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

Squash is progressing much more slowly than it did in the fall garden, perhaps due to the chilly night temps.  The crappy Miracle Gro Potting Mix might also be a contributing factor.  It seems much less fluffy than the Hi Yield mix I used last time (Red Barn Nursery, where I used to get the Hi Yield, does not seem to carry it now) and it may not be wicking the water up as efficiently as the Hi Yield mix did.

Earthbox Squash at Two Weeks

Seeded this squash earthbox today.  First attempt at “replanting” an Earthbox.  Scraped the top ~3 inches of mix out, removed fertilizer strip.  For fertilizer this time, I used 3c Epsoma Garden Tone.  Added 2c Carl Pool Dolomite before adding new potting mix to top it off.  Used Miracle Grow potting mix, which is definitely inferior to the Hi Yield mix used last time, but could not find the Hi Yield.

Planted, left to right, Spacemaster Cucumber, Multipik Yellow Straight Squash, Eight Ball and Zephyr.  This time I’m going to try to train them to grow up on the trellis.

If things go as they did in the fall, I should be eating the first squash on 4/17.