Well, I got my shade structure built, using 3/4″ PVC pipe and a 50% shade cloth.  The instructions I found for the structure said not to glue the pieces together, but after a couple of mildly windy days, I found I HAD to at least glue the corner joints, otherwise it kept popping open and sagging.

I tied down the shade cloth with rope to stakes pounded into the ground which are also holding the bottom of the structure to the ground as well (tied with thin steel cable).  I’m hoping it will hold up to our monsoon weather.  We had some stronger winds yesterday, and it did fine then.  We’ll see how it manages thorughout the rest of the season.

We’ve been eating a few peas here and there, but so far that is the only plant that has produced anything edible as of yet, and even then, only 2-6 pods at a time, so not enough for a meal. LOL  The corn is at least 2 ft tall so far and were a little unstable due to the soil compressing down from 5-6″ to more like 3.5-4″, so I mixed and added some more soil the other evening until the level was at the top of the raised bed.  Once that settles I’ll add more again to the top so the corn has at least 7″ of soil to support the stalks, and I still need to set up some nylon grid net horizontally to assist with supporting the stalks when they’re taller.  I’ll have to do that this weekend I think so it’s installed well before we leave for vacation next month.

There are a couple of tomatoes that look like they’re contemplating turning red (finally), but only just as they’re still quite green.  But the plants themselves have gone crazy in growth and rival only the corn in height so far.   Well, except one stalk of peas that’s climbing the trellis and is probably about three feet tall, but that’s only one vine.

One of my cucumber plants flowered, we’ll have to see if it sprouts anything, and the watermelon leaves are finally coming in but the plants are still fairly short.  We had a few more strawberry plants produce a flower so hopefully we’ll see a few more of those soon.  The carrots are growing (probably about 4″ tall) but not yet ready for harvesting.  We pulled one the other day and it was less than 1/4″ thick and just barely tinted orange, couldn’t even be considered “baby” carrot yet.

We have a couple of jalepeno peppers  growing, and those plants are still fairly short, too.  The green onions and chives are slowly growing, but those are probably going to be the slowest of all the plants.

I’d still like to try my hand with sweet potatoes, I’ll need to get some more wood to raise their section up a foot and mix some more soil as well as order the smallest amount of sweet potato starters I can possibly get.  I can’t use the sweet potatoes in stores as those are the spreading ground vines and I need the compact bush type so they stay within their section.

I’m hoping we’ll get a tomato soon, I’m not sure why they’re taking so long to redden unless it’s the excessive heat.. I’ll have to look into that.