My Compost Garden

It's always fun when you compost haphazardly as I do and when you mix that innocent-looking black richness into your garden soil and - Vavoom!  You find yourself growing more than what you planted.  It's kind of like a trip down memory lane of last year's farmers' market purchases.  It's kind of fun wondering what those sprouts may be - were they heirloom plants that will grow true to their variety and bring you a reliably-yummy garden vegetable?  Or are these seeds from a hybrid variety meaning there's no telling what strangeness may occur from here on out?  Normally I'm cautious about such a garden, as most frequently the latter has occurred, and oh - the strangeness!  But having purchased consistently from the AFM last season, I decided to give it a grow. 

There were a few tomatoes popping up, and my mind ran wild - could they be those Russian Purple variety, or that green-striped variety, or grape or cherry or plum tomatoes?  And the squash/melon/pumpkin vines which seemed to be doing very well - it was quite hard to maintain patience in wondering WHAT were they gong to BE?!  And then there was this lone determined sunflower. 

The tomatoes turned out to produce one normal-looking modest-sized tomato.  Which the birds pecked profusely.  Ah well.

The vines turned out to be a variety of pattypan, butternut, and acorn - what luck!  At first I was stir-frying the young butternut as I'd never seen a young butternut before - and let me tell you, they are quite yummy that way.  Then upon visiting my grandmother and seeing her intentionally-planted butternuts, I realized my error and was sad that I'd sacrificed those tender little ones instead of allowing them to mature to their wonderful ripe sweetness.  The acorn squash I recognized right away and since they matured much faster than the butternut, we had a satisfying harvest. 

The sunflower?  It is towering over our roof.  Just when we thought it couldn't get any taller, it would shoot up another 2 feet.  It appears, however, to be sympathizing with my crookneck squash and zucchini - no flowers.  Who knows. 

It was fun to learn that I could grow acorn and butternut squash without trying, and it became obvious to me that tomatoes do need attention if they are going to produce adequately, or at all.