Last winter, I yanked out a section of our lawn in Mount Vernon, mainly because interspersed in the lawn was hundreds of grape hyacinth bulbs. Every year, these bulb would proud bloom only to be mowed down by Rich and his reckless riding lawn mower.

Most of the bulbs I replanted or gave away. Although, this spring, I noticed that the distribution of bulbs is broader than I thought and this fall, I’ll need to continue my lawn destruction/bulb recovery program.

In the meantime, Rich decided to plant a zucchini in the spot where I’d pulled out the lawn. I was opposed to the idea, reasoning that we’d only be able to water the plant once a week, on Friday evenings or Saturday morning when we visited Mount Vernon. He insisted.

For weeks, he faithfully water the zucchini (above) and was  rewarded with amber flowers that soon turned into tiny squash.

Two weeks ago, these squash were only a few inches in length and about the thickness of a hotdog. A week later… they were mammoth!

Because it’s obvious the soil and growing conditions in Mount Vernon are conducive for growing vegetables (especially zucchini), next year we’ll rototill a section of the lawn that was once a garden. We’ll then plant a variety of vegetables and use a drip system on a timer to ensure everything gets enough water.

Until then, I’m enjoying the pathetic tomatoes, peas, and peppers that are attempting to grow in my hillside garden in Kirkland.