June 25, 2014 by Born To Organize

The Garden Hums Along

June is a month of growth. My boys turn another year older, with a year’s growth dutifully marked on the wall. On the other side of the wall, the garden is humming along.

Teenage boys have hearty appetites, while gardens continuously quench a powerful thirst. They appear to grow overnight. It’s thrilling and unnerving at the same time. Suddenly everyone’s growth accelerates.

On the garden front, the sunflowers have dwarfed the Salvia, though they are by no means behind the curve.

Sunflowers, Salvia and Pumpkins

By season’s end the sage should double in size. Planting sunflowers in the same bed is a one-time affair. By next season it will be too crowded. I’ve planted sunflowers in five different locations over the years, and as long as they receive sun and outsmart the squirrels for a few weeks, they do well.

Sunflowers ready to bloom

Another Sunflower Variety

The seedlings at the front of the beds are doing well. They stayed under the screen savers long enough that they were able to take a foothold. The taller plants in the back row didn’t have the same protection, and most of them succumbed to snails. One or two hung in there evading detection, and within a few days most of them will bloom. I can hardly wait.

The EarthBox pumpkins are sending out flowers daily. The bees are working their magic.

Flowering Pumpkins

Look…I grew a pretzel

I call this one ‘threading the needle’

Just like the old-fashioned telephone cord

Today I harvested the first of the delicious, sweet tomatoes and remembered to pinch the flowers from the tips of our basil. Once the basil starts to flower, the leaves aren’t as sweet. I’ve learned to nip them in the bud early. This keeps production going.

If you bend your ear to the earth you should be able to hear it too: hummmmmmm.

Harvested tomatoes with a cherry on top

June 17, 2014 by Born To Organize

Pumpkins: Something Old, Something New

Unfurling leaves and curling tendrils

Did you know that pumpkins have been around since 7000 BCE? Now *that* is something old. Something new is planting out pumpkin seeds in EarthBoxes® on our front deck. Most years, the pumpkins start out in the raised beds out back. Unfortunately, the nasty squash bugs from last season wintered over, so I needed a ‘plan b’. One of my readers suggested a decoy plant in the usual place so I did just that. It’s growing so nicely though, that I fear I’ll be just as heartbroken if the nasty bugs take hold.

We’ve been growing pumpkins for a decade, mostly for carving and decorating. We’re all fans of Halloween around here, so nothing could be finer than a Jack o’lantern carved from a garden gourd.

Meanwhile, the pumpkins on deck are thriving. We set up trellises this weekend so the pumpkins can climb up and over. I thinned the plants (always tough for me) so that the others would have room to grow. I planted three varieties from seed six weeks ago today, which means they’re already half way through the 90 day growing season. Isn’t that amazing?

Pumpkin progression: May, 3rd – June 16th

There are a plethora of buds, with the first few male flowers appearing this week.

Male pumpkin flower, open for business

The females will bud next, then it’s up to the bees to cross-pollinate.

Female pumpkin bud

To help things along, Salvia and Sunflowers are growing nearby. They’re all bee magnets, so a good time will be had by all.

Trellised pumpkins grow near sunflowers and Salvia

Please check back soon to see the pumpkins progress. Meanwhile, if you run into a squash bug, please DO NOT offer directions to our place. The pumpkins thank you.

Leaves, stems, tendrils, and flower buds

May 15, 2014 by Born To Organize

What’s on Deck?

With the ‘rainy’ season behind us (ahem), I’ve pulled out the seat covers and the mat for our front deck. The deck feels like an extra room for about six months of the year. We generally put up an awning as well, but we waited for the winds to die down. Now it’s so hot, that we’re more comfortable indoors.

Ready for summer

That took about 30 seconds

I’m trying something different on the deck this season: pumpkins. Pumpkins growing in EarthBoxes® to be precise. We’ve grown pumpkins in the back garden for many years with great success. Last year, however, this happened:

Unwelcome Squash Bugs

Squash bugs. Voracious, pumpkin-eating, squash bugs. I salvaged what I could by harvesting early, but not without casualties. I crossed my fingers that they would die off over the winter and all would be well. Ha! Thanks to our unseasonably warm *and* dry winter, they’ve seasoned over. I spotted one in the garden last month.

I just couldn’t face another infestation, so I’m trying a covert operation instead. I’ve surreptitiously planted the seeds in the EarthBoxes®, far from the vegetable beds along the deck. My hope is that mum’s the word. One of my readers suggested planting a decoy out back, and I may well do that too. I have plenty of extra seeds.

EarthBox® pumpkins

This year’s selection includes three seed types: an assortment of saved seeds from last year (the mystery box) along with Botanical Interests Jack-o’-lanterns and Luminas. Mystery seeds are always fun to grown. Three months from now, we’ll be pleasantly surprise. My son requested carving pumpkins this year and the Luminas are one of my favorites.

