Archive for July 6, 2008

Grow Your Own – The Adventure Continues

by John Weckerle

Our regular garden feature is a bit late this week due to the holiday and the report on the signs at the Edgewood Town Council meeting. Today, we return to the garden and find some exciting new developments – and a couple of challenges.

Plant growth continues apace. In Bed 1, there appear to be at least one yellow squash and one zucchini that are within a day or two of attaining “picking size.” Nestled deep in the miniature jungle, we see a nascent head of broccoli reaching toward the steamer or the wok skyward. However, Bed 1 is presenting us with two challenges. First, it is becoming clear that the Conestoga-type enclosure is not allowing enough room for these plants to spread. Since the bed is not squirrel-proof anyway, we may need to rethink the enclosure. The north side of the bed is bounded by a 5-foot trellis, and it would be a relatively simple task to do the same at the south side and run some rabbit fencing around the other three sides. We also see that some of the squash are exhibiting what looks to be some kind of end-rot. This is not affecting all of them, and it appears that the ones that formed earliest are impacted the most. If anyone has any suggestions, they would be appreciated. Finally, despite some flowering, we have not yet observed any tomatoes. Granted, it’s still a bit early given the planting dates, but we can hardly be blamed for being a little impatient. »» Grow Your Own – The Adventure Continues