a zucchini outcast
This morning I had to thin out the zucchini seedlings from 6 to 3 to make room in the pot. This is one of the hardest jobs for a gardener - sacrificing some of your tenderly cared for babies so the others will grow strong and prolific. Gardening infanticide in a way.
I selected the runts of the crop which was hard to do when they all looked pretty robust - one Yates blackjack zucchini, one organic lebanese zucchini and one Mrs Fotheringill's lebanese zucchini. With three gentle tugs three lives ended. I consoled myself by thinking with my track record the caterpillars would have eventually got them anyway!
the three zucchini seedlings that didn't make the cut
Speaking of caterpillars, I found this fellow hiding under one of the seedling's leaves. He was getting ready to pupate by the size of him.
I allowed him one last freedom crawl before I ended his life as well.
a green squirt, a spasm and it was all over.
(to the strains of The Last Post....You gave your life so many, many zucchinis could have theirs....
I have been having major problems with caterpillars on my basil and cherry tomato plants, what is this 'green squirt' that you speak of and you how do find the little suckers to get rid of them!
ReplyDeleteThose look good! (your seedlings not the caterpillars!) Our zucchini vines are about 8m long! Are these a special balcony variety?
ReplyDeletehow good that that 'squirt' feel? LOL i'm thrilled to day i've been caterpillar free for a good 6 weeks or so.
ReplyDeleteI loath those caterpillars. They devour my ferns constantly so when I find them, into the koi pond they go. My plate-sized koi love fresh protein!
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