weeks ago, I pulled out all but two of the plants. I had had enough zucchini!
In a short time, the cucumbers began to follow suit. Their vines stretched halfway down one side of the garden bed, as well as across it to the other side. They climbed the giant sunflowers, as well as the supports I had provided for them. The sunflowers, by the way, were volunteers from the bird seed hulls that I had added to the compost pile. Like their zucchini friends, the cucumbers also had a habit of hiding beneath the leaves where I could not always find them. I made one large jar of refrigerator pickles. They were yummy, but my dill has been shaded too much from the enormous leaves of the sunflowers, so I cannot make more. The bush beans, thankfully, were far better behaved and have given me manageable numbers of their fresh, tasty bounty.
The tomatoes, although of the “indeterminate” varieties, are now taller than I am. They are loaded with green tomatoes of which only a few have ripened thus far. I started them much later in the season than I should have. I do think that they will be easier to give away, provided I can cover them well when Jack Frost makes his appearance. I am certain that in the coming weeks I will be making a lot of salsa and tomato sauce. Don’t get me wrong – I am grateful that my garden has rewarded my hard work so abundantly; but next year, you can be sure, I will follow the spacing directions on the back of the seed packets!
