26 Days of Planting: W is for Watermelon

"It's time to wind things up in the garden for the year", said my dad a few weeks ago. "It's getting too hot to plant, too hot to be outside, and the bugs are on the munch (dad didn't quite put it like that). I'll start up again with the veggies in February."

I am not very good at winding down. When I am enthusiastic about something I want to go go go... unless you put cake in front of me, I find it very unrelaxing to sit still.

Relaxing for me is throwing myself into a project... that's how I empty my mind of worry. This summer, I don't want to wind down, I want to dig.

And our backyard is perfect for being outdoors in summer. It's cool and shady underneath, just perfect for pottering around in. The boys can play and dig, the dog can eye off the chickens, and I get to fuss over the dirt, which is easily my favourite way to pass the day. And besides, I like to sweat in the hot weather... it makes me feel alive.

So I have had a project in mind for a while, and what better time to start it than now, when I feel like getting down and dirty. Or thereabouts.

I am going to plant 26 different things over the summer, going through from A - Z. But not in order, because my quality is enthusiasm, not organisation. I want to do this because I am running out of ideas of things to grow in the garden, and a project will give me something to focus on, a goal to achieve over the summer I guess. Or at least try to achieve, I can't imagine what I am going to plant for X.

But anyway, you have to start a project somewhere, and I thought we'd start off near the end with one of my all time favourites, a big fat W for Watermelon.

I still have not managed to produce the elusive watermelon. I have had a vine flower and produce a little baby teaser, but nothing ever came of it.

At least I can identify them now, thanks to Elaine from BLF. I had been telling everyone for months to admire my watermelon, which actually turned out to be a zucchini. Nice.

These little babies have all been grown from seed, planted directly into the ground. None of them look particularly spectacular yet, I think I planted most of them a little early. For my A -Z planting project I am getting most of my ideas from this planting chart, and they say to plant watermelon now in the sub topics, but mine have been in for months already. This is perhaps why they are not doing so well. They seem much too delicate a vine to grow such a big fruit.

I think they like a good feed and water, it hasn't stopped bucketing down for months, so they are fine in that respect. I actually think some of the ones that didn't make it may have rotted, that's how wet it's been here. As for feed, just the usual from me, lots of composted cow and horse manure.

So that's it for the letter W, wonderful watermelons.

One down, 25 to go.