While I was inside, nursing my poison ivy blight last week, the backyard garden continued on without me. Here’s what I discovered this morning:
I was looking out the back window when I noticed this lone cucumber hanging from the enormous vines. It’s the one and only fruit the two cuke vines have produced so far. I have lots of female flowers, but I think they’re not getting fertilized, because the tiny cukes behind them turn brown and fall away rather than grow. Sometime this week, I’ll get out there with a paintbrush, and paint pollen from male flowers onto the female.
After dozens of male zucchini flowers, I’m finally seeing one or two females, which, oddly enough, look like little green penises when the flower is closed. As these open, I’ll definitely help them polinate, because I just can’t stand the idea of growing these enormous, lush squash plants, and having no zucchinis to show for it!
In a sea of tiny green cherry tomatoes, here’s the very first red, ripe one.
I’ve never grown cherry tomatoes before, but I’m really enjoying watching the clusters of fruits emerge. They’re supposed to ripen faster than the full sized fruits, so I’m hoping a few more will red up this week.
I have three roma tomato vines growing, and they all have about the same amout of fruit on them. Lots! Nice, healthy clusters of three or four scattered all over them. I can’t wait for these to ripen.
Two very sad looking brussels sprouts plants. They’ve been eaten by something, so the leaves are a mess. These plants probably won’t produce anything, because I planted them at the wrong time of year, so I’m not too stressed about finding out what’s eating them.
The cilantro seedling I purchased has already bolted, and is producing flowers. In theory, it will reseed itself—but just in case, I tossed a few purchased seeds around it, which have already started producing seedlings.
The arugula patch is still overgrown. I’ve pulled up plants twice, and there are still too many of them! Perhaps next time I sow arugula seed, I’ll follow the directions for spacing. In any case, the leaves are nice and tender when I pick them, and very spicy.
Today’s harvest: my first cucumber, one tiny cherry tomato, and a handful of arugula and other mystery greens. Not too bad for the first of June!
