Saving The Squash.

After spending several days in California and enduring heat in the 100's, I am enjoying the wonderful, 70 degree days that we are having here in the Pacific Northwest. In only four days my garden has sprouted, flowers have blossomed, and it truly feels like summer is here. I've spent the past two days cutting back, deadheading, mowing, etc. This afternoon I finally took some time to just sit back, relax, and enjoy the sunshine's warmth. How wonderful it is to have such an opportunity!

In my garden, we have been having difficulties with cutworms eating the squash plants before they get a chance to grow past their first emerging leaves. My DH had a brilliant idea which I'll share. We had some old black perforated drain pipe that was about to be sent to the dump (what a waste--but nobody wanted to take it home...) Instead, he got out the hack saw and cut it into six-inch segments. We placed each segment around a baby squash (and beans, and the list goes on...) and pushed it into the earth. The edges are jagged, which keeps the slugs at bay, and they seem to keep the nasty little cutworms away as well. I think that there will be the additional benefit of the black plastic keeping the heat in, which the veggies love. Perhaps they'll grow more quickly as a result. Now I'm hoarding my perf pipe for next year's use.


 

While out watering, I noticed Eli stalking in the strawberry bed. Ironically, there was a lovely blue dragonfly sunning himself (?) on a little iron dragonfly lawn ornament. Yup, you guessed it--Eli pounced, caught him, and walked off proudly with the dragonfly hanging out of his mouth. After crawling into the beds, he proceeded to do his best to gobble him up, but he must not have been too edible, as I found his sad little remains later. You know nature--red of tooth and claw.