This is the most colorful harvest I've had yet. It's red onions, lemon cucumber, tomatoes and bush beans.
I love the heirloom lemon cucumber but I wish they were either way bigger or produced 
way more.
They are also like porcupines with little prickly things on them. I'll definitely be growing them again!
Behold the first beans I've ever grown in my life! These are bush beans, one of the 2 new things I'm trying for the Growing Challenge.
You may remember that I mistakenly started these indoors in a coconut fiber pellet way too early and they quickly got out of hand and had to be transplanted to the compost bin. It was definitely a failure but not without a lesson learned. I finally understand Jack and the Beanstalk.
After that, I waited a while then poked a few beans down in the dirt in my raised veggie beds and since then I've basically been ignoring them. These things were so easy to grow and I definitely recommend them for any new gardeners. Just like the name says, they grow on a bush-like plant. They were really easy to harvest and produced a lot of beans. 
Here's what they look like still on the plant.
One strange thing, they are sort of fuzzy. The beans I mean. This has got me wondering if these beans will taste good or if, God forbid, there is something I'm supposed to do to get the fuzz off the beans before I cook them. I've got some research to do!
You can read all about my green bean endeavors here.
So, what's your favorite way to cook fresh bush beans, readers?
Is this a bean about to happen? I've never grown these before so I have no idea what to look for. It's the Bush Bean plant that I'm growing for the Growing Challenge.
Check out the picture (below) of the raised bed these are growing in. Talk about overcrowding! I built these 4x4 beds last fall and then divided them into 1 square foot sections with string that I nailed to the wood.
I like the idea of cramming as much stuff as possible into a small space and I think everything is OK for now. But, I'm worried that the Yellow Zucchini is going to take over the entire bed.
Be sure to check out the other gardeners who are participating in the Growing Challenge being hosted by Elements in Time.
How long before I have beans to cook?
There's been another bean sighting! You may remember that I planted the Bush Beans indoors way back in March (yikes - what was I thinking?) in the coconut fiber pellets but they grew way too fast and ended up transplanted to the composter. You can see and read all about the renegade beans here. It's ashamed that it took me until I was 40 years old to understand Jack and the Bean Stalk but I get it now.
So, round 2 started last week when I planted more bean seeds out in the raised beds. I basically just shoved the bean down about an inch into the soil with my finger. I'm still amazed that an entire plant comes from that one little bean. In the picture above, you can still see half of the bean where it split open to sprout. Isn't life amazing?
I also have Yellow Zucchini and Cucumber Lemon seeds planted for the Growing Challenge but they are not photo-worthy yet. Be sure to check out the other gardeners participating in the Growing Challenge and if you haven't planted your beans yet, get to work!
Stay tuned for an update on garbage can potatoes.
With breathing room. See how close they are to the light? This picture is taken tonight at around 7:30. I'm betting by 8:00 am tomorrow morning they'll be touching the light.
What a pickle I've gotten myself into! 
