I Grew a Watermelon!

With the dismal luck I've had keeping squash plants alive because of that darn squash vine borer, I was really surprised to find a watermelon growing in my backyard.

One of the reasons that I think this plant might have made it while all my summer squash didn't is the fact that the stem of this plant is really, really, prickly. Maybe the squash vine borer moth can't find a comfortable place to lay it's eggs!

Here's a couple of close-up shots of the stem:

Of course, there's more to nature than Cucurbitaceae-killing moth larva. With such a hot, dry summer, the squirrels were particularly adamant about getting at this unique specimen of sugar water.  Despite the daily check-ins on my baby melon, I was surprised when I saw the little imprints of squirrel paws on it. So I covered it with bird netting and stuck lots of intimidating sticks around it.

Once the squirrels noticed that I was protecting that little green blob, reverse squirrel psychology kicked in and they were even more inclined to brave the unstable netting and get their little paws on it.  I eventually made a tent out of chicken wire and winter-weight garden cloth and completely covered the watermelon. It worked pretty well, except when the wind blew it over or I forgot to re-cover it after sprinkler day.

Then one day I noticed that the watermelon was splitting.  I found it hard to believe I could over-water a plant during the hottest summer in Austin, but the split could not be ignored. So I went ahead and picked it, wondering if there would be enough undamaged flesh to even recognize it as a watermelon.

You can see the split on the side that had started to dry out a bit.  The little white divots are squirrel tracks (my best guess). Also note that the top of the melon still maintained the little Dairy Queen curl where the melon had attached to the stem.  I wonder if the fruit had grown bigger if the watermelon would have eventually rounded out to a nice oval?

After cutting away the bad parts, I ended up with enough edible watermelon for two people. And the taste? Incredibly like watermelon. It wasn't too sweet and the texture was firm. I was able to save some of it to enjoy the next day with breakfast. My pride and amazement rekindled.

Unfortunately, that was the only fruit produced all summer on a rather long, gangly vine. I've got another watermelon growing now that's about the size of my fist, but as November is right around the corner, I doubt it will have time to mature.

Next year I think I'll try more watermelon vines. I'll plant them on the shadier side of the tree ring so that the soil near the roots doesn't dry up as quickly during the summer heat and let the vines run roughshod through the herb garden.  So far that watermelon is the biggest fruit or vegetable I've ever grown, and I'm eager to try more of that next year!

Taking Care of Cats, Part 2

Look who I saw peaking out this morning.


Callie ran out immediately on seeing me at the back door but when I put food in her dish, she looked at me with a morning face that begged for breakfast in bed. Not the most fun time to be a feral cat, I guess.

Though there was a little ice in the garden, the water dish hadn't frozen over so that's a good sign. I'll stuff a little more hay in the shelter when we warm back up to the 70's on Thursday. That's Austin winters for you. One day, high is 33 and the next day, high is 70. I wonder if cats know the difference between Austin winters and Springtime proper....

Taking Care of Cats

With the first hard freeze coming to Austin, I decided that I needed to take care of my adopted garden-mates, Callie and Eb.

Callie and Eb are a couple of feral cats that decided to make my back porch a permanent station in their daily rounds. In fact, I think Callie knows my truck now because I've seen her run from a neighbors yard when I pull into the driveway.

Anyways, I caught Callie this summer for the Austin Human Society's Trap/Neuter/Return program. (A story for another post!) And despite the nipped ear, she was back at my door within a couple hours and daily since then.

She loves to follow me as I go back into the house, but as soon as I turn around she runs away again. I really wish I could let her in the house, but she freaked out when I had her in the garage after the procedure. I've read that feral cats get really stressed when trapped in human surroundings. So I had to find another option.

Turns out, building winter shelter cats is a pretty common thing to do. (Hah! Crazy Cat Lady, indeed.) Since Austin winters aren't too bad, I built a simple one out of a Rubbermaid tub based on this idea. I couldn't find sheets of styrofoam so I used styrofoam plates. Then I went down to Callahan's General Store (same one Ann likes to stop by at when she comes to visit) and bought some honest-to-goodness hay. For good measure, I sprinkled some catnip in there, too.

Well, she checked it out immediately and walked right in. About 2 seconds later she jumped right out. I guess she still remembers the last time I trapped her in a box near my back porch.

I did my best. Do I feel guilty? Just a little...

Biodiversity

This morning I was digging up one of the squares in my garden box and building up the determination to yank out the pumpkin plant that, sadly, didn't manage to produce this season.

Trying to untangle the scratchy vines from the netting , I yelped when I suddenly noticed this guy staring at me.
He was pretty patient while I clumsily dug within inches of his face. He didn't move. I don't think he blinked. I'm so glad I saw him before plunging my trowel into his little bit of home (or worse). Now that he's uncovered, I'll give him some time to move on his own. Otherwise, I'll try relocating him to another shady part of the yard.

Hopefully a part of the yard unnoticed by the cats.

Squirrels: Crazy Cute Boogers

Well, they figured out what was in the hummingbird feeder.