Gardens gone wild

Some of you know that I'm a wannabe gardener.  2 years ago I got a plot in a community garden 2 blocks from our house.  I had never really planted anything before and was blown away by how many little seeds sprouted into green things and then eventually matured into edible things.  So you'd think the next season would provide even more bounty.  Not so.  We were gone for the entire month of July and though I lined up some folks to water it, I came back to this:

I didn't know how to heal this little piece of land, so I did what any city girl would do - lived in denial.  I stopped visiting, pruning, watering, and basically felt a little undercurrent of guilt unless it rained.  And when I finally had enough guts to confront my neglect of the plants I was slowing killing, here is what I found:

Sad, bald sunflower.

Spikey, stunted cukes.

Shriveled, yellow green beans.

But lest you think I'm the only subpar gardener, here's a little look-see at my plot neighbors.  None of us really know what we're doing.  

I am recording this for the world to see, so that when I am a Master Gardener in 20 years growing most of our family's fruits and veggies in my own backyard, we can all marvel at how far I've come.  Hey, Better Homes and Gardens, watch your back!