I am utterly astounded by the giant zucchini plant I have growing out of a barrel in the shade (of all places) in my backyard. The leaves are so big you can barely see the silver walls of the container below. I must relocate the plant soon, however, because I’ve now found 3 rotting zucchinis because the soil hasn’t had a chance to dry out between the torrential rains. And yet, somehow despite the lack of sun and the preponderance of rain, the plant has managed to offer me two fabulous vegetables already! I didn’t pick one that looked to be on the small side on Sunday and today, Wednesday, when I had a peek below the wide leaves I spotted an enormous zucchini. I’ve picked it and plan on turning it into a zucchini cake–I’ll post the recipe when I do.
I’m growing a slew of vegetables in containers in my backyard, inspired by Montreal’s Rooftop Garden Project. Early in the season, I bought two of their special containers with a reservoir to ensure a steady supply of water (not that it’s needed this summer) and adapted their model to a large barrel I bought at Ikea with my dad’s help. So far so good! The eggplant and tomatos are flowering, the lettuce (that isn’t being eaten by the slugs) is doing well, the strawberries are coming along and the peas too. I’m amazed to see what one can grow in a pot.