Harvest Season!

So it's been two weeks....and all of the sudden, I have a full blown zucchini that we'll eat with dinner tonight, and four more blossoms popped open overnight! This is one fast-growing veggie. (On a related note, if this rate keeps up I'm going to need recipe ideas...)

We had some weather roller coaster-ing the past week or so - it got cold and rainy for a while, then temps shot back up, and I had some worries about system shock for the Deck Farm. But all plants seem unfazed. Zucchini, as noted, is happy as can be, and the tomato plants are popping out all over the place. I've been pruning aggressively but they're still extremely bushy. We now have actual tomatoes on both plants, though, so exciting news there - I was worried with the crowded pots there wouldn't be enough nutrients, but apparently that's a non-issue. The corn continues to shoot skyward, as well - this morning I realized it was up to my shoulders!

It's been interesting noting the different growth patterns here versus the PacNW. My mint always struggled a bit in Seattle, sometimes not producing enough for the frequency with which I wanted cuttings. So this year, assuming the same would happen, I bought two plants. This has led to Mint Mania. I cut big chunks for visiting family last weekend, I've been adding it to iced tea as well as to cocktails, and still they have been run wild. I'm not complaining...but it's definitely unexpected!

Still no new blooms on my gardenia, though. Those things are so darn finicky. The leaves are happy and glossy so I feel like the plant is healthy, but it dropped most of its buds and the remaining ones don't seem to want to open. On the other hand the super jumbo 2 inch bees have been less frequent visitors...so maybe it's a good thing.

Oh! We finally have a new oven. It's LOVELY, y'all. Our landlords are the best. I can't wait to play with it. More on that later.