Week of September 29

Harvest time at TAProots farm included one new project for 2019:  THE GOURD TRELLIS.  This idea dates back several years when I asked my neighbor to the south, Jason Elliot, about the horses stabled in his barn, specifically about their manure.  This led to a load of manure being dumped just west of the raspberry patch, for which the manure was intended.  Not only did the berries love the manure, but Jason had tossed an old pumpkin into the pile, leading to a pumpkin patch.  With that success, last year Jason delivered a huge load,  measuring 75 feet by 8 feet.  In May, we placed four trellis posts and hung trellis wire every 18 inches, and planted four packets of different kinds of gourds.  When we returned in June, the trellis was covered with green vines and yellow blossoms.  Gourds of every color, shape, and size formed along the trellis, to the point the wires were sagging with the weight.  At the harvest, the entire bin of Smokey, the Polaris ATV, was full of gourds.  They were washed off and covered the entire top of the picnic table.  Neighbors, friends, and both sets of grandchildren got boxes of gourds and a box was mailed to the Florida home for our autumn decorations.  It looks like gourds will be an annual crop at TAProots farm.