I have a pot of orange marigolds sitting on my windowsill at work making my office smell like a monsoon wedding. Just their color, with the morning sun striking their blossoms (which remind me of a kid who hasn’t combed his mop before climbing on the school bus), makes me warm. At home, the basil and squash are pumping chloroform but the pumpkin vines have shriveled and soured like I forgot to take them out of the bathtub. As we approach November, it’s time to reassess the garden and plot the next move. I’m considering planting tomatoes early just to see how they’ll do. We have so few below freezing days in Phoenix, I might as well play around with this new globally warmed version of gardening in winter and see what we can harvest.
The pumpkins? I cannot get them on board with my gardening strategy. They loved Matt. They disdain me. This is my fourth attempt in six years of living in this home to provide friends with pumpkins for the Fall holidays. Instead, I’m buying bunches and placing them in my garden to be festive. And perhaps to show the earth and these wimpy vines their potential — like taking a tour of an Ivy League school in junior high. Shape up! Look what you too can accomplish!
I’m thinking of adding some trellises also and trying plants that need to climb, like beans. I saw a new cookbook at Liberty Market’s shoppe this weekend that I fell in love with. I’m going to pick it up soon, or check it out of the library. I love the idea of someone cataloging heirloom beans and sharing their histories.
Yes, trellises and heirloom beans. I know I’m an odd duck, but at least I will be a well-fed odd duck. Mmmm… duck.
~K