An eggplant!

First eggplant developing! Also more cukes.

Things are coming along out front, with the first eggplant already 3" long. Last week it was still a flower! I moved the cucumber and eggplant pot as far away from the tomatoes as possible on Friday, but yesterday the cucumbers were still finding inappropriate things to wrap around.

That sage isn't going to help you get anywhere, buddy.

There's a newer crop of strawberries coming in, I wonder if they'll taste any different from June's berries.

I had no idea there were so many until I went to take a picture.

I worry a little as I've run out of fish fertilizer and the hardware store has none in stock, while the closest nursery has never had it. Maybe it's time to try out some of that (expensive) bat guano fertilizer they carry?

There was also a honey (and/or mason?) bee out front yesterday, which was exciting since I never see this kind in the front, only in the back. Out front it's usually tiny bees only.

What I think of as a "regular" bee.

The herbs are doing alright, I'm starting to move some to the back since the direct sun plus the heat wave can be rough on the plants. July and August in NYC isn't for the faint-hearted. The one nasturtium out front bloomed and was a lovely peach color, but the plant has since gone back to looking like I singe it with a flamethrower every few days, just for funsies.

Last Monday. 

I've always thought of nasturtiums as fool-proof, probably because they were some of the first flowers I grew, but haven't had much luck this year. In the back the leaves look healthy, but are leggy and never flower, while out front they dry out. I do have two in a window box upstairs that have bloomed prolifically, but the leaves are in a terrible state from the heat and sun.

Eventually I'll find the spot for them—there are probably about ten other microclimates around the building I haven't tried yet.

Hardening off

The sugar snap peas are finally growing, after nearly a month of not doing much. The ones in the back still aren't up to much though.

And it's almost time to plant out the tomatoes! Below from left to right, the fig tree which has been moved outside and finally sporting some fresh growth; tomatoes in the green bin; thyme, rosemary, and another tomato in front of the bin; and some marigolds and another rosemary plant.

Of course it's hard to take hardening off that seriously when it's been so warm that one of the spinach plants bolted already.

Front left plant, sporting a flowering stem.