3 weeks post-surgery my weight bearing restrictions have been lifted. Sadly the general gloom that has invading San Francisco this August has not lifted, and the atmosphere is cold and moist.
While that means something good in terms of water-savings, it means the overall wetness of my plants is not going to stop anytime soon. This has led to a few distinct problems.
The Zucchini plant continues to throw up flowers and new growth. However all the outer leaves are yellow and moldy due to the pervasive damp. Once the new growth is more pronounced I’ll have to take my snips and cut off the ruined leaves in order to save the rest of the plant. This variety of Zucchini is not a known over-producer, which seemed prudent when I put it in- but now is very annoying, because it’s august and I’ve gotten two squashes. However, I have my doubts this is even the plant I supposedly put in. According to its long faded label, this is a Romanesco Zucchini- and heirloom Italian variety that puts up as many male flowers and female, so as to cut back on the over-abundance of Zucchinis one tends to get. But I’ve seen pictures of those, and based on the two I got- this is some other green summer squash variety that under-produces, because the two veggies I got look nothing like what it’s supposed to look like.
The other problem I am grappling with is the eternal battle with ants and aphids.
These are the stems of some of my carrot plants. The gray things are aphids. I thought I’d handled the carrot infestation with a combo of mineral oil and the hose, but a cluster of those bastard Argentine ants marching around the square carrot pot informed me the battle was not over. I used more oil, but considering the wet gloom, I don’t want to use the hose until it’s a little dryer out, lest I swamp my carrots. (over-watering carrots cracks them).
In better news, despite her terrible rolled up leaves, caused by both too much wet and too much wind- the sun gold cherry tomato plant has some new itty bitty baby tomatoes.
Just goes to show you can’t get a good cherry tomato down. Got to cross my fingers and toes we get something approaching sun soon though. The forecast isn’t optimistic however- next 7 days looks to be low 60s. The only hope is in the inherent unpredictability of forecasting in San Francisco. Conditions can turn on a dime. Hopefully.
In more hopeful news, the parsley that wasn’t looking so hot has rallied and is sitting pretty in it’s new pot.
As for the fava beans…
I am slightly concerned they’re going to climb into my window and kill me in my sleep. They seem to be luxuriating in the damp- which makes sense as favas can be grown year round, and in many conditions. There is a reason they were a staple in early old world agriculture. The horrible black aphids are also common to them, but they shrug them off as easily as they shrug off the mist. I am seriously impressed with their hardiness.
Now if only they could impart some of their hardiness to my tomato…
The Neanderthal Gardens 