harvest at the Rat Farm

Already been picked, consumed, and ripped from the ground: lincoln garden peas; mammoth melting sugar peas; purple plum radishes (although I planted more radishes to replace them...)

Currently being eaten on a near-daily basis: mint, basil, cilantro, parsley, various lettuces, jalapeño peppers, chard, green onions

Growing, but not quite ready to pick yet: bloody butcher tomatoes, st. pierre tomatoes, egg tomatoes, hungarian hot wax peppers

Just forming signs of fruit: zucchini, cucumbers, red peppers, yellow peppers, black hungarian peppers

Verdict so far:

i don't think i will bother with the sweet sugar peas next year. this is the second year that i've grown them from seed, and while they grow really fast and the vines look pretty - you really have to plant a lot of them in order to get more than a handful at a time, and they start to die when the hot-hot sun comes out. they mostly just served as a snack while i water the other plants. i think i will do green beans next year instead.

the tomatoes and peppers are doing well. i am a bit obsessed with them, and i can't wait for them to ripen. the herbs have been a wonderful idea - i've saved scads of money already, without having to buy them at the store. i am hoping for similar savings with multicolored peppers and tomatoes. we eat a lot of those in the summer...

the lettuce is always great, and quick to grow. you just sprinkle some seeds around and watch it go crazy. i've had really good luck keeping the plants through the hot months - just buy varieties that do well in hot months, and plant them in long window box type pots. then, when it gets really hot in june/july you can just slide the trays into the shade under a chair or table and it keeps the lettuce from getting bitter.

radishes were great! it was fun to pull food out of the ground instead of just picking it. i forgot, however, to replant seeds after picking the first ones - so now i have to wait for more to grow. oops. maybe i'll try potatoes next year?