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. 

The Littlest Greenhouse

I ( very conveniently ) work at a hardware store. This gives me easy access to recycled materials like pallets ( for making planter boxes etc. ) and also affords me the ability to make odd things out of odds and ends. Today I made tiny little greenhouses with +Brian Assef out of clear plastic buckets. It took us about 15 minutes to make two & now Brian and his girlfriend have somewhere to start seeds safe from their cats and frost.

This is the bucket with proposed venting holes marked.

 Brian drilling the holes.

Taking a break in a shopping cart.

The finished product.

As I said before, it only took about 15 minutes and was made entirely from recycled materials. Voila, the littlest greenhouse. 

*Update

Only 10 days after planting +Brian Assef is seeing results from his micro greenhouse.

We will be giving more updates later from Brian's really little & tiny farm. 

Until then here is a video of Brian working hard...

 

Such a long list...

Dear Santa,
     I know it's ridiculous to complain about the weather in California... but please bring spring. 

Sincerely, The Littlest Farm 


It is ridiculous to complain about the weather here but there is so much work to do and so little time in the day.
Planter Boxes to build.
A new compost bin.
Prepare for Chickens.
Seeds to order.
Set up a new water capture ( which includes installing gutters ).



It can seem really overwhelming at points but damn if it isn't also exciting as all hell.

Immediately after the holidays it's time to get down to serious work. Spring is soon. I'm going to build a workshop - and then start building things in there.