Lean, Green Growing Machines

Our miniature backyard farm is feeling awfully monochromatic these days. It seems everything is still in a nascent stage. Well, except for the zucchini plant that keeps producing fruit like we were a family of ten in need of massive amounts of squash.

The pumpkin plant (that's it trying to take over our yard in the first picture above) has lots of flowers but has only managed to grow one decent-sized pumpkin. The green guy above is about a foot in diameter. Even if he's all we get from the gargantuan plant, I'll be happy. I may not even be able to carve him at Halloween.

Our tomatoes have tons of fruit hanging off their vines—but nothing red. Not even yellow! Except for the crazy rogue that's been producing all year. Although it got infested by some sort of tomato-murdering bug, so its crops have been scaled back since summer hit.

The little olives are coming along nicely. No idea what we'll do with them once they're ready to be picked.

The cucumber has given us quite a few thorny little tubers and a few weeks ago, Mr. W even jarred some with a mix of secret ingredients to make some pickles. We just tried them this morning and although they're a little tart, the flavor is pretty great.

The four avocados we have on our tree continue to grow. They've gotten quite large since the first time I photographed them. We cannot wait to turn them into guacamole!

Our butternut squash has several big gourds on it, which is extremely exciting. I have a feeling we'll be eating lots of butternut squash soup and ravioli this winter!

Our fig tree is covered in babies. They always remind me of old school Christmas lights. Somehow Mr. W was able to track down two purple ones last week, but I've only seen green when I've looked up into the limbs.

I was looking for ripe figs one day when I noticed something else in our other, taller tree. A nest of bees. We don't know if they're planning to make a hive, but they've been congregating here for a few weeks now. Mr. W read online that when bees are in between queens, they'll often just hang out together in a spot awaiting further instruction. We're hoping they decide to call our tree home. They're high up enough that they don't disturb us, but we absolutely love having them around to pollinate the garden.

The one spot of bright color right now is on the artichokes we let go to flower. They're vibrant lavender and seem to be a magnet for the hummingbirds.

I'm hoping the garden adds some new hues to its palette soon. We would love some ruby red tomatoes and bright orange squash. And maybe as the blossoming fruits here change and mature, we'll have similar growth in our own lives. Maybe Mr. W and I will soon add a little more color to our days in the form of coaching clients or a film project or a new home. In the meantime, we'll keep weeding and tending and enjoying the visiting bees and hummingbirds.