Sunday, I picked some veggies:
Squash and yellow are the themes of the day.
I did not mean to pick the pumpkin because I don’t know what to do with it. I was merely giving it a little turn to keep it from getting a flatter flat side. I heard a sharp snap and knew it was finished. So there it is, my first vine-ripened pumpkin of the season. Continue reading
It has been a while since I took photos of our dogs so this morning I set out to remedy that. It is a little overcast but I think they came out nicely. Continue reading
This summer’s garden has proven a challenge in timing. The lettuce came up too quickly, the tomatoes took too long, I have no idea whether the beets will ever mature. The peas looked like they were doing well, but have started to dry out ever since I increased the watering time. Maybe they are drowning again? The bell peppers seem to be on target, and the lemon cucumbers continue to thrive. Continue reading
I am not sure I really planned to grow pumpkins this year. When I tossed the Halloween decorations into the back field last fall, it did cross my mind that I might get pumpkin plants this year. So I guess that is an indication of intent. That I got two very different types of plants, only one of which is producing pumpkins, is not what I expected but now I am glad that the zucchini impostors are making pumpkins because the plain pumpkins are not doing well at all.
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The last week has been so uneventful in the garden that it hardly merits a post. But there were some developments worth a pic or two.
The little bell pepper bed, looking so much more tidy than last year, when it housed cantaloupe.
The bell peppers are finally making real progress. I remember that they seemed to take forever last year, so I should not be surprised by how long they are taking now. On top of that, we have had some very odd weather recently. It has even set back the tomatoes. The Early Girl, after a fine start, has slowed down and only has a few oblong little fruits hanging now. Continue reading
This year, I have learned a couple of things, re-learned others and will likely have more to figure out. I have had good luck with seeds, in that they tend to be what the label says they will be. When it comes to plants, whether purchased at a store or plucked from a field, I should be more wary. In the case of the bought cucumbers, labels were swapped but in the end we have what we thought we bought: two burpless cucumbers and two lemon cucumbers. I failed to segregate them due to the label problem, but it does not seem to matter.
Similarly, the zucchini and undercover pumpkins are planted right next to each other, thick as thieves, but they are still producing what they were meant to produce. Maybe the pumpkins will stay green but beyond that, I no longer believe that they are some freak hybrids. Apparently cross-pollination is not the problem I thought it would be.
The water issue is a little like an eating problem: too much always looks like enough to me. I need to work on moderation, but that is a lesson I may keep learning again and again. I only have to look at the fat horses to know that my eating habits spill over onto all I care for.
I started last year’s garden because I wanted to clean the place up for a party we were having. It was not the most efficient way to clean up, but once I started pulling weeds, the rest just followed. I had tended flowers for several years, but that was my first vegetable garden. I always enjoyed gardening, but it was only when I started growing vegetables that I began to recognize this as a family tradition. Continue reading
I feel like an idiot. This morning, I took a good look behind the leafy veil of the mystery squash plants and solved one of the mysteries: the multi-tasking plant is not multi-tasking at all. It is not producing both zucchini and pumpkins. What I saw was so self-explanatory that I’ll just put up the pictures: Continue reading
In the Land of the Houyhnhnms 