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| Female flower of the Waltham Squash |
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| Unfurling, hopes, whispers... |
This summer is turning into a
celebration of sorts — a celebration of the beautiful, bountiful, and the
unexpected; a celebration of rain, growth, and love, where there was none but drought
before; a celebration of pacing, and the enjoyment of time. Who would have thought our gardens would
be burgeoning with greenery, flowers, and produce into August, especially after
the month of no rain at the start of
summer! What better way to
celebrate the bounty than with photos of the Butternut Squash growing happily
in the Whisperwood Garden! She,
and He (for she is both) is bursting her bounds on the small, sunny slope, and
has not been gobbled by the animals, though she remains unfenced! I am experimenting with a space-saving
trellis, which seems to be working fine despite the heft of the fruit. Each morning I visit and gently guide
the unfurling tendrils to the next rungs of wire. "Here," I say, "you can hang onto this." And she does so, eagerly, then speeds
onward to the next tethering place.
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| The infant squash with female flower |
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| The male flower |
I love butternut squash for its
wonderful flavor and long "shelf life".
These squash will keep all winter long without
refrigeration.
They are a winter
staple, a primary ingredient in my cold-weather soups and stews.
But because they are so heavy
they can be quite expensive, especially when grown organically.
So, I've determined to grow my own this
year.
This is a Waltham heirloom
variety.
Yes, I'll be saving the
seeds!
Despite how luxurious the plant
is, I have been having one problem, which is the small, baby squash often turn
yellow and die before they are even an inch or two long. It does not appear to be "end
rot", for the discoloring does not begin at the blossom. In fact, it occurs before the blossom
unfolds. I have read that the
problem can be due to lack of pollination, which is wholly understandable as I
have few flowering plants in my fledgling forest garden and the bees in the
meadows have yet to discover this small oasis in the woods. I now grab a Q-tip each morning on my
way to the garden and use it to transfer pollen from the male to female
flowers. I've also read that
another cause of the problem may be over-watering from the excessive amounts of
rain we've had. If readers have
any additional ideas or solutions, please let me know! Meanwhile, despite the gauntlet of potential ills, several of the squash have
survived to adulthood and are looking quite magnificent!
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| Summer bounty |
Happy summer, Everyone!
