Squash-Watermelon
1/9/12
However, I do believe in the value of gardening on many levels. As I look at the food we consume in American culture and the processes it goes through to get to our tables, I know that it does not have the nutritional value it should have. Also growing your own food is a way of living that will help save money in the long run. It’s an ideal principle of stewardship.
I decided this past year to tackle my half acre in hopes of making it into a permaculture yard that would grow the food I need. Why? To sustain myself for the long term no matter the state of the economy. To model stewardship. To become an asset to my neighbors. To be an example for the body of Christ in regards to all of the above.
In addition to working on an overall plan for the yard, I chose to do some experimentation. I've come to realize that there are some aspects of a project like this that I might be more gifted at than another. And maybe I was remembering the year that I mis-read the seed label and planted tomatoes 2 inches apart versus the 2 feet apart and the many moments of laughter that resulted from my mistake.
Last Spring I went to the Farmer’s Market and purchased ONE plant from many different types of vegetables to see which one did best in my yard. I had one eggplant, one cucumber, one acorn squash, one butternut squash, one yellow squash, one cantaloupe and one watermelon plant. So, I planted each of them and waited to see what would happen.
Well the cucumber and eggplant did really well. The squash unfortunately lost the fight with the beetles who enjoyed them greatly. The cantaloupe and watermelon didn’t do anything. So once my cucumber harvest finally slowed down, I forgot about them and went on to other things.
One day in September, I was walking through my yard and low and behold there were watermelon growing! I was excited beyond belief. I took a picture and posted it to facebook and got more likes and comments than any other posting. Go figure!!!
My sister, Jessica, decided to tease me and asked would I even remember to harvest it?! I did wait a number of days but in the spirit of not wanting to see it rot, I picked it. That evening I cut it open, and it was... white! Not red, but white on the inside!
My mom was there at the time and we each tried a piece. It tasted okay although slightly odd and why was it white? I thought well, maybe I harvested it too early. I shared that thought with someone and they said for a watermelon to be ripe, when you knock it, it should sound hollow. I waited for the next watermelon to grow and when I knocked, it sounded hollow. Ok, time to harvest and see what happens.
I brought this one to my sister, Heidi, with the caveat of the previous story and asked her to try it. She called me the next morning, "Wendy, the watermelon is white like the last one. It does have a watermelon texture but it sort of tastes like... squash." Her 6 year old asked to try it and after one bite said "I don’t think I like this, mom." To the deer out back the watermelon got donated.
My sister, Jessica, decided to tease me and asked would I even remember to harvest it?! I did wait a number of days but in the spirit of not wanting to see it rot, I picked it. That evening I cut it open, and it was... white! Not red, but white on the inside!
My mom was there at the time and we each tried a piece. It tasted okay although slightly odd and why was it white? I thought well, maybe I harvested it too early. I shared that thought with someone and they said for a watermelon to be ripe, when you knock it, it should sound hollow. I waited for the next watermelon to grow and when I knocked, it sounded hollow. Ok, time to harvest and see what happens.
I brought this one to my sister, Heidi, with the caveat of the previous story and asked her to try it. She called me the next morning, "Wendy, the watermelon is white like the last one. It does have a watermelon texture but it sort of tastes like... squash." Her 6 year old asked to try it and after one bite said "I don’t think I like this, mom." To the deer out back the watermelon got donated.
In trying to figure out what went wrong, Arielle who works with me, suggested, “It probably cross-pollinated with the squash. Growing up we would always put the watermelon and cantaloupe in one garden and the squashes in another so they wouldn't cross pollinate each other."
So, even though it looked like an award winning, sweet, delicious watermelon on the outside, the truth of the matter was the insides were not what they needed to be. Why? It was located too close to the squash in the garden.
It was such a powerful lesson to me: squash and watermelon are both great plants and should both be a part of a garden. But aside from just being in the garden, another key element is that to produce the fruit they are designed to produce, they need to be in right alignment within the garden.
Who we become will reflect not only the essence of the seeds we plant in our lives but the essence of the seeds flourishing in the lives closest to us. It’s not about right and wrong plants, but about proper alignment.
Grace and peace,
Wendy
P.S. I picked the third watermelon to get a picture for you. But alas as I opened it up, it was pink. Go figure. LOL!
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