It's summer! So, if you're anything like me, you've been spending excessive amounts of time out in your garden. Some people, like my mom, do flowers. Others, like my dad, do fruit trees. My guilty pleasure is veggies and herbs. Though both my parents garden, I wasn't always into it. I think I was particularly inspired by visits to my friends' dacha in Russia and my other friends' apartment balcony in Italy. In Russia, all sorts of good, fresh produce is waiting in the ogorod right outside the screen door, and in Italy, you can spit a seed in a pot and have it sprout into a tree without any trouble at all. That's how it should be, folks! If more people gardened, I'm convinced we'd have world peace by now. OK, almost convinced.

Meanwhile, having lived in tiny apartments on the Mediterranean for a decade, where I had to make do with anything I could grow in a pot, this is actually only my second-year-ever proper in-the-ground veggie garden. And yes, I'm very proud of it! And yes, I totally have garden envy, since my neighbors planted at least 2 weeks before me! Grow, little plants, grow!!!!

I've been rather busy the past week or so and haven't been weeding as much as I should. To be truthful, the garden is overrun. Even my dear hubby was out there yesterday, weeding around the raspberries. There was one particularly large weed that he left, and I absentmindedly wondered why he had until I went to pull it out and learned I shouldn't have been so overzealous. My ungloved hand (I was watering the sunflowers) quickly informed me that it was a stinging nettle. Ouch! I could be forgiven for not noticing, since I've never seen them in my garden here before. I actually do know what they look like, however. In fact, I even know what they taste like. In Russia, people get back at the pesky nuisances by boiling them in soup. Or tea. Just to show them who's boss.

Anyway, since the popularity of BuzzFeed is proof just how much we all like to stroke our egos by taking tests, I've created a little test for you:

How Much of a Gardener Are You Really? Just answer these simple questions and find out!

Weeds… a) are inevitable b) steal vital nutrients, water, and space from other plants c) are evil and must be destroyed d) all of the above

When your houseplants' leaves turn yellow, it's a sign that… a) you looked at them funny b) winter is around the corner c) you may be overwatering d) you may be under-fertilizing

When you start coming up with life metaphors from working with a wheelbarrow… a) be afraid. be very afraid. b) you've been hauling stuff way too long c) well, you need something to keep your mind off tired muscles! d) I have an electric wheelbarrow

The rewards of gardening are: a) a farmer's tan b) fresh air and exercise c) pretty flowers and/or yummy food d) a bad back and dirty fingernails

When you see bees and ladybugs in your garden, you: a) wonder where's the DDT? b) run and hide c) feel like a proud momma d) take photos

How much time do you spend in your garden? a) I don't have a garden b) as much as a can c) I take my meals there d) my family hasn't seen me for weeks

And here's your score: You aren't nearly the gardener you could be. Isn't that always the truth?