The freshest summer veggies

Doesn't this sign say it all?  Let's face it, most of us in the Northeast want to be enjoying nature--and its bounty--right now. Our growing season is short, folks! Those in the know, know how to get the most out of our fleeting season.  Like my upstate neighbors, who not only proudly display the kitschy sign, above, but boast a garden shed full of the best that summer sunshine and showers can offer: just-picked lettuce, green beans and peppers.  It's right about this time that the cucumber and tomato plants are gearing up as well, making mid-to-late-July the start of nonstop mouth-watering season.  Look for "Early Bush" cherry tomatoes (like the ones pictured above) to mix with cukes just now ripening on the vine.  What tastes more like summer than that?

Check out this impressive array of yellow and green beans (pictured, right).  The raised beds not only make tending easier on the back, but discourage little critters from snacking on your garden goodies.  Of course the height is perfect for browsing deer seeking an all-you-can-eat salad bar, but the post-and-rail fence makes access a bit tougher (as well as spraying the perimeter of the garden with Liquid Fence).

When it comes to food-producing gardens, I admit to being fruit-and veggie-challenged.  My talents lie more in the flower-garden-designing arena.  I've been known to toss an occasional herb pot in the mix because the flowers and foliage add depth and drama to flowerbeds.  But, just like my beloved plants, I must also "grow or die," so I'm now the proud owner of six cucumber and eight pumpkin plants. 

As you can see in the photos below, they've just begun producing fruit (cucumber below, and pumpkin, bottom ).  Quite frankly, I'm delighted.  Why didn't I clear a sunny spot in my yard sooner?