Surprise squash
September 27th, 2007Four meters. This is how long the surprise cucurbitacea near my potato patch has grown now. It must have sprouted some time in June, but I only started noticing it around the end of August when it started blooming and I could not mistake it for any old weed.
I did nothing for this plant: no sowing, no weeding, no watering, no spraying, no nothing. And I have already harvested a half-kilo potimarron from which we had our first pumpkin velouté (cream) this autumn. That’s how I like gardening: when I just have to bend and pick. And when I look at what other animals do, I sort of think that’s the way it should be done (used to be done, anyway), although I do not really mind giving a hand from time to time, if it involves more thinking than hoeing.
You just reminded me of the surprise squash that grew out of our compost pile during the second summer we lived in our house. I loved it and hoped ever since we’d get surprise strawberry patches, cherry trees, peach trees, etc. (but no such luck). We never even got another squash. Maybe in the new home (with all the Divine help)…
I love surprises, especially when they are delicious! I have a surprise kale plant in amidst the serrano peppers. It is hidden so well the cabbage looper butterflies didn’t even find it, so no worms are eating it to death. I just wish all my gardens were this easy, but there is a constant battle against the bermuda grass, crab grass, and spurge. Spurge is a scourge.
Emily: we’ve had tomatoes, potatoes, onions and squash grow on the compost pile, but I never let them grow. I mean, this is a compost pile — no decent place for young plants.
healingmagichands: they have actually sown spurge as an ‘ornamental’ addition to the village square’s flower beds. I personally have to fight against bindweed, which has overwhelmed the strawberries and is trying to take down the tomatoes. I will probably sow morning glory seeds so that at least my invasive bindweed makes nice flowers.
That is just hands-down beautiful! Really kind of shows how nature doesn’t need us … she doesn’t mind when we lend a hand so long as we don’t muck things up. Sometimes if you just stay out of the way you get the best results.
I am currently working out all possible schemes to grow food with minimum work involved. I want to prove that someone can have a job and kids and a house to build and still be able to grow most of their food themselves.