I've found places around Gilbert where people let me pick rhubarb for free. I didn't used to be interested in rhubarb because I thought the only way to use it was in a rich dessert. But I have learned to make rhubarb sauce and pour it over oatmeal and raisins with a bit of honey.

I have felt quite smug, being so resourceful by harvesting and using free, locally-grown rhubarb. I checked the nutritive value of the fruit (actually, it's a vegetable and a relative of burdock). Rhubarb has lots of nutrients. Oatmeal is also quite nutritious. So this new dish I have discovered is a great find ... nutritious and delicious.

I've had a couple servings of sugar peas, but now they have all been harvested. The plant is ready to be uprooted, chopped up, and deposited in the compost piles.

The dill is flowering. I asked Lonna at the farmers' market if trimming dill kept it from going to seed. She said she simply harvests the dill that she wants and plants new seed throughout the summer. She laughed and said it isn't possible to keep the dill from going to seed.

The sugar peas are also blossoming. The white, purple, red flowers are beautiful, even if small.

My two pumpkin plants are starting to take on lives of their own. I hope there is enough room in the garbage can for both plants to have sufficient room for their roots.

My patio tomatoes should be sturdy without extra support. However, my garden is atop a second floor deck, and the winds blow strong across it. I don't want the plants and their pots to topple over in the wind. That's why I caged them.