I harvested our first pumpkin today. The abundance of rain had caused a small split in its skin, and I knew I should have taken it off the vine the day before. It wasn't growing any bigger either, which could be another giveaway sign that it was ready for plucking. It is however very edible and still fresh. Later on I decided to give away the pumpkin to a friend who came to visit. According to an old custom, it is a sign of goodwill to offer the first fruits of your garden to friends or neighbours, as this will increase the yield of your garden. Whether or not it works, I like the philosophy behind it, and have put it into practice.
I then went all around the garden, placing plastic container lids under all the pregnant pumpkins (as I call them), to prevent damp rot or fruit splitting.
Six capsicum seedlings are now also planted in the largest bed, in place of stunted chillies which never grew. This is the third time the capsicums have been moved, so I hope they survive. They started life in an old egg carton, then I transplanted them into a plastic seedling tray when the egg carton became too shallow for the growing roots. After a few weeks in the tray, they are finally in the soil.
A couple of days earlier, I also planted eight chickpea seedlings by the fence where the dragonfruit had been. The dragonfruit plant seems to be fading away into a lighter shade of green, despite its position (full sun). Maybe the soil wasn't suitable, thus I have re-potted it.
