Something is eating my broccoli. I am not pleased! Neither, however, am I sure what it is. This particular shot makes it look like the work of insects, but other pieces–chewed down to nubs–look like they’ve been attacked by any of the millions of birds that are constantly flying around my backyard. I have yet to put anything on them, in part because I’d prefer not to do the pesticide thing, and in part because (as you may recall) this is a minimal-effort-and-money garden project, so I haven’t even looked into possible fixes. At the moment, things aren’t looking so good. At least for the broccoli.
The collards and spinach, on the other hand, are doing very well. In fact, it looks like the spinach (on the right) may be ready for a salad harvest in the next week or so. The collards are still quite small, so I’m not sure how long we have left with them. Hopefully they’ll make it through the cooler weather we’re expecting later this week (highs in the mid-upper 50s and lows in the mid-upper 30s!). I would love love love to make some nice Southern-style greens to bring in the fall!
In other garden-related news, the carrots seem to be moving right along, though it’s difficult to say for certain, since almost all of their growing happens below the surface. We do know that whatever is happening is a long way from being edible though. Today marks 4 weeks since planting, and the carrot growing season supposedly clocks in at around 120 days, so–provided they don’t all die before then–we have at least 3 months left. Much closer is the cilantro, which has done a shocking bit of maturation over the past week. My favorite part of any growing season is at this stage: when the sprouts, like puppies or infants, show signs of becoming what they are. 
In the case of other living things, it might be a new facial expression or a way of moving–something that moves the new life out of the realm of generic youth and gives a sign of its unique personality. I like to think that the Cilantro is right there now, moving from life as a generic sprout to life as a cilantro plant, with its miniature maple-shaped leaves and fantastic smell. I’m so proud of these little ones–they grow up so fast!
Philosophers at Home 