This is one of the best times of the year. The heat has started to abate, but most of all it’s time to harvest. My harvest is smaller than in previous years (I had less space), but I’m quite pleased with it. I picked my first couple tomatoes yesterday, and ate one like an apple. Certainly not the best tomato I’ve ever had but still delicious. I’ve made ratatouille twice this week, with eggplant and pepper from my own garden and zucchini from others. (No need to grow that myself. I keep turning down requests to take even more than what I have.)

Ratatouille is my favorite dish from the garden harvest. I craved it in the spring and resorted to buying rubbery grocery store eggplant. Ick…should have waited until harvest. Now is when I can make as much as I want (almost) and eat to my heart’s content. My garden has most of the fixings: eggplant, tomatoes, peppers, herbs. All I need to add is zucchini, onion, garlic. I was just about to write what I did tonight in recipe form, but I can’t quite translate it. You will get a paragraph instead. I cut corners when I cook and try to do everything as easy as possible, so feel free to elaborate the idea.

I put butter in the bottom of a crock pot, and layered slices of tomatoes, eggplant, peppers and zucchini.  I sprinkled that all with garlic salt, Italian seasoning, and dried chopped onion. (Told you I cut corners. You could use real onion, etc.) I have no idea how much of each, just put on what looks good. Bake on high for 2-3 hours. I let it cool down, and used it to top toasted bagels, but have eaten it by itself, and on top of pasta.

Enjoy your harvests!

I overhauled the patio garden. One day I looked at the stupid paving and decided it had to go. It was surprisingly easy to rip it out. I replaced small pavers with rocks in between (messy looking and my little kid loves to try and eat the rocks) with larger pavers and nothing in between.  There was a little extra room that the pavers didn’t fill up and I’m going to plant starts of my mom’s miniature thyme there.

The small pavers left over fit under my potted plants that were previously just on the grass. I didn’t try to level them or anything…maybe later. I’d pulled up the large pavers from the side of the patio where we stored  junk for a while. After pulling them up, I realized I could extend my planting space by turning it into another planting bed. The whole garden is looking much neater and I’m excited for the extra space to plant in.

I’ve been thinking lately that I tend to have a large-scale, expensive view on gardening due to school. Great for clients who will pay me…but not good for my own small garden and non-existent budget. I’ve realized I can do a lot for free, like move around patio stones and taking starts from other people. My goal is to garden cheaply right now, but to still do a lot.

I’ve also realized a garden is never complete. There’s always improvements to be made or places to put another awesome plant or idea. So much never-ending fun! I still need to finish what I started after I ripped up that first patio stone. It sent off a hurricane of activity in my garden.

The tomatoes are huge, but less than loaded with fruit. My brandywine has not a tomato on it. I’m guessing it was too hot too fast, and the brandywine is not as heat resistant as the others. One my sticky geraniums is blooming, and I’m quite enjoying it.

I was reading  You Grow Girl by Gayla Trail. I didn’t check it out to read, just had stumbled upon her website earlier and wanted to see what the book was about. But I did start reading and started to think about my own experiences as a gardener.

I went to school in horticulture thinking I loved to garden. I still do. But I’m not necessarily jumping at the opportunity to do so. My own garden domain is my patio garden. It’s not that fancy, and I could do quite a bit more out there. Lately I’ve been thinking about all these other places I could garden. I live in a suburb–many people have offered me a spot of ground–and I’ve done nothing.

At first, I thought I’m just lazy, or at least want to avoid piling one more thing on my already full days. Also, no matter how cheaply it’s done gardening cost money I would rather spend elsewhere (like food, clothing, gas, and avoiding debt). I have no time, no money….but still I think there is a bigger reason behind it. I am still trying to define myself.

I’ve finished school, established my family and a place in this world, but I’ve done it in a lot less years than most. I’m young. I’m still figuring out what I want to get out of life and being a gardener. My mind is no more set on things than a seedling realizes what flower it will produce. I feel like I still need more learning, reflecting, trial and error. My education is far from over: I yearn to learn more, to grow more.

Someday I’ll be able to define just what I want. Right now, I spend my time learning as much as doing. I think the learning will gradually turn into more doing, more firm opinions, and more gardening. For the moment I am content with the little I do, and the lots of knowledge I’m trying to gain. I have a lifetime in front of met to achieve anything I want.