Friendly vegetables

I love my neighborhood. When I arrived home tonight, I was relaxing on the front porch. The landlord stopped by after doing some work on a nearby apartment and we chatted a bit. Later, when I was eating dinner, my neighbor and friend C texted me to see if I had walked the dog yet. Since I hadn't, we walked together, something we do once or twice a week. On our way home, we decided to water our newest plantings. Before that, though, we ran into neighbors A and B relaxing on their back porch with drinks. We all ended up going to the garden and discussing plants for part of the evening. Later, when I was tying up watermelon vines, two other neighbors stopped to say hello. It's great to live in a place where people know your name and stop to say hello. And I make sure they remember my name by providing them with fresh produce.

This is the garden at the end of June. I'm there in the back, marking the end of my plot. It's great having so much space, although when it comes to watering I occasionally wish for a smaller garden. I've calculated that each week without rain means I need to carry 300 gallons from the rain barrels to my garden. Who needs a gym with these kinds of chores? 

Unfortunately, I didn't plan well, and I didn't plant enough spring crops. I've been eating only lettuce and radishes for the past month. Now there's absolutely nothing to eat, but I can see that in just a few days the first zucchinis (aka courgettes) will arrive. I won't be eating them, because I'm off to visit my brother and his family in San Francisco, but at least there will be more when I get back. And in the meantime, the neighbors will be feasting on them.