21 July 2007

Know this flower?


Know this flower?
Originally uploaded by larrapin67.

Did you know an okra bloom was so lovely? This is an Alabama heritage red okra with gorgeous red stems and leaf veins...

Melons and Future Monarchs



Here's one of the ripening "Charentais" French melons as well as on of Larrapin Garden's most honored guests -- a monarch butterfly caterpillar who wandered over on the melons from the tropical milkweed growing in the same garden bed.

The monster vine...


The monster vine...
Originally uploaded by larrapin67.

Here's the watermelon vine, covering the whole raised bed, plus an 8 x 8 tarp...

Larrapin's First Watermelon!


Larrapin's First Watermelon!
Originally uploaded by larrapin67.

Well, it's actually the second watermelon. I picked the first one and it wasn't ripe! What a disappointment. To make matters worse, even unripe, it was delicious to nibble. These are Tendersweets from Baker Heirloom seeds -- an orange/yellow variety. Before picking, I did study up on how to tell a ripe watermelon: thunking sound when tapped, white spot on belly, brown tendril above the melon... No dice. I think now the whole stem should be browning instead of just the tendril?

I've got two more chances coming up soon since two are getting pretty large on the vine. The vine is a monster -- taking up about 96 square foot right now! Of course there are two vines planted together, and also a french melon on the same raised bed. I ran the vines on a tarp beside the bed to keep down weeds....another learning experience, it holds water when it rains so I had to lift the melons up on little wooden pedestals to keep them safe...

Nothing makes you appreciate a vegetable or fruit --even the storebought kind -- once you know what a challenge that part between the seed and the table can be!