R.I.P. Watermelon, R.I.P.

We are trying to grow watermelons this season. We had no idea how this would work out, but wanted to give it a whirl. I had seen pictures of watermelons growing vertically and thank goodness for a friend who insisted that I try to build a trellis out of electrical conduit! I hesitated to buy trellis netting, even though it would be a good investment. Everything I could find was online and about $30. Instead, I bought $3, 30lb fishing line and started making knots. After 100s of those little suckers, I had a cheap netting and one sunburned shoulder. So all was looking good. Except, there were a few things that were looming that I knew may be a problem. One, I chose Crimson Sweet watermelons, a 27lb variety. Two, I pulled the trellis netting tight and I realized a little too late that maybe it's going to need some give, as not to sever vines. Ooops. Despite this, they were growing fast!!! I was making sure to train the vines and buffer them with little strips of old tshirts. As for the melons, 3T dance tights seemed to be the perfect fit for a sling support.

I realize that this set up looks slightly obscene. Fill in melon joke here. Maybe it's just me, but I do get a sense that I should advise children to close their eyes. Especially when it rains. So, if you are reading with any small children, scroll at your own risk.

Anywho..... I was checking on the possiblity of vine damage today and decided to retie the slings of one of them and during the process, a melon slipped out of the sling and fell off. ARGGG!!!! So. Sad. Good news, though, we cut it open and it looked like it was on it's way to deliciousness. Hopefully, the rest of them work out.

Your Wish is My Command...

While knee-deep in some really late spring cleaning projects this weekend, Emma said, "Mom, before I was born, before I was in your belly, before you got me from the hospital, I made a wish. I wished for a silly mommy and a really smart daddy."

Awwww, right? This is a moment when self-talk is helpful for me. I'm telling myself, "control your reaction. Save the lecture on how mommies, including this one, are also smart. No, it's ok. Silly is good. Just listen." She continued:

"And, you know what? I made a second wish, that we would have a really clean backroom aalllll the time."

"Ok, Em, your wish is my command."

We have visitors...and LOTS of them!!!

Ugly, not cute, swarming, loud, visitors. Today, they surprised me in the garden around every corner. Yesterday, three landed on me in the backyard within 5 minutes. I'm not wearing brown outside for the next 4 weeks. This morning, they were hanging out...

on tomato cages

on our chives

on the cucumbers

on the green beans

and surprise! in the dill

This is quite the phenomenon. I've been hearing rumors that these are the 13-year kind, that they live underground all that time, and some people are making icecream out of them. (ps. I was also deeply disturbed by that surprise video of them emerging in that link. blech.) I can remember them from 1998, but still wanted to know more about this. Well, I started researching it and decided to stop my pursuit after reading this gem:

"After years of living in underground tunnels, thousands of periodical cicadas emerge from the earth, as if by a predetermined signal, shed their nymphal skins, and spread out through the nearby trees and bushes. Up to 40,000 can emerge from a under a single tree!"

No thank you. It sounds like the stuff of nightmares. When are they going away?

Lettuce Eat

Good news and bad news from our backyard....Good news first? Sure. Hooray for backyard salads! It worked! We have been able to add a spring salad to many of our dinners this season. We took pictures of our first, because we were pretty excited.

"let's pretend to eat it...wait. sam. sam. pretend, sam. sam, pretend!!"

(ps: as I am posting these, he is asking to see this picture b/c he wants to "see his moustache")

I was surprised at how the lettuce took off during the spring. We planted 4 baby romaine plants, and they grew up in a hurry. The red lettuce did, too. The chard, not so much, but there is still hope for those little guys.

Ready for the bad news? Can you tell from the picture above? This weekend, I noticed that the romaine looked a litte funny, different than it usually does. I figured it out and was super sad to see that they were bolting. Boooooo. It happens really quickly. The middle starts to shoot up and I have read it affects the flavor. So, harvest time, aka, save what I can in a mad panic!

Here, they are on their way to bolting. I was suspicious.

