My tiny garden

I started two raised beds a month or two ago, and they're finally beginning to show promise. They are each about 3'x4', and have at least 8" worth of dirt. The soil that's in our yard naturally is like highly compacted dust; you cannot dig a hole so much as scratch it out. Even crab grass cannot survive.

The bed on the left has curly-leaf lettuce, romaine, spinach, dill, and a couple of random bell pepper plants I had lying around.

The bed on the right has yellow wax beans, sugar snap peas, cucumbers, pattypan squash, and a basil or two. I'm using the intensive gardening method because of my limited space and to save water, but it's getting a bit crowded.

I vastly underestimated how big the squash plants would get. The squash themselves (when they ripen) should only be an inch or two across; these leaves, however, are massive. I had to move one basil that was in danger of being completely smothered.

I'm starting to get little spiky cucumbers, tiny wax beanlets, and a few peas. I suspect that there are squash blossoms lurking somewhere in the jungle, but it's hard to say. I chose a pickling cucumber, and I hope that I'll get the chance to break out my dad's Irish Pickle Recipe.