My parents took the kids to a plant fair in the spring and allowed them each to pick out some plants to put in the garden. Belle chose some cucumbers which withered up and died shortly. She was distraught. (Luckily I had planted some seeds that are doing fine.) Sweetheart chose a tomatillo. I have never eaten a tomatillo and never grown one. This plant has grown enormous. It is about four feet wide now. It has about a hundred flowers on it, but not a single fruit.
I had to do a search to find out what was wrong. As it turns out, tomatillos are not self-compatible, meaning she needs a boyfriend. No friend, no fruit. No tomatillos para nosotros. She will die an old maid, and I will not be compelled to learn new recipes for this odd looking Mexican staple food.
How do you like my corn stalks? Utah had an unusually wet spring. The corn I planted didn't like it. I got only a single stalk from my second planting, and four from the third planting.
I am a complete beginner to gardening. This is the first year we've lived in this house, the first time I have had some good land to plant a garden. I once had a rocky clay soil garden, but the only success I had was some odd looking gourds. This year I have enjoyed a few "fruits of my labor--" a couple handfuls of green beans and peas. So far I have harvested a quart freezer bag full of raspberries and half a quart of tiny strawberries. I have removed probably a hundred pounds of weeds, especially morning glory/choke weed. Hopefully next year will be better. I hope my wishes for fewer weeds (having picked before they go to seed) is not nieve.
Tomatoes are coming. Yay! And sunflower seeds.
And a gratuitous shot of a maple (from which I will not be harvesting anything but shade):
Any gardening pros out there? I would love to absorb your wisdom.
No comments:
Post a Comment