The EarthBoxes® escaped the squirrels notice, but not my paintbrush. Pauline and Boomdee convinced me that bling adds zing, so I put my Martha Stewart stencils to use. I don’t have the free hand skills to paint flowers and leaves, but I can definitely paint a stencil! It’s good fun, too.

Seed packets, stencils and the finished boxes

Do you have season-changing rituals?

October 22, 2013 by Born To Organize

Luddites and Pumpkins

I’m probably eligible for Luddite status, as my forays into technology continue to fail me. With help, we got the wireless connection working for a few hours, then the internet went down. By morning, both the wireless and the net were down. To seal my fate, I set up my fancy sewing machine, a gift from my husband a few years back. All went well till I had to switch to the zipper foot. The electronic symbol for moving the needle to the left or right made no sense at all. I read the manual, read it again, and then (while the internet was working) did a Google search. Still no luck.

In the end, I simply made do with the regular presser foot and moved on. What a frustrating day.

The pieces scattered on my kitchen counter Sunday night are now loosely sewn together. My sister stops by tomorrow to help me with the final fitting. Then I’ll sew in the lining, hem the skirt and I can call it a dress.

I’ve always dreamed of owning a cutting table. The kitchen counter is the next best thing when you’re tall.

The bling that will take it from dress to costume includes a length of sequins from the fabric store, several hand-made roses made by a local crafter and a few strands of leafy ribbon from Scrapbook Island. I’m really looking forward to a bit of hand-sewing, a task I’ve always found relaxing.

On the garden front, I decided to harvest our late-season, curbside pumpkin. It hasn’t grown in size for a few weeks, and shows no signs of turning orange. That said, I’m wondering if this pumpkin is actually one of the blue-green varieties. It has a bluish tinge and once inside, I realized that it turned light green but not the rich green the other pumpkins pass through on their way to orangeness. Could it be a crown pumpkin? What do you think?

Crown Prince

My son’s teddy-bear sweater is just the right size for dressing up our new pumpkin. No drafty nights for this ‘crown prince.’ Who said “it’s not easy being green?”

By the way, it’s not easy being a Luddite either.

Halloween Countdown:

Sweater weather

September 4, 2013 by Born To Organize

Pumpkin Peduncles

It’s the hallmark of poor writing: using a fancy-pants word like ‘peduncle‘ when a simpler word like ‘stem’ would do.

Honestly though, weren’t you just a little curious when you saw the title? Would you have made it to the second paragraph if I titled this post “Pumpkin Stems?”

While you ponder that question (and thanks, by the way for reading this far) I’d like to share a pumpkin peduncle, or two. When choosing pumpkins over the years, the shape of the stem seemed integral to the process. We display our pumpkins whole for a time, then carve them the day before Halloween. Part of the carving process is the ‘lid.’ Peduncles matter. They provide character to the overall effect.

Our resident pumpkin carver extraordinaire

Ladybug in a pumpkin stem

Now that we grow our own pumpkins, we’re careful to preserve as much of the stem as possible. Some are already dried at harvest time, while others remain open and soft. I recently discovered a ladybug sheltering inside one of the stems, a welcome respite from all the squash bugs currently residing out back.

Great potential until the squash bugs moved in

I present to you this years pumpkin peduncles, along with the challenge of using this word in a sentence between now and October 31st.

A neat little cap

Hershey’s Kiss peduncle

Ladybug Hideaway

The pumpkin crew

August 28, 2013 by Born To Organize

Pumpkin Harvest, Cousin Shelley

Squash bugs

If you’ve been following along, you’ll know this is pumpkin harvest week at gardeningnirvana. The probable final count is ten, 12 if you count Frank and his cousin Shelley. I left a few late-season fruits on the vine since I’m nothing if not optimistic when it comes to pumpkins.

The squash bugs continue unabated, so I need to come up with a plan. I want to use the soon-to-be vacated planting bed for my cool season crops, but not until the bed is pest-free.

I’m soaking seeds on the kitchen counter as we speak for peas and beets. Broccoli seeds don’t require a good soak, but I need to get busy setting them out soon. The first day of autumn in our hemisphere is still a month away. The changes in the air say otherwise. I hate to miss a good planting opportunity.

In case you missed yesterday’s post, here’s another peak at Frank.

Frank aka a pumpkin casualty

Frank wears his scars proudly, forgiving the gentle gardener for her blunder. Shelley on the other hand has piercing eyes and a lopsided grin, courtesy of an unknown pest. Since everyone loves a good ‘before and after’ shot, without further ado, here’s Shelley:

2013, 08-27

August 27, 2013 by Born To Organize

Pumpkin Harvest and a Squash Named Frank

You don’t have to hit me over the head: dying vines and abundant squash bugs spell harvest day. I plucked my ‘prize’ pumpkin a week ago, fearing the worst, then made the worst come true. My garden lovely rolled out of my arms and with an unmistakable thud, landed hard and cracked down the middle. It was a sad pumpkin day. Since the squash bugs continue to nibble unabated, I figured it was a matter of time before they moved on to the rest of the patch. Three once-viable pumpkins have since turned to mush. Generally speaking, I would have left them to grow a bit oranger, but I didn’t want to take the risk. So…here they are.

