Another productive day.  I weeded and cleaned up more of the veg flower border, the two beds formerly known as poppies and artichokes-turned-vol. tomatoes, the outer raised beds formerly pumpkins/melons-turned-weeds (sad face), and later began the job of hacking veg weeds.  Somewhere in there I made a colorful dinner.

Assessment time: some of my best-laid plans for this year were a flop, still trying to figure it out.  Apparently I can’t grow pumpkins, melons, and zucchini, which makes no sense.  The soil, no matter how much rich organic material has been tilled into it, turns to concrete, with that horrible crab-grass-like weed that can’t be pulled.  The weeds in general were worse than ever.  Even the tomatoes were weeds!  My healthy thyme actually died.  The strawberry bed is totally overrun.  And the tall native flowers I had hoped would do something this year disappeared into a forest of jewelweed.  Perhaps… there’s always next year?

OTOH, I surprised myself with all the cucumbers!  Even some eggplant.  The butterflies and finches and hummers appreciated all the flowers.  The human critters enjoyed picking all the colorful corn.  No lack of feral tomatoes!  The peppers and okra finally did something.  Some of the greens made it, before the bugs devoured them.  Most of the herbs did well, until they didn’t.  All things considered, we got some food out of it, even some excess to share.  I guess it’s always a gamble.  I still learn something every year.  For example, when your fancy heirloom sunflowers fail, just scatter wild bird seed there and get instant sunflowers!

Overall, not bad.