The bees have found my Earthbox!  So far I have only seen bumblebees and not the garden-variety (heh heh) orangish bees.  At least I think they are bumblebees–they’re black and yellow colored.  Regardless, they are doing their thing.

A Busy Bee

Here’s what you get if they don’t show up (or if you don’t hand pollinate):

Unpollinated Squash

Pollinated Multipik vs. Unpollinated Multipik

Harvested the first squash from the Earthbox today.  One Multipik and one 8 Ball ready.  Probably should have picked the 8 Ball yesterday–I think they are supposed to be picked when baseball size.  This one is closer to a softball.

So, first squash ready 51 days after planting the seeds in the Earthbox.

Multipik and 8 Ball

Finally got some pollination going and a few squash are plumping up.  Should be ready tomorrow I imagine.

8 Ball Almost Ready

Multipik About Ready

Concerned about what looks to be some powdery mildew perhaps forming on the 8 Ball squash.  The other squash do not show signs of it.  But that’s what destroyed all my squash last fall.  It will spread if it gets worse.  Need to see if it’s something I need to treat, asap!

Powdery Mildew....??

Early squash fruits are dying as spinsters.  It seems that the females are early bloomers.  There have already been four squashes that have flowered and are now shrivelling away because not a single male flower has bloomed yet to provide the life-giving male pollen to these eager ladies.  Painful to watch.  But I think the first male will open tomorrow morning.

Multipik Unpollinated and shrivelling away

Two Eight Ball Squash Sans Pollination

Earthbox Squash at Day 44

Peppers are looking healthy, but so far no peppers forming.  The jalapeno plant is in the lead with lots of blooms, but they seem to be falling off the plant before a pepper can form.  Need to see if that is normal or an indication of some issue.

Earthbox Peppers

Was Happy to See a Couple of These on the Peppers