Mikhailah's Blog

A Gardener's Diary - Hungry Monkeys vs 'Margaret Scaremonkey'
May 15, 2007 | 12:59 PM PST
Tags: english peas , pumpkin , cauliflowers , cukes , monkeys , sunflowers , gladioli , lettuce , purple basil

Two varieties of my english peas are showing thru now. The ones I got from Canada are still sleeping I think. Maybe I'll  plant the more of the others in their place if they don't show.

I have one pumpkin seedling right now. The first true leaf is a bit speckly. Hoping that is not PM!

I harvested the remaining cauliflowers  including the tiny one. Having them with dinner tonight.

Cukes were growing fast, and some got eaten by some ravenous monkeys. So I made a scarecrow, or scaremonkey. My youngest named it Margaret Scaremonkey. She has a big straw hat with sunflowers around the rim. I'll take pictures once she is mounted. I have to change her location every now and then.

The sixth gladioli in the pot came up... with two shoots instead of one. Though one did look kind of weird and misshapen it seems to have straightened up now. I seem to be more successful growing bulb/corm flowers than those from seed. I hope I haven't spoken too soon!

I bought some more seedlings. My lettuce I sowed didn't show so I bought some more 'salad bowl' , the reddish oakleaf variety seedlings. I also bought some Purple Basil. Since the Sweet Basil seeds I sowed before haven't showed up either. I'm just waiting for them to take off, go nuts, then, as usual, I'll pull them up. Or maybe this time I'll prune them back and keep them under control!

The lettuce I let run to seed was pulled up last evening. I collected a lot of seeds from them. That wasn't too difficult.

Will be harvesting a couple of cabbage this evening. My husband thinks they need to come up. He's probably right, they're so heavy they are actually leaning over.

Something has been eating my eggplant, something quite large! I'm hoping the lizards have eaten it, whatever it was.

Most of the corn has come up, I may have to fill in a few gaps this evening.

O, yes... one of my hot peppers have turned completely red, the one in the herb bed.