Believe it or not!

To the doubters out there (you know who you are), I say take a look at this: a garden is born in my side yard.

The lasagne bed was finished before my trip to Maryland, and the plants and seeds were planted before my trip to Brooklyn. It was difficult to trust Tony with the watering while I was gone, but he did a great job. When I returned home on Memorial Day, the beans were already six inches tall, proving that the author of Jack and the Beanstalk knew a little something about growing food.

Here's what I've squeezed into 48 square feet: one beefsteak tomato and two Roma tomatoes from Lowe’s; one Thai chili pepper and one banana pepper from Easy Way; two heirloom tomatoes, two eggplants, two cucumbers, one cantaloupe, and lots of sweet and purple basil from Grow Memphis: half a dozen “Grandma Nellie’s Yellow Mushroom" snap beans, four “Blue Lake” bush beans, and a row of long pod green okra. I grew the beans and okra from seeds. They are all heirloom varieties, as are the plants from Grow Memphis.

I can see the garden from my kitchen window, so I check on it every day before coffee (a remarkable display of morning enthusiasm) and then again and again throughout the day. It's ridiculous. In and out. In and out. I'm hoping I calm down before Griffin goes nuts. He thinks it's time for a walk every time I push open the gate.