On unpredictable weather, finding motivation, and having to rethink everything.
Published 15 March, 2024. An archived post that never made it to publishing, but it’s got a decent bit of information on why I fell off last year, and a few precursor thoughts going into the 2024 season.
I will get hung up for hours on trying to think of a clever opener, so I’m just gonna jump right into this.
The chaos bed is truly living up to its name, and I am now an unwilling tender to uncontrollable beans. It started funny, but then it got a little scary, but now I’ve sort of accepted it. I’ve really enjoyed watching them go where they so desire, including joining the morning glory arch and hopping the fence into the neighbor’s yard. The corn finally showed up and then some as well. It’s quite a bit taller than the feed corn that grows round here (knee high by 4th of July!), and I don’t think they were planted too far apart. I’m looking forward to how they continue to grow.
Adding even more chaos to the bed are the nasturtium. They haven’t put out too many flowers yet, but the leaves are everywhere. They’re pulling their weight in shading out the weeds. I ended up culling one of the butternut squash, and I’m glad I did because the one that’s left has just gone…off the rails. Or fence now, I suppose. But that was my own doing, because the damn thing has grown all the way through the alley. Found it while pruning the zucchini. Speaking of….
Finally got around to pruning them! I had been trying my best to keep them staked upright, and that’s been a chore. Really I should have had it staked from the beginning but time got away from me. Definitely a lesson learned for next year. HOWEVER. I think I’ve managed pretty well! I’ve harvested some Truly Big Boys already, and neither plant shows any signs of stopping. I will have to keep a careful eye on the main trunks in the coming weeks to make sure the cuts heal over properly and no bugs get in.
Because I freed up so much space under the zuccs, I may actually get eggplants! They’ve been fighting for light but they’re still looking pretty sturdy. My eggplant was my top producer last year. Not that I’m expecting to get the same yield this year, I’m just very glad they have a better chance again. There was a poppy in there for awhile, but I had to pull it this morning. It was not a fan of me not having the motivation to water for several hot days in a row.
The peppers are…being weird, but they’re still growing! The Buena Mulata is even more vibrant than I had hoped for, and I am super excited to see how they change as they ripen. Might just have them for decoration though, as I’m not sure what their heat level is supposed to be and drought conditions can pump up Scoville ratings like crazy. I will have to take a closer look at the others soon. There are fruits here and there, but I can’t quite remember what is supposed to be what, and I ran out of time to investigate this morning.
The melon pyramid is finally tied together! Took me long enough. The melons are already looking better too. There was a lot of untangling to do, but now everyone is mostly in their own little tangle. There are lots of babies too! Mostly Sugar Baby Watermelons and Canary Melons. One of the ones in the back (either Aphrodite or Ambrosia, I already can’t remember what I planted where) is growing into the cucumber net, but that’s alright. I ended up yoinking my oregano because it’s looking mighty ready to seed and I do NOT want it to take over anything next year. Some of my herbs have gotten frighteningly large so I am reconsidering having them in the beds again next year.
That’s all for the beds now! Time for the baaaaags.
The first bag with sage, carrots, and surprise asparagus is getting a little crowded. I did not even expect to see growth from the asparagus this year, and judging by how big they are already they will definitely need their own spot picked out for a permanent home.
I’m honestly a little surprised that the Brussels sprouts are doing so well. I’ve run into a bit of a cabbage worm issue with them