[godfry n. glad]

So, I just did my first shearing on the basil herd and whipped up about a liter and a half of fresh made pesto.

My longstanding vines of Niagara grapes are doing a bang-up job of producing fruit this year. If they all ripen, I'll be tablegrape rich.

Last year, I put in berries....strawberries along side the front steps and raspberry canes in the back, in front of the back fence. Both produced reasonably well their first year out. Snacking in the garden has definitely taken an upturn this year. There is more motivation to be out there pulling weeds.

I got my six tomatoes in about a month back and they are only now beginning to top the cages. Although I have a few blossoms, there are no fruit set. I'm still searching for decent slicers; every year I do this. Last year's crop was a dead loss, in that I was in the UK during regular planting time and didn't get them in the ground until a month too late. Hopefully, this year, I will actually get to eat a tomato grown in my own garden.

Firsts for me this year are two hills of melons (cantaloupe) and two plants of Hungarian Hot Wax peppers. The melons were planted at the same time as the tomatoes and in the 'mater patch. Only this week have I seen discernible new leaf/vine production....and, a blossom. The peppers were blooming when I got them and now I'm trying to determine just when it is I'm supposed to harvest the peppers.

I also have six cannabis plants, each in their own pot, located in sunny spots. This is year three for me. This year, I expanded the number of plants; I put in two Purple Punch, two Gorilla Glue #4, a Pineapple Kush, and a Jack the Ripper. The latter is doing the best. All went in as the same time as the tomatoes and all have topped their support grids (they were 'knee-high by the fourth of July').

Other than that, I have several tubs with a mix of various herbs....sage, rosemary, curry, thyme, marjoram, and lots of catnip.