post-summer solstice update

It's damn hot out there. Here's an update on how things are faring in the fertile food factory:

Spinach has long since shot up to go to seed, so I'm waiting to collect the seeds for a fall and/or spring crop. Lettuce is not far behind. Cilantro is going to seed as well, but it is still keeping plenty of leaves at the base.

I'm still getting a few raspberries. I'm pretty sure we've passed the peak though. Corn and beans are growing well, and my zucchini plants are huge and starting to produce a lot.

Small green tomatoes are forming on my Early Girl variety and a few of my volunteer cherry tomato plants. Thanks to some trading with the neighbors, I have a new plant in my plot: callaloo (apparently a.k.a. amaranth). Many of my neighbors are from the Caribbean islands, and just as I gift my volunteer tomatoes, dill and fennel plants, in return I've received okra, black eyed peas, and now callaloo. I was told I could eat it raw, which would be great since then I'd have something leafy for my salads during the summer. But I'd also like to veganize the famous Calaloo soup.

This spring I learned two important gardening lessons.

1. The "last spring frost" date cannot be trusted. As soon as I put tomatoes, peppers, basil and eggplant out, it turned really cold a couple of nights. While it didn't kill all the plants, they've never quite recovered and are still short, stunted, and for the most part, not producing. I was in a rush to put everything out April 15 because things were quite crowded under my set of indoor grow lights. Next year I either need to start fewer plants indoors or find a better way to prioritize what can go out and what probably should stay in another week or two.

2. The bicycle is the community gardener's best friend. Seriously, that's the case for me, living about a half to 3/4 mile away from the plot. In previous years, I only had time to stop by maybe once a week since I was either walking or driving, which meant not only that weeds quickly got out of hand and I didn't water as much as I needed to, but I missed out on peak times to harvest. Now that I'm regularly biking to work, I'm there 2-3 times a week in the mornings. Raspberries get ripe every couple of days and 1 ft. zucchinis appear out of nowhere. It's good to stop by every two days to keep the machine slowly smoothly. Plus the mosquitos don't seem quite as bad in the mornings.