Next year

We've been more fortunate than many in our region, but this was not a good year for hot-weather crops. The tomatoes were the main failure, but the basil plants remained smaller than usual, and both the cucumbers and the summer squash were less productive than usual.

Still, we're looking toward next year. Among the items on the wish list already:

• more asparagus, possibly the purple variety
• more garlic (there's never enough)
• another thyme plant or two
• a lemon balm plant
• strawberries, perhaps the Alpine variety
• bigger rhubarb!