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It has been a minute so I'm not sure on why I didn't presoak and then plant them all at the same time--that would have been the better test, but the presoak was after the first round was planted.

I planted it on the other end of my yard. Doing ok.

Sounds like it was bad but if you put it in different beds you definitely gave it your best try and that was a solid test. I would love to hear if you have the same/similar pests next year without the borage. Hopefully not but I wonder if borage was the sacrificial plant in the garden?

I hope you enjoy them as much as I do!

So glad to hear it! 🙌 thanks for your kind words too.

Totally agree. There are so many lovely plants in the world and never enough space in the garden (except with the onset of heat). I'm not giving space to one that bites back. 😉

It probably depends on where you live and how industrious the ants are. Here in AZ, I don't have much pollen left as of 9 am, and we are at 100 in the shade around 10. I expect more hospitable places have a longer grace period with the shelf life of the male pollen. I've gone so far as to picking the male flowers early in the morning the day before and saving them for the next day. YMMV.

🤞🤞🤞

Lol, pegged! More seed harvesting videos to come. And true on the seed counting especially to see if the germination rate is decent. With this many even a bad rate is fine. 😉 now to look more into a seed separator. I'm curious...I hadn't considered that before.

Glad to hear it helped!

I leave them on the plant until they are crispy. Thankfully the seeds are wedged in pretty good so they don't fall out easily if you don't notice them drying out for a while. Best of luck!

Vines tend to be like roots--opportunistic. Unless it is at the base there is a high likelyhood another vine will develop form further up. It might depend on the type of pumpkin, but mine tend to have multiple vines coming off the main stem. I had one crack and it still kept on going: czcams.com/video/pvZEtc4ySLI/video.html. It's tough to see them break, but I hope your still grows just fine!

Love this idea!

I don't. My guess was that the plywood and OSB would be more likely to leach since they would disintegrate. Regular wood would be best, but I didn't have a means to get that so I chose to start with what I had and improve the beds when I was making more income. I could be wrong but starting where you are at is better than not starting. When we get to a point where we could rely on what grows I might get more concerned but we would starve based on what these two beds produce. 😉

Great question. I'd explain, but I think it is easier to show. I have a video at the exact spot you want right here: czcams.com/video/PDmLEjkTSuQ/video.html Best of luck!

Females have a big bulb (the fruit) just under the flower at the end of the stem and they usually grow within an inch of the vine. Males usually have a long stem several inches off the vine and it’s just a stem and a flower. You can also look inside the flower, the female has a round receptor that curves inwards while a male has… what looks like a standard male appendage. 😆

🙂👍 that works! I'd love to hear if the white is less spikey.

Agreed. I want to say several days but I never actually counted. The window where it is open is small in comparison!

Glad to hear it helped!

🙌 it should! I just had two where they looked so healthy but the stem dried up and they were tumped over. I cut off just above the good part and it took about a week and they are rooting out. Outside seems even better to make the transition back into the ground easier.

Glad to hear it helped! What you said is spot on though--janky is better than nothing. Best of luck with your upgraded garden!

Ants. Tons of little ants. I hope the good bugs take over sooner than later for you!

We eat both the squash and the male flowers. IMHO the blossoms are so much better because you can't get them at the grocery store.

I'll have to learn more about growing Comfrey here in the desert. Thanks for sharing on using borage for fertilizer!

Here the pollen on the male flower is only there for so long before the bees and ants take it away. There isn't anything left within a few hours. It's always worth trying if you do have pollen in a male flower!

That’s what I’ve been doing tbh so I hope the zucchini I have coming are saved . But watching this I know the be up early in the garden around 6am in order to catch them all.

100% agree! Plus the male flowers are tasty treats when breaded and fried. Nothing goes to waste. 😉

After it opens the flower starts shriveling up. Here in hot Arizona it looks spent within hours. I have tried pollinating just like you said, but I can't really say I had much success. It is still worth a try especially if there wasn't a male flower the same day so you know it didn't get pollinated.

