Look What I Just Picked!

Jealous yet?

• 3 squashes, one of which is hilariously bumpy
• 1 zucchini
• 1 cucumber, which was a total surprise to me
• A few stalks of broccoli
• A small banana pepper
• A small jalapeno pepper (figured I’d pick these peppers so the tiny plants can put more energy into GROWING a bit more first)
• Some basil
• 2 strawberries

Other garden news…

1. Something is still munching on my jalapeno plant and my banana pepper plant. The chomping on my zucchini seems to have mostly abated though, so that’s good.
2. I saw a baby preying mantis. They freak me the heck out but I know they’re good for gardens, so that’s exciting.
3. I still have several ladybugs - yay!
4. The broccoli is still producing but I know it’s a cool-weather crop, so it shouldn’t have too much longer… which is good because aphids are attacking some of the leaves! I don’t want to battle them too much (insecticidal soap, diatomaceous earth, etc) because I don’t want to risk harming the ladybugs and mantises. So I’ll let them keep munching for a bit longer (as long as they stay on the broccoli plant and not migrate to other plants – then it’s WAR) and then I’ll just pull up the whole plant and get rid of it when it’s a bit warmer more consistently.