Hello again. I'm here for my "weekly" garden update lol sweatdrop Yeah... I haven't updated my journal in well over a month. I don't really have an excuse, I'm just kind of bad at things like this emotion_skull Anyways, I have a lot of interesting things to fill you in on so let's jump right into it yum_puddi
The first thing I wanna share with ya'll is the pumpkin and gourd I harvested. The pumpkin is a jack o' lantern variety and the variety of gourd is unknown. I'm so proud of both of these beauties heart
Here are some pics:
I'm so looking forward to carving my pumpkin once Halloween approaches whee
Now I would like to show you pictures of most of the other pumpkins and gourds growing in the patch 3nodding
Lumina White
Jarrahdale
Connecticut Field
Fairytales
Random gourd
!BONUS!
I have a wall of zinnias and marigolds I planted in front of my pumpkin patch. I plated them shortly after I planted the pumpkins. As they were growing, I noticed one plant that looked different from all the rest. My sister and I just assumed it was a wild flower that sprouted up and I just let it be. Fast forward months later and it turned out to be a tomato plant! I have no idea where it came from or how it got there, but it's here and I think that's pretty cool. I've been watering it every day and treating it as I would any other one of my plants. It has one tomato growing on it smile I don't know which variety it is but here is a pic:
Now I would like to give an update on the various issues I was dealing with in the garden.
The issue I had with the female flowers shriveling up has resolved itself. As the weather started to cool off, I was seeing less and less shriveling. Most of the female flowers that grow do live long enough to bloom now. Even if this problem did persist, I have at least one variety of pumpkin growing from each plant so I wouldn't be too upset about it.
The reoccurring aphid problem I had has been resolved also. The best part is, I didn't even have to do anything emotion_dealwithit The huge ladybug population that overtook my garden wiped them completely out. There is not an aphid in sight and it's been like that for weeks. I'm so grateful for ladybugs emotion_kirakira
There is one new problem I'm now facing and based on my research, this problem is very common with squash growers. That problem is non other than powdery mildew. It's basically a white, powdery fungus that grows on squash leaves. The spores spread with the wind and the fungus can eventually kill your plants. It spreads very quickly.
I have tried a couple different home remedies to get rid of it but nothing really worked. Since it's so close to the end of the growing season, I'm just gonna leave it alone and let my remaining pumpkins finish growing. I could go out and spend all this money on expensive treatments for the fungus but its just gonna be like fighting a losing battle. At this point in the growing season, it's just not worth it to me.
Also, RIP my acorn squash plants that withered and died for reasons I don't know emotion_facepalm Perhaps they were planted in a spot that was too shaded. I will try to grow them again next year but in a different location.
That's all I have to share with you today. I hope you come by again soon for my next update yum_pumpkinpie
