The daily “squash watch” has begun here at May Dreams Gardens.
Every morning and every evening, I go out to the garden and check on the summer squash to see if there is one ready to harvest.
I am diligent in doing this because we all know that summer squash, if it thinks it isn’t being watched, can grow at a phenomenal rate, sometimes quadrapuling in size in just a few hours.
This one is ‘Cue Ball’, a round summer squash that I grew for the first time last year.
It was so good, and so prolific, that I planted it again, plus another round variety called ‘Eight Ball’, which has a darker green skin.
Either the ‘Cue Ball’ or the ‘Eight Ball’ will probably take the prize for being the first squash picked this year, though there is a little ‘Gold Rush’ that caught my eye this evening that is further along than I thought.
Last year, I picked the first ‘Cue Ball’ on July 1st, so I won’t beat that record, but I am five mowings ahead of last year, having mowed the lawn 23 times so far this year. Last year at this time, I had only mowed 18 times.
I know this kind of information about my garden and what I do in it because I keep a garden journal!
Wandering the garden this evening, I found two daylilies that I had tags for but didn’t know where they were in the garden.
‘Fairy Tale Pink’ is out by the grape arbor, being crowded out by… I bet you think I am going to write “grapes”.
No, it’s being crowded out by ‘Stella D’Oro’. I am going to mark it and either move ‘Stella…’ to give it more room or find a better place to move it to, where it can grow freely and flower without all that bright yellow flower competition.
‘Strawberry Candy’ is trying to grow between the blue dogbane and a large, aggressive spiderwort.
I’ll add it to my list to move it, too.
Do you make lists of what you want to do in the garden each day?
If you think it is a good idea to write up ‘to do’ lists, I’ll tell you that I make lists. If you think it is inhibiting and restrictive, then go ahead and skip this part. I know I won’t convert you into a list maker.
One of the items on my list for today was to weed around the bird feeder post.
Check and done!
It’s not perfect, but it is better. By the way, for those wondering, I am not a perfectionist, but I do like things to be ‘orderly’.
I also have had on my list for several days to sow some more green bean seeds.
I finally got it done this evening. I know, the orderliness of the spoons impresses you!
Or puzzles you. If you are not a regular reader, to catch you up, I tried sticking plastic spoons around the beans to make a little barrier, a fortress, to keep the rabbits and cats out. So far, it has worked, though on this bed, I may need to add some more spoons to the perimeter, as it looks porous to me.
I used plastics spoons because that’s what I had. Forks or knives might be even better.
Other gardening tasks on my list today were:
– Water plants. Done!
– Write up ten plant catalog pages. I’m going to do that next, starting with my two lost, now found, daylilies.
– Spot weed. Define “spot weed”. I did take a hoe out to the vegetable garden and knock down a few purslane that dared to return. Does that count?
– Empty containers of violas – Did not get that done.
It’s actually good not to get everything done on your ‘to do’ list. You know that, right? It gives you ‘seed’ for your list for tomorrow, a purpose for life. It helps avoid the ‘blank page’ writer’s block that some people get when trying to write up a list from scratch.
So my list for tomorrow will start out with “empty containers of violas”. And maybe I’ll add ‘try some nasturtium in my salad’. I have a lot of it blooming right now.
What’s on your list?
Here I thought your squash watch for the squash vine borer but I remember you said you don’t have them in Indiana. I guess the adult can’t survive the winters.
Good idea to write a list. I always come in and say ” I have hardly achieved anything today” Checking off on a list gives a more satisfying feeling.
Jenny
Cut back the monstrosity tomatoes.
Fix the drip system valve.
Plant more flower seeds.
Mow the back lawn.
Clean up after the wind blew everything around.
I like your Nasturtiums and the fact that you keep a very good garden journal.
You don’t have squash vine borers? I must have missed that. Seems almost every Austin garden blog I read wails over losing out on the promise of squash to those squash vine borers.
Lancashire Rose, MSS, Of course we have squash vine borers! I think they come with the seeds (ha ha). They aren’t generally a problem until later on, so I don’t get too concerned. By the time they strike, I’m tired of all the squash, anyway. (Now that I’ve written this comment, they’ll probably attack early!)
Carol, May Dreams Gardens
Oh, yes, I make lists, lots and lots of lists of garden chores and ideas and plants I want and things I need to buy, which lists I then leave on the kitchen island, on the breakfast room table, on my desk, on the shelves in the bedroom, on the bathroom counter, on the table outside, in the truck … you get the idea! It’s always a pleasure to find that I inadvertently did something on a list and I’m able to cross it off!
I sure do make lists. If I didn’t I would forget to do lots of little jobs. I like the idea of a ‘seed’ for the next list. I find that when Ichange garden journals I always have several seeds from various lists to start the new year. I can also look at those lists and see some of the things I did accomplish yet would have forgotten if I didn’t have the list to mark off.
On my list now is: trim back bushes by gate; move daylily drowning in gooseneck loosestrife; pull out some of gooseneck loose strife; and never ending weeding.
Carol,
You always ask the right question at just the right time!
What’s on my list:
a.Label the daylilies (note color of said plant) so I can move them to a better location
b. Now that you bought 8, count then 8, clematis plants on sale…where ever will you plant them…wait that is a nag not a list item!
c. Purchase more mulch…mulch
d. arrange to have compost delivered or pick up bags at the compost farm.
e. Get car inspected so you can run your garden errands and not get a ticket
It sure would be good to have you as a neighbor right now, Carol – those Cue Balls look even better this year!
No lists here – I’m not in charge of my garden during our Austin summer …weather and critters write the agenda. My part is to observe what has happened and try to respond intelligently to it.
Annie at the Transplantable Rose
I love your Nasturium bloom in the first photo. That was a Nasturium right? Anyhow, I’m a listmaker too. I make a list everyday or otherwise I might forget to take care of the necessary tasks. I do that in every aspect of my life.
Orderly is right! Good for you and I am also on squash patrol. They seem to be so slow to grow to harvest size when you are waiting for the first ones! To Do list:
Clean out and mulch the GFSD garden. Hoe the pumpkins and tidy the beds.
Clean off the walkways after lawn is mowed.
Clean off the fish pond patio.
Plant the plants in the holding area.
Did I mention that I have company coming Friday, Sunday, Monday and …all separate visits? Okay, now I am overwhelmed:(
Too many jobs need doing to make a list. I’d like to fertilize my peppers this weekend. I’ve got 3 jalapeno babies forming already. The sweet pepper is the one that needs the boost.
I’ve been putting off harvesting the first zucchini until tomorrow so I can cut it (and its slightly smaller friend) up for crudite for our guests. I probably should have harvested it on the 1st.
I make lists for everything and my husband makes fun of me every time. But I say look at our nice orderly life (and garden) and tell me the lists don’t help.
My list? It is determined by the most pressing issue at any one time. I”m good at making out lists for the kids, but I forget to make lists for myself. I have so much gardening/weeding to do, it would be depressing to make a list.
All, thanks for joining in and sharing your list/no list methods of getting things done in the garden. I sometimes try the no list method, but miss that ‘checking off’ feeling I get from a list!
Carol, May Dreams Gardens