Things have grown. The line of pots have been sown with summer and winter squash, which will go into the bed at upper left, currently swamped with goldenrod.
I was away for part of May due to unavoidable commitments, and in the meantime, the plants grew rapidly - both my crops, and the wild ones around. At this time of year, anything seems possible. Throw a few seeds down and in no time they're thriving. But the others - in the context of the veg patch, 'weeds' - threaten to retake the ground that's been cleared, so there's no end of chores to do.
I'm behind in many regards. The tomatoes are now small plants, desperately needing potting on, but a lack of suitable pots hindered me. I got all my pumpkins and squashes sown, but they'll not be big enough to plant out for another month at least - but since there's not yet anywhere to put them, that's a bit of breathing room.
A few harvests have brought pleasure - mixed salad leaves, courgette flowers (from the plant I bought a few weeks ago, for an early crop), basil. There's more mint than I know what to do with. And everything else looks healthy and strong (see below). This isn't an ideal time of year to be doing major ground clearance - yet needs must. I often hit a mental wall in June, as the springtime slows, the light peaks, and autumn creeps into my thoughts. However, a week's work now will pay dividends in two months' time, and fill that season (which I don't enjoy) with the achievement of a good harvest. Meanwhile, at least there are lots of flowers around, and everything in general seems at its most alive - the leaves are all out, and still fresh green, supple, and mostly un-nibbled; invertebrate life is busy and endlessly fascinating.
