The First Cucumber

 And the First Cucumber of the year comes from the volunteer vine that is mixed in with the cantaloupes.  It is a pickling cucumber.

The slicing cucumbers are about the size of a finger.  It won't be long now.

The Black Beauty tomatoes are beginning to show some color.

Exposure to sunlight is required for them to achieve their black color.  So I pruned out a lot of the foliage on the plant to expose more fruit to sunlight.

Whenever I check on my tomatoes I always remove any of the severely disfigured or "cat-faced" fruit that I find.  These may not ripen uniformly and will be especially susceptible to rot and other problems.  With as many plants and fruit as I have this year I do not need these and I don't want the plants wasting energy on them.  Cat-facing is caused by fused blossoms and/or improper pollination.  Some varieties are more likely to produce double (or "fused") blossoms, and improper pollination can be caused by cold temperatures or severe temperature swings and we had plenty of that this year.

The pole beans have climbed as much as four feet high in some spots.

Combination pot of El Brighto Coleus and Charmed Wine Shamrocks

Volunteer Portulaca in the Dahlia bed

Hydrangea Bush

Cherry Brandy Rudbeckia

Under the apple tree, the thyme has formed a thick, perfect carpet of blooms, much to the delight of the honey bees.  This thyme can look a little dead and rough in the spring, but by this time every year it is beautiful.

Because I have several different varieties planted, I get both purple and nearly white flowers.