This is the garden I have always dreamed of having. So excited that my efforts last year are paying off this year.

Next week … a look at the veggies.

Oh, yes, we finally have pumpkins. Quite a few in fact. So I am cautiously (after this season of rain, rain, rain, blight, heat, heat, heat, who wouldn’t be?) optimistic that we may actually get to harvest some pumpkins this season. Here’s to hoping.

Speaking of blight … I never actually pulled my tomatoes. I planned to, but didn’t get around to it. Then I heard that do to the late onset for my plants, I might skirt the issue. So, although these don’t look as vibrant and healthy as I would like, I did pick quite a bunch of sungold tomatoes this afternoon. Yum. I think this might be our favorite variety for munching.

And finally, the Brussels sprouts. I could probably pick and eat them now, but I am waiting just a bit longer — I like mine plump. And oooh, I just cannot wait.

So, how is your garden?

Earlier this summer, rain punctuated each day. We were in a state of constant gray, which was anything but fun. These past few weeks have been quite the opposite — A string of hot, unyielding humidity and anything by rain. The plants have been drooping and sagging under the heat of the sun. It’s like you can never win. (Above: My basil bolted a few weeks ago … I don’t think it’s coming back this year.)

The thing about gardening is that it takes a tremendous amount of patience … I am not the most patient of people. But I have waited and waited for this red cabbage to grow big enough to eat … it’s finally there.

And the pumpkins? Well, there is no stopping them. Let’s just hope they grow … actual pumpkins.

I have probably mentioned before that my cousins are farmers and operate an organic farm. I buy a lot of our veggies from them. But I am so devastated to say that this year, they will not have any tomatoes. At all. If you haven’t heard, late blight has struck with a vengeance here in Connecticut, canceling an heirloom tomato fest and just about ruining the whole season. And unfortunately, my tomatoes have fallen victim too. It’s with a heavy heart that I have to pull the plants and dispose of them (plants with late blight are not recommended for composting).

I am so sad to see them go. But that said, I learned two valuable lessons this year: first, I am totally capable of successfully growing crops. If it weren’t for my lack of a fence and the weather conditions that allowed the late blight to develop and spread, I would be reaping the benefits of these lovely plants now. So next year, I am sure that my work will pay off. Onward and upward … and don’t worry, I still have plenty to write about here, so Fertile Fridays is far from over.

Moving on … Contrary to my local newspaper’s recent report that people are concerned about seeing fewer butterflies this season, I have never seen so many butterflies, dragonflies and other winged creatures on my lawn. Perhaps the butterflies are just taken with my newly discovered fondness for gardening. I jest. Sort of.

Actually, my reason for bringing up this article is that I was surprised by it’s obvious reaching for some degree of agricultural controversy. It suggests that people are worried. But those people seem to be one person, whose garden isn’t as butterfly abundant as in the past. The experts all seem to say that it’s just a late season this year. Using this one person’s experience as the basis for the article seems as irresponsible as me saying that since I have an abundance of butterflies, it must be a banner year across the board for the winged creatures.

Anyway, the pumpkin patch is continuing to grow and take over the nearby section of lawn (and no, it doesn’t bother me one bit). Frankly, this has little to do with me — Will planted the seeds with just a wee bit of help. Then I dumped some grass clippings around them to keep weeds out, moisture in and hopefully make the soil even better for next year. Really. That’s it.

Meanwhile, my Brussels sprouts are coming along swimmingly. I cannot wait to cook these babies. But in the meantime, I am just fascinated by how they grow. As a child, I just couldn’t imagine it. But now that I see them popping up where the stems of the leaves meet the stalk, it’s just amazing. Who thought to pluck these little wonders and eat them?

What’s happening in your garden this week?

Oh my. Apparently, the  pumpkins really like the sunshine and occasionally bouts of heavy rain. In the past week, the leaves have gone from what I thought was a good size to enormous and they have extended vine fingers into my lawn … with curly-ques that are wrapping around whatever they can reach. It’s sort of like Little Shop of Horrors, without the creepy talking plant.

Meanwhile, I picked a handful of ripe sungold tomatoes today and saw several more that will ripen in a few days time. The New Girls are stubbornly green still. So much for being an “early” tomato.

I also harvested three of the green peppers, which I am going to chop and use very soon.

The Brussels sprouts are growing, growing, growing. Of the three stalks I planted, one is quickly developing lovely sprouts and the other two are coming at varying paces. I guess that means three Brussels sprouts harvests for me. Yay!

Strangely though, the carrots … which had shown early signs of growing, have all but disappeared. I am not sure how long I will wait before replanting, but that does seem like the only sensible thing to do if the carrots don’t sprout soon.

That is a palmful of some blissfully juicy, sweet-tart wild blackberries. So tasty.

