We finally have our first harvest of spinach! We made a simple recipe of sauteed spinach, mushrooms and onions--it was great! Most of the other plants look good too, especially the tomatoes and potatoes. The majority of green beans seem to be recovering with a second set of leaves, after the first leaves were eaten to the stem.

Mt. Nittany looked great yesterday from the hill above the gardens.

I think I was too ambitious planting warm season plants in April, so I spent a couple of hours today digging three-quarters of the garden and replanting. The early season crops (potatoes, peas, and spinach) are growing well, and the tomato plants have doubled in size, so I am learning for next year. I hoping for better luck with a second planting of beans and a few transplants of lettuce and peppers.

Although I asked the animals and bugs to stay away, it's only been three weeks, and a rabbit ate my broccoli transplants and  Blight has taken over the tomato plants. So it's been a rough start. But the seeds are emerging and we've had lots of rain, so time will tell if having a garden was a good idea. It's still lots of fun!

Eventhough the Community Gardens has a fence around the perimeter, clearly that isn't keeping anything out that wants all the unattended food inside. So I now have a fence around my garden--a fence within a fence. I have a renewed respect for farmers.

This is my first real attempt at a vegetable garden in about 50 years, so I feel like an old novice. It's exciting to get started again, and on April 23rd, I spent the better part of the day preparing the soil and planting the first seeds. I may have been a little too ambitious trying to plant every vegetable I could think of in a 10 x 15 space, but I am curious what will grow in this location. I know the insects and animals will be a challenge, but I hope they leave at least a little for us too.