This spring I rented (? is that the word?) a plot in  the Hercules community garden.  This was a considerable leap of faith, since my home planting efforts usually began well but ended up with sad dry sticks as I would forget to water.

This community garden not only has plots for individuals, but for the school and the Girl Scouts, too. I have my own 3 x 20 plot, and I had intended to do square foot gardening to take advantage of every square inch.  Little did I know that it would be the plants taking advantage!

My plot has turned into a jungle of squash, kabocha, and corn.  I had broccoli, but I tore it up because it was so bitter. I have a few eggplants in there, and some peppers, but it’s the squash that is running wild.  I have 4 patty pan squash plants (the ones that look like flying saucers), 3 kabocha plants and two jackolantern pumpkins, and they have totally taken over.  I’m definitely going to use Babs’ squash recipe for stir fry!  I’ve done something similar for a pasta sauce:  saute onions, garlic and red pepper, add eggplant and squash, and some herbs and crushed tomatoes.  Nums!

The kids love coming to the garden and seeing how big everything has gotten.  Sam even bit into one of the squashes

Is my kabocha ready yet?

(though he didn’t want me to actually slice it up so he could eat it). Next year, I’ll start earlier and put up some of the towering tomato cages that my neighbors have to contain the plants that grow 5 feet tall!

Thanks to my Twitter friends who encouraged me to start this garden… it’s a real joy to nurture the food that will nourish us.