Bounty

I am a novice gardener. I love to have fresh things growing outside my kitchen door, but when one lives in military housing, one must accept the fact that she can not till the back yard. The logical move is container gardening, so I have lugged large plastic tubs (think toy tubs from Walmart--the ones with fake rope handles) around with me for the last several years. Some years were better than others. After the first year in Texas I gave up entirely. I planted, tended, watered, and attempted to partially shade my precious tomatoes from the harsh Texas sun only to have my bounty enjoyed by squirrels.

Now that we're in our own home with no moves looming on the horizon, I can indulge myself a little more. I planted a couple of tomato plants, some yellow banana peppers, and a couple of squash purloined from Mom. Apparently, these are the Gardening For Dummies plants for this area because they have really taken off this summer.

A couple of weeks ago, in an effort to increase their domestic and fiscal responsibility skills, I delegated garden watering to the kids. I watched to make sure the plants did not die of thirst but didn't pay too much attention until yesterday, when I looked out the window and spied a ripe tomato. I went out to pick it and had to come back inside to get a container to gather into. This, my friends, is what I picked from my little container garden in under ten minutes.

I'm shocked by the size of that zuchini...