The Rest of the Story

Cinderella pumpkin, from a volunteer seed in a composted pile, took over the NW corner of the garden and thrived all spring and into the summer.

Cucuzza, parte due

Santi had to prove to me that his '03 Illinois-grown cucuzza was a record-breaker. He eventually had to dig a hole for the far left plant so that it could grow another 1.5 feet (the pergola was about 9').

Three cheers for vaulted ceilings!

Hot water, cool brew

Jim and Friends install irrigation on a Friday night.

Cucuzza Santi

This gourd, which tastes and looks more like the squash commonly known as zucchini, is "Sicilian cucuzza". It grows on a downy-soft vine that seems to love the desert heat. But the truly delightful feature is that cucuzza is Italian for "crazy". Now, that's cucuzza, man.

Favorite question

Gardening is about sharing information. When another gardener asks me a question, I try to be informative and sincere.

Cranky "Mr. McGregor" honored me by asking about some of my plantings. He threw me for a loop, though, when he pointed to one bed, which I informed him were peanuts. His shocked reply was, "NO, are you sure?"

From neonatal ward to backyard hammock

Infant watermelon "Moon and Stars" looking quite pubescent (as hairy as a new-born monkey).

. . . a few weeks later . . .

. . . now well, um . . . supported!

Cold Compost

Can you find the watermelon plant? Hint: it is the small. solitary leaf, deeply lobed, amongst this over-run bed of squash vines. The end of the watermelon vine, with two tendrils, is rising out, at lower center. I planted "Ice Box" watermelon seeds several weeks before the squash took over this bed.

Before being designated for watermelon, this bed was a dumping ground for plant waste. My composting method, along with most gardeners here at the club, is cold composting. A hole or trench is dug in a fallow bed and vegetative matter is laid in the hole, covered up, and left to decay. It is a nice lazy way to add some organic matter to the soil.

The squash seeds weren't affected by the composting process (in hot composting, the pile gets so hot that all seeds are essentially cooked beyond the ability to germinate). I would have pulled the squash when it first appeared, but I was curious to know what type it was (we eat and compost a variety of squash). I was able to identify this uber-grower when I found a female flower/fruit on a vine today. It came from a French pumpkin called "Cinderella" that was left to molder last fall. The jack-o-lantern sat on top of the bed for about 2 months, refusing to decay, so I ended up taking a shovel to it and breaking it up that way. The pulp of the pumpkin provided the seed with enough moisture and nutrition to get it sprouting.

So here's the infant pumpkin, still sporting its closed and yet-to-be-pollinated female flower. It is about 1" in diameter. Kinda looks like an upside down ice cream cone. I sunk a Japanese garden knife behind the "little guy" for scale and I will chronicle the development of this pumpkin in future posts. And yes, it is absurdly early for starting pumpkins. Lets see what happens, anyway.

Plant freaks are my peeps, part II

Santi's grandson isn't exaggerating!

Dear friend Ellie is put to work harvesting orange beets.

"Double-Dug"Al hums while he works! A real treat.

Janet savors an artichoke gone to flower

Dragons in the Squash

Aside from birds, bees and bunnys, this is the most prevalent critter seen in and around the garden. Since the heat was turned up about a month ago, this lizard, which I believe to be a Western Whiptail (Aspidoscelis tigris), started showing up at the leisurely hour of 8 AM. I've even witnessed the capture and consumstion of a grasshopper. Very exciting!

Today's News, al fresco

Just Right

Too tall

The goldfinches will have an easy time gathering sunflower seeds from this volunteer, which is over 8' (and still growing!).

On Approach

This cactus is blooming in my courtyard at home. If you click on the picture to enlarge it, you can see a friendly pollinator coming in for a landing.

Final Harvest

Before the heat set in, the last of the Swiss Chard was collected.

Artichokes rising

Wild Thang

Lady Beetle on Sunflower...welcome aboard!

The Will to Live

Today I left The Plot for a natural wonder that lies just outside The Compound. African Sumac, Rhus lancea, is as opportunistic as today's stock market investor. This signage-sumac escaped the landscaper's Weedeater, at least for the time being. The location, in case you want to visit it, is at the SW corner of Bell Rd and Grand Ave, Surprise, AZ. It is a powerful reminder of the will to live.

For years I experienced a horticulture nightmare of epic proportions. A mother sumac that shades my hot, south side garage sent a seed into the middle of an ocotillo and boy did that seedling take off! It was a pitched battle for at least 5 years, with me dabbing Roundup on fresh-cut surfaces 5 or 6 times a year and sumac sending out whip-like stems at an alarming rate. Sumac finally succumbed but not before the knotty (naughty?) trunk at the base reached 8" in diameter (the ocotillo has gone on to become the specimen plant of the backyard). Years ago, neighbor Ellie lost an ocotillo to a sumac because she didn't understand the force of nature she was dealing with.
In spite of the past, I esteem sumacs greatly.

Roughing up

Peas and beans are legumes and as such, have a hard seed coat that may require a little help in easing the germination process. The standard method is to soak the seeds in water overnight before planting. But (some!) gardeners lack the foresight, so a quick method is to scarify (scratch or nick) the seed with sandpaper. It can be tiring work!

Gathering

A beautiful, cool Saturday afternoon at The Plot. Fellow-gardener Jim Starrett (in blue) stopped by for a chat; John teased apart bunching onions that Jim Gricol shared with us. The onions were then transplanted into a trench along the front of the garden.
My sister Jan honed her listening skills . . .

Com'on and Ripen

All's that's needed is a few more days in the 70's