Ribbit, Ribbit
I am very doubtful I’ll get any fully mature gaeguri chamoe this year, but today I caught a glimpse of a few melons that seem to be growing rapidly and so maybe have half a chance to get where they’re going before cooling temperatures stop them in their tracks. It would be great not only to taste them, but also to see how closely they end up resembling frogs.
They’re perhaps late in coming; my first attempts at starting the seeds indoors at the beginning of the year proved too early, and sowing them directly in the new box at the end of May couldn’t have provided this batch with the time they need. Well, maybe it’s less an issue of time and more of heat, but anyway… When I put them in, I had encircled the box in hardware cloth to keep the cats and squirrels out, but that setup made it difficult to access the plants, and probably resulted in my losing out on some Manoa lettuce, as good as that crop turned out. Anyway, the tomatoes weren’t going to make it all caged in, so I removed the hardware cloth and set up a bare-bones trellis. I’ve rested some of the hardware cloth on top of some supports, allowing the chamoe to spill out the back of the box and hover over the ground.
The tomatoes are incredibly sweet when they ripen all the way. They don’t have much depth, or whatever flowery figurative language you want to use to describe acidity, and when picked too early they are underwhelming, but I’ve eaten a few that have been fantastic. So sugary!
Overall, this new box has felt like quite a successful one. The lettuce has come and gone, and now the other plants are stepping up to have their moment. I’ve recently planted some Aichi cabbage in one bare corner in hopes of keeping the party rolling.
Finally, one other minor triumph here has been the roselle, which like the chamoe did not respond well to my indoor efforts early in the year but has managed to thrive nicely out of my late May direct seeding. The leaves are a revelation, with a unique sourness that makes you sit up and take notice. After my early failures, I didn’t think I stood a chance with this plant, so I’m extra happy to see it cruising along now, even if it probably isn’t as robust as it would be under more expert hands.
