Gardening wasn't quite as much fun this year. I had to battle several mammalian invaders, and work seemed to take so much time that I couldn't keep up with things. The lack of time is means that I did harvest food, but it sometimes felt like a chore, and I wasn't the best gardener I could be. I'm a bit disappointed about this, although I expect the situation next year to be different (plans are in the works!) so we'll see if a new attitude plus better battle plans make a difference in 2022.
The squash and pumpkin harvest was practically miraculous. The reason? I only planted one kind, but harvested three. Mysterious plants sprung from the compost bin, like Athena from Zeus' forehead. (Well, not quite, I mean, it wasn't a fully grown warrior plant.) Moreover, the possum ate 90% of the butternut squash, which I eventually sacrificed as a decoy plant to distract the it from the other produce.
A lovely recollection of early summer produce. The eggplant and tomatoes were great successes, but for the first time ever I ate only a single zucchini and two cucumbers. Better luck next year, I guess, especially if I hire the right person for the currently open position of Brigadier General in change of Garden Mammalian Defensive Strategies. I'm taking applications in the comments.
5 comments:
Wow if you only got 2 cucumbers, I am feeling way better about our meager, not-so-tasty cucumber haul. Does it make me a bad person by getting joy from someone else's bad fortune?
Whatever.
Good eatin' Possum. I seem to remember that in the very early versions of the Joy of Cooking there were all kinds of recipes for the things that eat your garden - squirrels, rabbits, opossums, etc. I think in our 1970's version some of it is still there if I remember correctly. I say link yourself up with someone who is doing authentic historical American cooking in their restaurant.
That looks like a ton of squash and pumpkins to me!
We had about 10 squash - the plants died before the squash had ripened. No animals wanted to eat them - including me!
I would be concerned. I think that rogue squash plant looks like it's heading for your house.
Oscar Wilde, apparently, said 'Comparisons are odious' - so don't worry about this years results - they look good to me. If we lived closer, I'd swap some apricots, our only successful crop, for one of your pumpkins.
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