How Does My Garden Grow?

How does my garden grow?  Fast!  It's growing faster than I can find the time to process the food it's producing, which is a shame.  I'm having no trouble keeping up with the cherry tomatoes, but the few handfuls of beans I've picked so far didn't get eaten before they went bad, and I hate to waste my cool beans that way.  

You can see how the beans and the inevitable morning glory vines are finally utilizing the teepee.  The chicken wire wrapped around the base of the teepee was good a keeping the chickens out, but it also slows the beans from wrapping on the teepee since they first climb the chicken wire in a big tangle.  Next time, I won't put the chicken wire directly on the teepee legs, and I won't fill the center of my teepee with limbs.  Although, I do think it would be a great place to start a compost pile, which would really cut down on the hard to reach weeds in the middle. Hmm....

See all the beans hanging down?  The teepee works, but I may need to make some adaptations in the future.  Now, if I can only manage to get out there to harvest those beans!  I ate a few raw ones, and they taste good, just like green beans.  

The pumpkin is orange now, and even though the vine is looking sickly, it still has a few giant yellow blooms that open in the morning.  By the time I get home from work, the blooms are closed up.  Pumpkins go to bed early.  

And even though I planted my zucchini very late, I still managed to harvest a few.  Fortunately, I have enough friends that like to share over grown zucchini that I haven't been doing without while I waited for mine to begin producing.   

This morning I picked overripe tomatoes from the vines and pitched them right into the compost pile.  Mrs. Hall was happy, the fruit flies were happy, and the compost was happy, so I'm trying not to regret their loss.   If life gets too busy to pick tomatoes before they go bad, it's time to slow down, right?   There are still plenty for me to put on sandwiches and salads (or to eat standing over the kitchen sink like they are big juicy apples)!  In years past, I have even managed to make sauce and tomato jam.  It might be time to dust of the canning equipment.  Or maybe I'll just eat faster!