Garden Update II: Attack of the Killer Zucchini

Remember that cute little garden we started with, including the itty-bitty zucchini plant at the very front of the garden?

That little plant closest to the front is the zuke

Well, that itty-bitty zucchini apparently ate its vegetable Wheaties, and has now grown big and strong.  In fact, here's what it looks like now, at the front of the planting bed:

Yup, that huge mound of leaves at the front is the same zuke!

You can see from the empty spot at the front of the garden, we lost two cabbages to aphids, and I'm trying to save the last one, even though we discovered that we planted it waaaay too early, and it probably won't taste very good when all is said and done.  The broccoli is also supposed to be a late-season plant, but we're having a little better luck with those so far:

little baby broccoli hiding in the leaves

You'll notice that the tomato plants aren't very tall -- I'm not sure why exactly, I've already fed them once, and may try another round.  We haven't needed to get cages for them yet, that's how small they are.  We also are getting very, very little in the way of tomatoes, but I read that tomatoes won't set fruit when temperatures go over 95 degrees or so, and I suspect that's the problem for us this summer.  One of our cherry tomato plants give us about one tiny tomato a week.  Another one has had a smallish green tomato on the vine for over a week, and it doesn't seem to be going anywhere.

Two tomatoes this week -- a bumper crop!

I'm not sure why the planting instructions say you only need 6 inches between the vine plants, namely the cucumbers, squash, and melons.  They are all starting to spread out into a big, tangled patch, and I can't tell what is what.  Everything is flowering, and I'm hoping we'll get some good yield there.  I'm pretty sure this is a little baby cucumber getting started:

itty bitty cuke!

Obviously, the zucchini is the happiest thing in the garden.  I have to go out daily to get the zukes before they turn into tough, green baseball bats, and I have been getting 2-3 a day.  I am really glad I followed the advice I heard a few years back -- no matter how tempted you are, NEVER plant more than one zucchini plant!  We can't keep up with it, even after I cut up about six earlier this week and made a ton of zucchini tempura.

the current stockpile -- see how tiny those tomatoes are?

I fear that I am going to either have to start pawning zucchini off on my coworkers, or else I might need to make a mock apple pie with the stuff.  I did that back when I was in grad school and my roommates had a garden that was out of control, and it was surprisingly delicious.  If I do it again, I'll definitely let you know!