While I was away on vacation in late July, my tomatoes came in. Those tending my garden enjoyed the first fruits. Home now, there are tomatoes at every lunch and dinner. I plant my favorites Cherokee Purple, Green Zebra, Stupice, and Early Girl. This year I added Black Krim.

Here are just a few of the cucumbers and zucchini. I can’t give them away fast enough. I’m harvesting four or five cukes daily from six plants growing on a four foot wide trellis. While I was away it became a forest of cucumber vines, spilling into the paths. Chelsea Prize (Renee’s Garden) is my favorite with few seeds, mild flavor and very crisp. Most are 12-15 inches long.

Here are some earlier harvests, since my last post. It’s the intersection of the winter and summer garden crops.

I grew arugula in a container with just morning sun. The young leaves are perfect in a salad or topping pasta or pizza.

Ditto, a six-pack of lettuce planted in a 12-inch container kept me in enough lettuce for sandwiches and an occasional salad for a few weeks. Summer lettuce in the ground seems to be a favorite of the birds that frequent my garden. I can protect the potted lettuce and arugula.

And just before vacation, I pulled the last of the carrots. We had plenty to munch on while camping. Thankfully, they keep nicely in the fridge for weeks.

And zinnias to the rescue for the church bouquet, here with leucadendron and pittosporum.

See what other garden bloggers are harvesting at Harvest Monday, hosted by Our Happy Acres.