July 24, 2009

Things Fall Apart (Tomatoes, Squash...)

Tomatoes:
Yesterday, on my way out the door, I found two of my tomato plants had fallen over due to the previous day's rain, worthless metal cages, and the burden of many large and unripe fruits. C had used some bricks to prop the cages up temporarily. After work I had used some tent stakes to anchor the two bent cages in relatively upright positions. The fall had resulted in a couple large, lateral branches snapping, so I decided to completely remove those. As of sunset today I counted three near-ripe fruits.

Lesson learned: no more shitty $3 cages. Next spring I will invest in heavy-duty metal cages or a nicer looking wooden setup.
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Squash:
I found a few more Squash Vine Borer worms in the yellow squash this afternoon. I was tipped off by the lower leaves that had become flaccid and small holes in the main stem of the plant. I was encouraged by the two fruits that are growing, but I'm afraid they won't mature fully. I might pile up some more soil tomorrow and hope that helps keep the plant nourished.
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I decided to remove the dessicated sugar snap pea plants from the garden bed. I'm not sure what to do with the void--I'm thinking about adding some lettuce and more spinach, hoping they can handle the summer heat... More to come on that space soon.

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