Yesterday was filled with some happy surprises. Since I cleared out my path I could actually get down to the end to look at things. Usually I just go down to pick my tomatoes. This time I could spend some time down there.
I found that my Magdelena Big Cheese is finally turning beige. Whoohoo! I'm going to get at least a little squash from the garden. I was afraid this year I'd get nothing. The squash is not big. In fact it is quite small, but at least one fruit will ripen in time. I have another fruit that is getting bigger. Maybe I'll get two?
As I was looking at the squash I looked up to the cucumber trellis. I saw my second surprise. An Armenian cucumber finally set. It is the first one. I'd seen a ton of male blossoms, but I'd written them off already this year and figured I'd have to live with just my Diamant pickling cuke. I'll keep an eye on this one and hopefully pick him soon.
My last nice surprise was my fall raspberries. I didn't expect them to ripen so soon. I actually missed the first couple as they rotted and were attacked my some wasps.
Can you see the wasp in the lower right raspberry?
I never get tired of raspberries. I like the fall raspberries a lot. They are so much easier to pick then the summer ones. The only canes are the ones bearing fruit so I can see all there is to pick. With the summer raspberries I become a contortionist trying to see where all the ripe ones are. Fall raspberries also tend to be bigger for me. Maybe in the summer the plants' energy is partially being used to grow new canes. In the fall the only thing they need to do is put out nice plump raspberries.
I had these on my cereal this morning. Yum!
The raspberries are picture perfect (except for that wasp!).
ReplyDeleteAnd I am glad your armenian cucumber is finally producing for you. Enjoy!
I've never eaten raspberries before, and tried to grow them twice, with no luck. They sure do look good! That armenian cucumber looks really long, but that variety gets that way, I'm sure.
ReplyDeleteEverything looks yummy.
ReplyDeleteDonna
How exciting, Daphne! We've had the same problem with our cukes this year---lots of males and no fruit. Sigh. But we do have a super-productive mini-pumpkin growing in our compost bin, which has made up for our Golden Zucchini's lackluster performance. The garden is always full of surprises!
ReplyDeleteThe Armenian cuke looks a lot like the serpents that I grew (tried to grow) this year. They also pumped out the male blossoms for a long time before a female one appeared. I only got a few before the plants succumbed to bacterial wilt.
ReplyDeleteI also have a fall bearing raspberry, but no berries this year, almost no plants actually, something, probably rats, have decided that the plants are the tastiest thing in that part of the garden.
On the bright side, the Magdalena Big Cheese plants in my garden are growing (thanks for the seeds!). Let's hope for a long warm autumn so I actually get some squash.
The big cheese looks great! I wish squash produced more, on my whole squash trellis I have 5 squash, three are large and two are small. I can't wait to hear the taste report on the Armenian, all mine shriveled up and died this spring. I realized I didn't have any space for them anyway after that.
ReplyDeleteOh Yum raspberries! they look so tasty I just want to take them out of the picture and eat them! Hope you eanjoyed them all. Also awesome about the cucumber and the squash.
ReplyDeleteYour raspberries are so luscious! Can you tell I'm jealous? hehe. Everything looks so healthy. Happy surprises indeed =)
ReplyDeletekitsapFG, those wasps are messing with my yield too. They really like eating the raspberries.
ReplyDeleteEG, NEVER eaten them? I so love raspberries. At least you have plenty of blackberries. That ought to make up for it.
mothernaturesgarden, thansks.
our friend Ben, lol I always think it is so funny when the volunteer veggies do better than the ones we planted.
Michelle, Armenian cukes are often also called serpent cucumbers. They are C. melo. I hope that squash does well for you. All my squash have been disappointing, but at least the Magdelena has set some fruit. My neck pumpkins haven't.
Dan, Me too. I love eating squash in the winter. I wish I had more of it. So sorry that your Armenian cukes all died. I had a couple that did too, but I replaced them.
prue, I'm enjoying them a lot. I love when I can eat raspberries on my cereal. It seems so plain without them.
Dot, thanks!
Daphne, I didn't read through all the comments, so hopefully I'm not asking something you've answered- what variety are your fall raspberries. I have summer ones and I'd almost rather have them in fall- you can email me the info you have on them, if it would be easier!
ReplyDeleteThey are Heritage raspberries. I love them since they give both summer raspberries on last year's canes. Then you get about a month off and the fall raspberries come in on the new canes.
ReplyDelete