We recently bought and ate a spaghetti squash, and I thought it was great. It's so much like pasta, yet a little more interesting. I saved the seeds because I thought it would be great to grow some this year.
Now I'm having second thoughts. They're members of the cucurbita family, like pumpkins, watermelons, and zucchini. I've grown all of those before, but had mixed results. None of it was a total failure, but the continuing fight against diseases and insect pests, combined with the huge amount of garden space, means that the effort-to-payoff ratio has been pretty slim.
I don't want to give up on those things altogether (I especially like the idea of growing huge jack-o-lantern pumpkins), but I think if I avoid that family of vegetable for a year or two, it might make my garden a little more free of the pests that also prefer them when I eventually get back to them. Might. Probably not, but maybe.
Anyway, we had conferences at school a few days ago, and one of the teachers had set out some leftover seeds from the school garden he was working on. The seeds were free for the taking. I picked up a few packets: parsnips, thyme, parsley, fennel, and dill.
I also have some bulbs for purple gladioli that I need to get in the ground.
The gardening bug is biting me, and I really want to get out and work. There it lots of digging, trimming, hoeing, and raking to be done!
I think I've killed my cilantro already. All I did was move it from the little pot to the big pot (bought good soil with vitamins in it and everything), gave it water and stuck it in front of the window. The parsley looks sickly but may make it. The basil isn't perky but is the only one that resembles its former self.
ReplyDeleteKudos to you for growing ANYthing without killing it.