How Ben's garden grows

The earth is magic. Last September, I tilled a 30-by-20-foot patch in my backyard and planted a garden of peas, corn, cucumbers, kale, okra and a few other things.

You're looking at the second iteration's harvest: cherry tomatoes, carrots, collards, strawberries, cauliflower and (not pictured) broccoli.

Four quick takes after six months of gardening:

• I have thrice eaten full meals out of my yard. That's badass.
• The vegetables seem to like my compost tea, the liquid leakage from kitchen scraps and lawn waste in a plastic bin.
• Shell's Feed and Garden Supply on Nebraska Avenue in Tampa is a great place to find discounted seedlings, seeds, soil and solid advice. If you're not in Tampa, find a family-owned feed store near you.
• This takes so few minutes. Water and a little daily maintenance and you're eating out ya dang yard in no time.

The intrigue: I can't make watermelon or cantaloupe work. What am I doing wrong?