Mounds of Squash

We have a few squash going now in the lower garden ( squashes ? squishes ? what is the proper plural for squash ? ) anyway, we have some squishes growing now and I thought I would cover some squash basics that I have learned.

Fun fact : Squash are one of the oldest plants to be cultivated in the Americas. The other two are corn and beans.

 Here is a common question..Why does squash need to be planted on a "hill" ? Well, it's because they love water but need excellent drainage. The soil also warms better this way.  The mound or "hill" gives them everything they need to produce great amounts.

Summer squash can mature very quickly providing fruit in 50 days or so and the more you pick the more you will get.

It is also recommended to participate in the sex life of your squash. Don't blush now. Hand pollination to ensure pollination of the female flowers in turn ensuring baby squashes. Even if you have busy bees and butterflies this is a good idea. Simply take a small paintbrush and transfer pollen from the male plant to the stamens of the female.( Both pictured below ).

The Female

The Male

Do you have any squash growing tips? Share in the comments or hit us up on Google Plus or Facebook. 

Pics around the Littlest Farm

Forget me not

Strawberry flowers

A buggy visitor

Cineraria "Giovanna's Select"

Poppy

Strawberry

Miner Bees ( or Ode to the solitary bee )

We've discovered a new friend in the garden, a slightly reclusive yet diligent participant in taking care of our flowers. The females dig, the males dance and everyone pollinates - it's the miner bee ! Also known as a digger bee they are very different from honey bees and just as important.
Unlike honey bees they do not form long term colonies and don't have a queen therefore they are not at all aggressive and rarely sting. They also do not produce honey.

I have used other methods to attract solitary bees but none seems to work quite as well as having flowers and dirt.

The female bee digs a burrow to rear her own young. Their holes are approximately 1/4 inch in diameter and the burrow structure is often a vertical tunnel with smaller side tunnels ending at a single cell.

The female stocks each cell with nectar and pollen she has collected (from our beautiful flowers) and then deposits her egg on the food mass. 

nomina ludo

The benefits of the bees cannot be stressed enough. As we have pointed out they are great pollinators but they also aerate the soil and add an entertainment factor when you catch the male dancing outside the females burrow trying to get her to go out for a drink. There is also varieties of wasp that are diggers and ferocious cicada killers. Remember that in 2030 my East Coast friends. 

Insect Hotels

I was recently informed about insect hotels by +Tessa Neill. A very cool way to attract much needed insects to your garden.

If you are as new to this concept as I am a Insect Hotel is a very simple structure made from man made or natural materials made to attract insects to hibernate, settle in, or just visit.

What we will be focusing on at +The Littlest Farm will be solitary bees. Solitary bees are important pollinators, and pollen is gathered for provisioning the nest with food for their brood. Often it is mixed with nectar to form a paste-like consistency. Some solitary bees have very advanced types of pollen-carrying structures on their bodies. A very few species of solitary bees are being increasingly cultured for commercial pollination.

We will start with a very simple design to get things started and pass the time while I build something more elaborate.

Our started design will be similar to this photograph of bamboo poles packed together.

My plan is to stuff a painted piece of 4 inch PVC with bamboo poles and hang it horizontally near our flower garden. Bamboo, I am reading is an ideal material since it is smooth on the inside and bees have rather fragile bodies and prefer not to reside on rough surfaces. 

Down the road I will be building something more like this ( but appropriately sized for our area ). 

I think this is going to be a fun side project. Any one with experience in insect hotels or attracting solitary bees have any advice ?