[drixnot]

This Year I started a tiny raised bed garden... nothing big and fancy because I am a serial/mass plant killer. But amazingly not everything died on me in my little raised bed. My family actually got several meals worth of lettuce, tomatoes and cucumbers. The local squirrels got my peppers, beans and carrots though.

Next year I'm planning to do a bigger plot and wonder if any other city dwellers are trying something new.

[rtmama]

This will be my first post, but I've been lurking for quite awhile on the whole foods forum

I started my first "real" garden this season, and it's been great!

I am growing (or have grown)

basil
beet greens & beets
brussels sprouts
butternut squash
carrots
pickling cucumbers
eggplant
jalapeno peppers
lettuce
bell peppers
oregano (perennial)
potatoes
red cabbage
shell peas
sugar snap peas
tomatoes
cherry tomatoes
sun gold cherry tomatoes
watermelon

I'm planning on planting more beets and some Asian greens later this month.

My cherry tomatoes are crazy, I've been harvesting bowlfuls at a time. The larger tomatoes are just starting to turn red.

My pickling cukes and eggplant are also awesome. I've already made batches of pickles!

Jalapeno peppers are okay, but my bell peppers did poorly. Already harvested a small cabbage, and my peas were great. I'll plant more of those later too.

I'm already starting to think about next season! It's amazing how "sustainable" I have felt with my small garden. It's fun (and calming) to garden, and I don't have to buy as much produce!

I live in the suburbs, North of Boston, our summer has been very hot this year. How was your weather?

[Strawberry Blond]

Hi Drixnot and rtmama!

I have a garden, in raised beds too. Even with the drought, we have lots from it: tomatoes, corn, onions, peppers, carrots, cucumbers, beans, lettuce, etc. Many of our dinners have been almost entirely from the garden (like a large salad, with a little grilled chicken).

I've found that planting marigolds around some beds helps keep away bugs and some animals (they don't like the smell). But sometimes a fence is the only way to keep them out. Glad to hear you are enjoying your garden!

Rtmama -- your garden sounds wonderful!

[Unicorn67]

I love gardening. We have had a very hot dry summer and I had to deal with bunny rabbits who apparently needed my spinach and lettuce more than we did!

Right now the zucchini are plentiful. The cucumbers are wonderful. The cherry tomatoes are just starting to turn and won't be long before the big tomatoes start turning. We have had wonderful beets. My jalapeno peppers look good but like rtmama my bell peppers did not do well.

But the most wonderful thing about my garden this year is the spaghetti squash. There are an awful lot of them and they are huge. Can hardly wait for one of them to ripen!

As I've improved my health I've been able to keep up with the garden much better...right now there is not a weed in it. There was a nice breeze last night and I wanted to go out and work in the garden and there was nothing left to do!

[rtmama]

Wow spaghetti squash! What a fabulous idea!