Last week, I noticed something red in a bush along my driveway while pulling out to go to the store. I didn’t stop at the time, and I mentally wrote it off as some inedible red berries like the perfectly round and frosty-exterior ones I used to squash between my fingers growing up.

Then, while I was walking up the driveway to get the mail yesterday, the spots of red caught my eye again. Except this time, I had the wherewithal to actually take a closer look. Those red berries that I wrote off? Turns out, they were not-yet-ripe blackberries. Wild blackberries.

I couldn’t be more excited. A few years ago, I discovered black raspberries at a family member’s house and made a delightful jam from them. I cannot wait to transform these blackberries into blackberry butter (food mill recommendations, anyone?).

Triumphant, I picked a few ripe ones to sample, sharing with the kids and Shawn. They’re pretty stoked too.

Honestly though, there is one thing bugging me. I have lived here for quite a few years, and this is the first I have ever seen of these bushes of blackberries. This isn’t one little bush, this is many bushes. They will produce pints and pints of berries this season. But why have I never seen them before? Was I so blind to my surroundings for all these years? Seriously?

Have you ever discovered something unexpected on your property? Maybe it’s time to go looking …

It felt like rain threatened to come all day. The grey clouds hung around like unwanted party guests who don’t know when to leave. And just when it was clear that they overstayed their welcome, it rained. In fact, it’s still raining now.

No matter. I have something exciting to show you.

See that? Pumpkin blossoms! Will’s pumpkin seeds, which he carefully planted, are quickly growing into firm, solid vines with fruits developing on them. I haven’t pointed them out to Will yet, but I think I will tomorrow. I can’t wait to see his reaction. I am pretty excited myself for having this much success growing something from seed. It’s really a first for me.

Meanwhile, my tomatoes are growing out of control. Love it. I had to grab some twine and borrow a bamboo pole to anchor them today, since the plants have grown so tall. The few tomatoes we’ve eaten have been sweet and scrumptious. I can’t wait for more.

Over yonder, the pepper plant is producing quite a few lovely peppers as well. We had one last week in a pasta and it was tasty, for sure.

And did I mention that Will and I pulled the broccoli? It had bolted and was making it clear that there would be no more heads this year, so I yanked it all and we’ve planted carrots there. The little growth you see is one just beginning to poke it’s head through the mulch.

What’s going on in your garden this week?

Growing food at home is hard. Really hard. And not in the way I expected it to be. I expected it to be challenging to get plants to grow strong enough to grow up and develop into good. That was the easy part, as it turns out. The hard part? Keeping the critters away from them! Last week it was slugs. This week? Deer. One of my tomato plants shrunk more than I care to think about at the mouths and hooves of deer. I was and am devastated, but we are doing the best we can to move forward.

And by moving forward, I mean erecting rudimentary fencing. Oh yes, that black monstrosity is my temporary barrier to keep deer out and plants in. We need a more permanent solution, but I am afraid it’s just not in the budget yet.

On the positive side, some of the tomatoes are starting to ripen. The surviving ones at least.

Meanwhile, I finally know what the mystery plant is that Will brought home from schools months ago. I’ve called it cucumbers, peas … but it turns out that the plant is (drumroll please!) green beans! And we have a few beans dangling from it already. Very exciting indeed.

The peppers are coming into their own as well. Petite, but perfect. Knock on wood.

And the pumpkins are coming up quickly. We’re using grass clippings in lieu of mulch there, which should make that plot good for the planting next spring as well.

What’s up in your garden this week?

I hate slugs. So I Facebooked my frustration and a friend of mine immediately offered a solution: place a bowl of beer under the plants and the slugs will naturally be attracted … and then they won’t be a problem to anything any longer. That sure beats the salt method I was threatening them with. So, I am going to try this ingenious slug removal technique. I’ll report back next Friday on the success of it.

The blueberries are just starting to turn into that deep blue that signifies when they are ready to eat. Hopefully they will hold out until Monday, as the kids and I are away for the weekend. It would be awesome to return to two bushes full of berries. A friend warned me this week that after we pluck all the berries, we should test the soil to ensure that it’s the ideal level of acidity for the berries. Good to know … Sounds like there might be some soil treating in my future.

Elsewhere in the garden, my New Girl tomatoes have quickly flowered and started to develop. The Sun Golds are thriving too. Hopefully they will start to ripen very soon. I am anxious for fresh tomatoes. I want to mix them up with fresh mozzarella, fresh basil and a bit of extra virgin olive oil and sea salt… mmm. Sometimes the simplest things are the best.

That’s all for this week – I am in a location with low connectivity so uploading is a little more challenging than usual. Have a fantastic weekend, and be sure to share what’s happening in your garden in the comments!