Delice de la Table
Our Delice de la Table melons are a French variety grown from seeds I saved in 2013. I imagine if Cinderella were French, her carriage would be a Delice de la Table melon.
Or maybe a Rouge de Vif d’Etampes pumpkin.
Lemon cucumbers are also growing up this trellis.
Can you spot the lemon cucumber in the lower left corner?
They are crisp and fresh and have a perfect cucumber flavor. As a bonus, this variety never gets bitter (in our experience) and it is so easy to tell when they are ripe:
Ready to pick when they look like a lemon.
Hartman’s Giant Amaranth and you can see the pumpkins hanging from the trellis
Blue Swallowtail (on zinnias)
Autumn Beauty Sunflower
It definitely feels like autumn! The air is crisp and cool. I know it doesn’t technically start for awhile, but since it is my absolute favorite season, I’m going to go ahead and start enjoying fall now!
“Falling” Sunflower
“Blazing Star” wildflower
Morning Sun Yellow Cherry Tomatoes
If tomato plants become too tall for cages or stakes and curve over, as in the above photo, it is best to leave them as they are (especially if they’ve but drooping over for more than a day or so). Attempting to stand/stake them back up makes the tomato branches more prone to snapping. Plus, we’re in St. Louis, so we can appreciate a nice arch!
Atlantic Giant pumpkin and Dexie
Atlantic Giant Pumpkin Patch
What do we have here?!
Wretched squash bug (eggs).
Found lots of these sneakily-layed eggs.
Pretty, but deadly (to the pumpkins!)
I examined each and every winter squash leaf; especially underneath each leaf, which as you can see from the photos is where they often lay the eggs. Wearing disposable vinyl gloves I picked off (and squished) all of the eggs, plus some of the squash bugs that had just hatched. BLECH! Also spotted some adult squash bugs and squished them too. I estimate I decimated 500 eggs/bugs! Wooo! Victory! It is great when you can stop these (literally) stinky pests at this stage (without using any sort of pesticides!).
Blazing Star Wildflower about to bloom
So many great photos! The blue swallowtail is awesome. Great job on squishing the squash bugs (say that 5x fast!) Your garden is looking so full and abundant, so satisfying, yes? :-)
Thanks! And now seeing LOTS of monarchs; very satisfying (though I have to say I always see room for improvements when it comes to the garden;)
Great news about the monarchs – gives me hope! :-)
What an amazing and most glorious montage of beautiful things Ms Spy :) I adore the brilliance of your pumpkins and that size comparison between Dexie and that pumpkin…WOW! I can see some most awesome pumpkin carving on the cards this Halloween. Can’t wait to see the results :). Gorgeousness personified Ms Spy, you are right about autumn by the way, our spring is already here. I recon the seasons are shifting. Pretty soon we will be having winter for our Christmas and you guys can get used to wearing bathing suits and going to the beach for yours! ;)
Thanks, yes I am excited about that big pumpkin every time I look at it! Carving will definitely be an event this year!
By the time that big pumpkin finishes growing, The Spy will be able to fit inside! You could carve it and park it at the front gate and The Spy could jump out and scare the living daylights out of trick or treaters ;)
Love love love your pumpkin patch (and the rest of your post too)! I didn’t know that squash bug eggs were that easy to id. I know what I’ll be looking for tomorrow!
Thanks! I love pumpkins and am glad to be growing them this year and glad I was able to catch the squash bugs in action; I despise those little buggers!