Never give up. Never give up. Never ever, ever give up!

Winston Churchill's motto... and mine. Apparently it's my garden's as well. I was mourning the demise of a beautiful watermelon that had rotted mysteriously before maturing, when I saw that this little fella had stepped in to take its place and give it another shot. It may be late in the season (he's the size of a tomato) but hope springs eternal.

Meanwhile, the harvest continues. Steady as ever. A daily cornucopia of delights.

I finally harvested the rose hips this week. Bit of a chore, but nothing like the peeling and seeding I have ahead of me. These particular rose hips have scant flesh and tons of seeds inside, all of which must be removed before processing. Each seed is surrounded by these nasty little hairs that resemble fibreglass. Eating them is tres unpleasant. The rose hips, however, are subtly delicious. I plan on making jelly and candy. 

I'd like to share a book I've been reading this week that is informative for planning your plots. Small plot, high yield gardening. Authors: Sal Gilbertie and Larry Sheehan. Published by Ten Speed Press. It provides layouts and even cost analysis with seed to bounty ratios. Quite useful. 

So is this website: Gardener's Supply Kitchen Garden Planner. This site allows you to design a plot right online for free, and will even set up your prep and instruction guide and allow you to print it. You can set your plot size, pick your veggies or use a pre-planned garden plot plan. They offer 8, with names such as All American, Salad Bar, Cook's Choice, High Yield, or Plant It and Forget It, for those who don't enjoy the work of gardening. Something for everyone. There's even a Vegetable Encyclopedia. Fantastic!

I've also been cruising through You Tube visiting the video diaries of other urban farmers and gardeners. This really is a movement. It's exciting to see so many people interested in tilling land and replacing grass lawns with vegetable gardens that will feed their families.