What a great way to start my morning!  I walked out, tea in hand, to check out my garden’s progress, only to be surprised by these delightful beauties!

What do we have here? Perfectly ripened tomatoes with a beautiful stalk! I already see a few new flowers forming; I will likely have another harvest in a few weeks.

Two green peppers just in time for fajita night! These guys are going to be so tasty; yum!

I love the color contrast of these Serrano peppers; the well-ripened ones are bright red, while the up-and-comers are still vibrant green.

The cucumbers are looking great; they’ve even begun to flower already. The leaves act as sun protection for the fruit, preventing it from burning with the intensity of the heat. Mother Nature has it pretty well figured out, I’d say.

This Basil is completely out of control! I’d always heard it was difficult to keep alive, but this plant is huge! I’ve decided to make a massive batch of pesto and freeze some of it. The pesto will keep for a few months when frozen, thus allowing me to enjoy it throughout the summer.

Whether you know this or it’s something you’re hearing for the first time, planting mint will guarantee a cover crop of mint by the end of the season. Plainly stated, it will take over every bare spot of soil. I’ve enjoyed using copious amounts of mint in homemade lemonade, tabbouleh, and various other summer dishes.

The Kale is coming along nicely; I’ll be watching these sprouts with anticipation over the next few months.

The stretchmarks on my tomatoes were a sign that I had overwatered them. Gardening in Texas is very different than the gardening I had done in Florida; I chalked this up to a learning curve.

Skylla didn’t care whether the tomatoes had “stretch marks”; she just wants to eat them! As a funny side note, about ten minutes after I took this photo, she ran from the back porch and did a Superman leap into my garden bed; luckily, she didn’t break any of the plants! It was like she had just realized food was in the wooden box. Silly little dog. ❤