Garden Whimsy #1

"Oh Cucumber!~"

     I think I'm just going to have one title for all my garden related posts to make them easier to identify. I might change my mind later but for now, this is #1. I'm fascinated by root systems. I really can't get enough of looking at them. I'm sort of glad that these two cucumber plants didn't end up deep enough because it gives me an opportunity to see the root system develop. I had forgotten why I love biology so much. I really wish they made biology books more interesting. Textbooks just have a way of making the most amazing things in the universe tremendously dull. You can blame Texas for that by the way but I won't get into how Texas influences the entire nation's textbooks. Go ahead, google it.

     I don't know if you've noticed but I have a thing for photography. I absolutely love taking close-up pics of the details of things. I'm not going to be making any money selling stock photos or anything but I like it. The message on my letterman is photography related. I have a yearbook letterman. Evil cookies to anyone that can identify the elements in my pictures. Anyways, don't you love how thick those Cucumber leaves are? They're the sturdiest looking seedlings but they're going to end up vines. The flimsiest seedlings are going to be thick heads of leafy greens. Go figure.

     The Yellow Pear Tomatoes appeared quickly. The red ones are just now setting root. If I remember correctly, most tomato seedlings look identical out of the seed. It's very important to label if you're growing more than one variety. You can plant multiple tomato varieties even if you're saving seed because they have perfect flower that self pollinate. I'd still plant them a good ways from each other just in case but I don't  think there should be a problem. Did you know that random mutations in seedlings can give you a tomato plant with potato leaves? I've had that happen to me once or twice. Oh, keep your kids away from the tomato plants. They're part of the nightshade family(like onions and potatoes) and only the tomatoes themselves are safe to ingest.

     It's still a seedling and this is already my favorite Cypress Vine. I adore the coloring. I really hope that it stays true into maturity. There are some green seedlings though. I wonder if they'll have different flower colors!