Pumpkins

I have two late-season arrivals, all shiny and yellow that I’ll leave in place for now. It’s still August, so they may be viable. One of the two is sitting out in the open, practically inviting trouble but the second one is hiding under the vine. Shhhhh.

You can’t see me!

Little yellow pumpkin, hiding under the vine

Oh and before I forget, I’d like you to meet Frank. He’s quite the character, but the way he’s been ‘running on’ I don’t expect him to hang around for very long.

Frank

Be sure to stop by tomorrow to meet Frank’s cousin Shelley.

August 19, 2013 by Born To Organize

Pumpkin Pests (Uninvited Guests)

The pumpkin vines are looking a bit tired and who can blame them? They’ve been producing lemony-yellow flowers, luxurious vines and fruit since April.

Pumpkin vines, going strong since April

Pumpkins are usually a 90 day crop, so clearly they’re past their prime. Guess what? I found two, beautifully formed yellow fruits, basking in the late-season heat.

Pumpkin Newbie

I also found pumpkin pests. Are you sensing a theme here?

Pumpkin pests come in all colors and sizes

Harvest now, before it is too late!!!

I’ve seen these little grey creepers before, but they came late in the season and didn’t seem to hurt the pumpkins. I’ve not been so lucky this year. Since two of the smaller pumpkins were already collapsing, I decided to leave them there, thinking the pests would leave the hardier pumpkins alone.

Well!

Within a few days I found them on my biggest pumpkin, so I decided then and there to harvest the one large fruit. I twisted the pumpkin from the vine, and set it out-of-the-way on the path. When I went back to get it and bring it in the house, I failed to give it the respect it deserved. Ms. Overachiever here tucked the pumpkin under one arm, the kitchen scrap bin under the other and, if you were reading last Friday, you know what happened.

Thud!!!

Splat!!!

Sad, sad gardener.

Split clean through

Anyhoo…I’ll be sure to include this one in my 31 days of pumpkins in October.

Now, about those pests…

Andrea Meyers identifies these as Squash Bugs (aka Stink Bugs). You can read more on her beautiful site.

July 25, 2013 by Born To Organize

A Pumpkin We Will Grow

First Pumpkin

We’ve grown pumpkins every summer for a decade. Our first crop was a happy accident when my then four-year-old spilled a bag of squirrel food. We swept up most of it, then kicked the rest off the path into the dirt. Before you can say ‘boo!!!’ we ended up with five pumpkins.

To celebrate that tenth anniversary, we’re growing an all-volunteer crop this year too. I feel a bit guilty when I walk by our little patch and realize I had next to nothing to do with it.

Earlier this year I popped the lid off of one of my composting bins and spied a pair of pumpkin seedlings. I smiled, put the lid back on and went about my business. The next time I checked the bin was full of seedlings! Clearly they enjoyed the impromptu greenhouse effect, though the lack of light was a concern. I left the lid ajar and before I could even think of transplanting them, the crop took off.

pumpkin plants in compost 3-15-2013 7-56-04 AM

Not one to look a gift horse in the mouth, I prepared the garden bed intended for the crop and simply eased the entire contents of the compost bin over on its side, then into the bed. I held my breath for a few days, hoping the trauma of being upended didn’t finish them off. Instead, they continued to grow.

At last count, there are 11 little pumpkins growing on the various vines. I’ve lost a few to snails and a critter with sharp teeth, but the remaining pumpkins look good.

2013, 07-03 4th of july fairy garden2

I’m a huge fan of all things Halloween, so growing pumpkins in the back yard brings me great joy. After all these years I’m still in awe that one little seed can produce a vine that runs half the length of the house in three short months. Beautiful yellow flowers give way to bountiful fruit. Days shorten, vines brown and left standing is a bounty of orange goodness.

Do you have a summer tradition that brings you great joy?

You can check out my page Passionate about Pumpkins to see a decade of growing, displaying and my husband’s awesome carving.

June 24, 2013 by Born To Organize

We’re Off to See a Different Mouse

We’re waving goodbye to Mouse (the cat) today as we fly to Disneyland for a short holiday. Mickey Mouse, here we come!

My traveling companions are two active 13-year-old boys. There will be no moss growing under my toes this week! My son asked me to take photos of the garden today and then again on Friday to compare. Without further ado, here’s a snapshot of some of the faster-growing garden favorites.