Yep, done, only a short time later

I knew it was a cooler-weather crop, but I couldn't help but think of all of cherry tomatoes that we will grow this summer that would have been perfect with it. Ok, so next year, note to self, look into season extending. If I would have been on top of it, I could have probably covered these little buddies up to shade them from the heat. Silver lining? Room for more! What should I plant? I have some plans for continuing some heat-loving greens...stay tuned!

Tomato CRAZY!!!!

I need an intervention! Someone, please help! I cannot stop adding tomato plants to our garden. I think I am absolutely missing the part of my brain that says enough is enough, when it comes to tomato varieties. This year, I am trying many heirloom tomatoes including the Old German and Box Car Willie. I could not pass up growing Tigerella, a red and orange stripped tomato, Cherokee Purple, or Pineapple tomatoes (a tropical-tasting pink and yellow variety). I didn't even know they exsisted before this year, so of course, I need to check this out. I can't help but think of the phrase curiosity killed the cat. But, in this case, I'm pretty sure curiosity is going to bury us in tomatoes!

Last year, we grew Sweet 100s, a red cherry tomato. They were so fun to pick and eat that I made sure we had some this year. All season, I have been in mad pursuit of Sungold tomatoes. We bought a pint, of these sweet, orange lil' ones, at the farmers' market last year. The person selling them gave us a sample and told the kids that they were "candy tomatoes". We all thought they were tasty and finished the pint that weekend. I knew we had to have them in our backyard, but I had not been able to find them aannywhere! Today, we were at Whole Foods, of course stopping at their vegetable plants outside, and Emma shouted, "MOM! SUN TOMATOES!!!" She spotted them!!! Then she looked around at the others, and said, "Here's a big boy." Gotcha! That girl can read. For some reason, it is her biggest secret, something that she hides. Not today! Not when tomato crazy is spilling over. It must be contagious!

So, I think that is going to be our last tomato addition to our gardens. I'm out of room. I wonder if there is a support group for this kind of thing.

Our Graduate

Emma has been reading a lot lately. She is so interested in learning new things. Well, after all, she has a degree (as pictured above). Anyway, she said this to me earlier this week:

Emma: Mom, what's that thing, you know, that looks like a 9 without a hole in it?

Me: I have no idea what you are talking about. Let's see. Oh, that's a comma.

Into the Mouths of Babes

Broccoli update! We chose broccoli as a new experiment this year. We've been able to harvest them and eat them for 2 dinners this spring, so far. I waited a little too long to harvest because I was being greedy. I thought maybe they would grow a little bigger, but, huh, learn something new everyday. Instead, every little bud of their classic 'tree like' appearance turns into mini yellow flowers. Cute! I did not know that.

I also learned about a new pest. Cabbage worms. The little jerks eat holes in all of the leaves and I've heard rumors about the adults, white butterflies, laying eggs in the roots, killing the plant. So far, the most organic way I have found to to get rid of these suckers is to hunt them down and smash them. I saw a white butterfly over by the broccoli today. For the first time in my life, I thought about killing a butterfly. It's a sad day, but seriously, stay away from my broccoli! Some gardeners suggest using row covers, and I also read that some people cover their broccoli heads with pantyhoes. I've decided against buying my vegetables undergarments/outfitting them like thieves and will stick to the smashing method.

do you like seefood?

pardon our manners, but mom said we could, (for the photo op, of course)

I am hoping that this is not the end of the broccoli, generally a spring crop. One of the main reasons I tried growing broccoli this year was because of an annual summer trip. Since forever ago, we have hung out with dear, dear friends in Litchfield. Last year, I noticed a broccoli plant with little shoots all over it, in August! It looked like they were exactly ready to join a veggie tray. Mr. D and Jess, my gardening idols, invited me to taste them. They were so crazy delicious that I absolutely had to stop myself from pulling up a lawn chair and eating the whole plant. I decided to attempt to grow some this year at home, as not to have such a ridiculous reaction at the lake. So, here's hopin' for side shoots!!! I'll keep you posted!