pardon the pirate-y vernacular. i’ve done something to my knee, and i’m hobbling along with a bit of a peg leg. it’s getting better really, and the real reason i’m here is to say we went away camping for a week and came home to find this:

my tomato and pea plants are taller than me! now, i know, that’s not saying much at 5’2″ or thereabouts, but still.

we’ve tied back the tomatoes to the fence with twine, and the peas continue to curl up and around the top of the bamboo stakes.

we will  plan better next year to make sure the shorter plants are closer to the edge that gets more light, but otherwise everything is doing well this year.

spinach…

cabbage! (first time growing it…i still think of cabbage patch kids when i see them)…

peppers…

cucumbers…

i love the little pea flowers…

and tendrils twisting together…

i’m so happy with the marigolds which grew from seed. marigolds are a good companion plant for pest control and pollination…

and remember the garlic? they’re laden with scapes now.

i like this post and recipe for using scapes by tara at savvy gardening.

i also need your help, dear reader (i make a terrible pirate, i know, revealing my weakness and uncertainty)… this rogue plant below grew in one of my seedling pots. it was obviously not a seed i planted intentionally, but i didn’t want to toss it as it seemed so sturdy and interesting, so i put it in the ground off to the side of the garden. it has since grown to about 3 feet, and i still don’t know what it is. do you recognize it? is it “just a weed” or something else?

p.s. i’ve been searching images, and maybe it’s a sunflower?