Right?!? I'm sorry you had the same experience, but I'm glad to know I'm not the only one. 😭❤️

The vast majority of my females shriveled and died. I tried saving a day old male flower for a female flower opening the next day on a pumpkin. That didn't end up working for me, even with keeping the pollen viable by bringing the male flower inside and putting it in a vase. My guess is the pollen has to be fresh. But maybe it will be better on a squash? It's always worth trying to find out! I'd love to hear either way. I'm not sure on when to harvest. It depends on the variety, how much birds/other critters will nibble on it before you get a chance, etc. So many variables!

@@OveranalyticalGardening But can you not just eat the small females that haven't been fertilized? I would say a couple of them are a good 4 inches long or so!

My apologies for not seeing this earlier--yes, absolutely. It is all edible!

Are they all like that or only some?

We left a couple in the ground to go to seed. That one was probably 6 months or more to get the seeds to a dry and viable state.

@@OveranalyticalGardening ohh, thanks for the advice

All good reasons there! Thanks for sharing.

I wait until it is fully dried. I'll admit I haven't tried to see if they keep forming after cutting them for a bouquet--I know calendula keeps going, but I'm not sure on bachelor buttons.

@@OveranalyticalGardening thank you!

Surprises can be fun. I had the same thing happen--finally cut back the broccoli and peas growing up the roselle hibiscus trellis only to discover a full blown borage about to bloom! Thanks for sharing the additional info!

I believe you have a few that lasted more than a summer. Do you know where they came from and what brand?

@@OveranalyticalGardening you’re funny…you know me better than that. If only I was as organized as you

It was less for the melon plants and more against whatever the birds were going after at the time. We don't have enough to share with them. My uncle says what ever he plants 6 are for the birds. I thought, "well I have 2" so...that's bad math. ;-)

I've been thinking off and on all week on this since I haven't encountered this myself. It can't be the heat since it is very hot here and there were still flowers in the middle of the 110+ temps (not setting fruit, but at least there were flowers). It could be the watering regiment. Cantaloupe likes constant moisture, but too much or too little can be a problem and impact blooms. I've also read that selective pruning could help to refocus the growth of the vines back into flower production. I hope it turns around soon!

Lol, that's fantastic! 🤣

Wowza! 5 trees is a lot! I would have thought the humidity there would have helped. What are you protecting with the new shade cloth?

@@OveranalyticalGardening I might set it up at my pool pump house & potting station area & like U said measure for sizing to help my raised flower & herb bed get relief w/that longer thin size. I got in on a deal for my 1st order. I’m still shocked about the trees. $800 removal sure hurt. I had to repair my irrigation system too so that’ll help this yr.

It is hefty, right? I had 3 shorter palm trees removed for $600 a few years ago. Sounds like you should be good to go for a few years after setting the area up for success now. Nicely done on the good deal!

They certainly are tenacious and will self seed. I had to laugh when I just reset the bed clearing out broccoli and calendula...and uncovered a borage just over a foot tall and about to bloom. 🤣 They still are pretty. Enjoy yours!

Yes, I planted mine in an area where it won't interfere, also.

For sure! Definitely not intentional, but it sure highlights the difference between a good quality shade and a bad one. The large one the first year had the nylon along the outside edge rip all the way across instead of the bungees. The cheapest part failing is definitely a nice break!

Glad to hear it was helpful! Best of luck with your shade cover.

I'm so glad you got to see them the next day! They are already getting their permanent feathers.

Thank you for your kind words. Here's the results a few months later. Last year we added Chandler and Sequoia plants. I need to figure out which type ended up vining out and surviving because many died with our 30+ consecutive days over 110F. The original Quinault is still going. No berries yet in year 3.

My apologies for the delay in reply! It's so hard to tear away from the hatching and pint sized cuteness. Sounds like you know exactly what that's like! 😉

You've had parsley volunteers pop up like your lettuce? Agreed on the cilantro!

At least in one bed and then it puts runners out like crazy. Like mint

@@cookingwithdanielle sounds like I should pull mine up sooner than later. My parsley isn't as big as yours last year but I have two healthy plants that I haven't even used a sprig!

We use the petals in cooking different dishes like eggs for breakfast or on salads. My girls enjoy making centerpieces on the table.