Confessions from a novice gardener...
This year after two failed attempts to grown plants for our garden from seed, we purchased plants already growing and acclimated to our region. The front flower bed was thus cleared of all soil and spent bulbs replaced with rich dark weed free garden mix. Eighteen l0ng by six feet wide was determined to be the perfect space needed for two watermelon plants and one each of honey dew and cantaloupe.
Zucchini could propagate somewhere else -- we had real crops growing here.
Day by day I watched leaves form and blossoms open anticipating the first signs of sweet seedless goodness. The plastic label from the nursery stuck in the soil showed a thumbnail of just what my late summer harvest reward would become.
Three weeks ago Tim noticed an oblong green fruit just behind the blossom and called me out for inspection. "That's an awfully long watermelon. -- Are they supposed to look that way?" Neither of us had any idea about that. Moving closer I noticed prickly white bumps characteristic of cucumbers.
What we have here is prime gardening soil space meant only for watermelons and yet ... growing cucumbers. I'm wondering how the budding plants got switched at birth or what comic genius swapped the identity sticks at the nursery hoping for just such a harvest prank. Curse you cucumber -- I wanted watermelons!
I built a trellis for the foreign invaders and will enjoy the salad condiment but I will not... make the same mistake next year.
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