Watermelon
I’m suprised again ! This watermelon has been hiding out of sight, and I just noticed it last evening. I placed the pepsi bottle next to it to show just how big this melon has grown. There are a few more like it, but slightly smaller. I talked to the little gardener that started these amazing plants. He tells me they are more of a round watermelon then the traditional elongated melons. I still have a hard time believing my four year old nephew started all of these, with very little help. It was his idea, his timing, and his determination that made this melon a reality. I’ve simply watered them from time to time, that’s the only contribution I’ve made !
Melon
The melons (Cantaloupe and Muskmel0n) continue to multiply, but each melon seems almost stalled in growth. Maybe I’m looking at them too often to notice the change in size. I’m temped to pluck one of these, and see if they are ripe enought to eat yet.
Zucchini Harvest
Here’s the take from the second area of zucchini grown from seed. I have two locations in the garden where I’ve grown these from seed. The produce above came from the second planting of two rows. Tonight, I’ll take my duffle bag through four more rows looking for more of these beauties. I’d love to post of picture of me trudging through the tall leaves carrying a duffle bag full of produce. If I had a ski mask on, the photo would convey the odd feeling I get while picking these versatile food sources.
Before Side-Dressing
Finally, I wanted to show off the power of “Side-Dressing”. Above are some winter squashes just after adding a very small amount of Rabbit Manure. The plants were very small for the time of the year, and the heat was overbearing, so I had been watering them daily. The photo above was taken July 7. You can see just how dry the soil is in the very top of the photo. It almost looks like a sand trap, or desert.
After Side Dressing
Here is the same area on July 20. In 13 days the plants have mushroomed in size. This was due to daily water, lots of composted goat manure added as a side dressing, and plenty of hot sunny days. The squashes include Baby Blue Hubbard, Table Ace, Waltham Butternut, Spaghetti Squash, and a light tan colored winter squash that I saved seeds from last year. I’ve also learned these rows are too close as well. I think the plants will be alright, and produce a heavy crop, but it might be quite hard to harvest them without damaging the vines.
