I Have Achieved Zucchini!!

Look!  I have grown a ZUCCHINI!!

(Stars are not actually part of the zucchini.  But wouldn't it be awesome if they WERE?)

I know, I know... given zucchini's reputation, experienced gardeners are thinking,

"Well, aren't you adorable, all excited about a zucchini!"

But, this is what I managed, zucchini-wise, last year:

However, this year, I used planting soil as rich as chocolate cake,

and a nice deep planting bed.

I planted Zucchini Astia...

...which has been developed for container planting.

AND,

I tried something new!

I planted some zucchini in some

right side-up Topsy-Turvy planters!

I planted tomatoes in the bottom of these last year, and they did... okay... so I was meh

on planting them with tomatoes again this year.

Then I thought, what about using them as a super-deep hanging planter, instead?

GENIUS!

As you can see by the difference in leaf size,

they aren't as crazy-robust as the zucchini plants in the bed ...

... but they are indeed producing zucchini!

WOO!

I AM NOW OFFICIALLY

A SUCCESSFUL ZUCCHINI GARDENER!

This Picture is a Lie

Just look at these fine tomatoes I grew last summer:

There's some heirlooms there, and some Sungold cherry tomatoes.

 I'll bet you think I had baskets of these.

YOU WOULD BE WRONG.

Oh, I had enough Sungolds for our summer salads.  

And full-sized tomatoes for a sandwich or two:

 

(Isn't that the tastiest grilled cheese sammie you've ever seen?  

That's homemade mozzarella, too! )

But my plans to give away bags full of tomatoes

to friends, the food bank, and even passersby did NOT happen.

And don't even ask me about the zucchini.

It's just plain embarrassing.

...

Okay, fine.

What the heck, zucchini?  What the everlovin' heck?

I thought growing zucchini was supposed to be like growing

crabgrass, or kudzu, or dandelions.

Evidently, not.

But of course I'm trying again this spring!

My virtual cart is full at Renee's Garden, and I'm armed with some new ideas.  

I'll note them here, and let y'all know the outcome!