This is the first squash blossom to appear in my vegetable garden. It has given me hope.
Well, I know I said the next post would be about the correct way to plant carrots. Unfortunately, I think the carrots are no longer with us. They've turned kind of scarlet red around the stems, and the fragile, snowflake leaves, looking pretty unsubstantial to begin with, are now just heaved over and yellow. The carrots, with their weak stems and colorless leaves, are telling me to move on. And, you know what? I'm going to listen to the carrots.
Instead, I'm going to revel in joy. Look at that squash blossom! It's perfect, bright, fully-colored, fully-formed, not one bit touched by malfunction of any kind (kinda makes you wonder if I grew it, right?). I cannot express how proud I am of this blossom. And, from the pregnant little buds popping up on the rest of the squash and the zucchini, there appears to be more blossoms on their way. I think I'll read up on squash and zucchini - I have no idea whether or not the blossoms portend what kind of crop I'll have, but the fact that the flowers exist, and I grew them, is enough for me now. For today, I am choosing to revel in the squash blossoms. (And, if you want to really revel, here's a great recipe for fried squash blossoms on The Inadvertent Gardener.)
I also think I'm on my way to fixing my general low-wattage vegetable problem. First, I bought some high-quality mushroom compost (that smells like manure) to add to my veggies - my guess, after a ton of reading about the illness that ails them, is that the soil on clearance at Albertson's might not have been the best choice for growing vegetables (my herbs and flowers that I used it for are doing quite well). I'll start there and see if I make any progress.
And, finally, dumb as it may sound, I'm planting more seeds. We're going to try cantelope, tomatoes, and pumpkins in the big bed with the new "good" soil and see what comes of it. Okay, don't worry, this time I read exactly how cantelopes, tomatoes, and pumpkins like to be planted first.
However you celebrate the precious and tear-inducing rites of spring renewal, awakening, and rebirth this weekend, have a great one. I'll be back on Monday.
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