Showing posts with label volunteer. Show all posts
Showing posts with label volunteer. Show all posts

Monday, August 24, 2015

A Touch of Autumn in August

We've got a pumpkin ready for autumn decor! How'd this happen? Here's the story in reverse.
When I knew for sure this wasn't going to be a squash :)

Hey! Here's a fruit! Note the soaker hose. It's coiled throughout the raised bed for even watering.
It's Blooming! Aren't they pretty? I hear they are yummy too.
From a "Weed" in the flowerbed to this! Is it Summer Squash?
It all started out looking like this. This is another one popping up in another pot.

If all continues to go well (our pumpkin vine is facing challenges from aphids, leafcutters and etc. now, but that's the breaks when you garden organically.  We try to remove insect eggs and larvae by hand, but you can't get them all.), we'll have our own little pumpkin for a tiny jack-o-lantern!  Raising your own plants from seed is fun. Give it a try.  If you have, drop us a line below about how it went along with any questions you may have about growing plants from seed. 

Speaking of surprise plants, here's an update from my last post: the top ear of corn is starting to fill out and the silks are fully elongated.  It's like waiting for Christmas morning, the anticipation of seeing how well the cob has been pollinated.  Each plump kernel will be a female flower on the cob that was pollinated.

Tuesday, August 18, 2015

The Accidental Corn Farmer

This corn plant showed up volunteer!
The tassle has opened
One of two ears emerging

You just imagine my surprise when I came back from vacation this summer to find this growing in my raised bed!  I didn't even know that corn kernels had fallen into the bed, but at least one must have.  Now, we've got a corn plant growing in our little garden in Las Vegas.  This picture on top was taken three weeks ago.  Now, it has tassels on it (the male flowers) and the start of two ears (the female flowers)!  We may wind up with an ear or two of corn by fall.  It's been fun to watch this plant grow from a seedling to an almost mature plant over the course of a couple months.  Good thing I know what corn seedlings look like and didn't mistake it for some species of turf grass.  I didn't get a good picture of it when it was smaller but corn seedlings look like this next picture below that I found online. 
 


What adventures with surprise or volunteer plants have you had?