Overcast and more rain on the way. Not very good weather for tomatoes.

The tomato plants are actually getting scary – there are a bazillion tomatoes and they keep growing and growing – but they’re not ripening.

These are San Marzano’s that I really want to can. They are seriously looking fantastic – just not red.

There are at least 5 varieties of tomatoes in here… All heirlooms and San Marzano’s.

On the other hand, this is the little plot of land that keeps on giving. Ripe tomatoes may be scarce, but other stuff is coming up like mad. This is today’s haul. I’m going to make a pepper relish this weekend, and I think an eggplant souffle is in our future. Green beans are going crazy. Peppers are slow this year – too much rain for them.

Our little plot of land has come a long way since we bought this place back in 2001. This was the side of the house back in those days. It was an overgrown mess of ivy and weeds. The tree right next to the house was the first to go, and then we cleaned it all out and extended the fence to the front edge of the house to give Cybil more room to play. I can’t find an old picture looking down to the street but to give you perspective, the bottom of the picture is probably about the middle of the new garden. It really was an overgrown mess.

The whole yard – front and back – was an overgrown mess. The whole neighborhood was more overgrown when we moved in, though. Lots of stuff planted by original owners had reached maturity. We’ve had to take down probably a dozen trees in the past 16 years – which gave us the sunlight to have the solar panels installed. The original house was way too shaded. The neighborhood is getting more manicured as the oldtimers move out and younger folks move in. Houses are also being remodelled and doubled in size. Fine with me as long as ours sells well when the time comes.

In the meantime, the 10-Day forecast isn’t looking to be too helpful, but we may see sun by Wednesday.

Here’s hoping!