IT’S HAPPENING!!!!!
We’ve got major progress on the “miracle mirliton” as my cousin Bill, one of my favorite people on the planet, recently called it. His description brought a smile to my face. His enthusiasm reminded me to update all of you.
I’ve been getting the biggest kick out of watching new leaves popping out almost daily but I haven’t shared that with you yet.
The mirliton that I bought from Louisiana is growing like crazy. It’s been warm in Phoenix and believe it or not, we’ve had a lot of rain recently. So the conditions are great for growing. I’m excited because this is the chayote squash I’ve been wanting for years. If I can be successful, I’d be over the moon.
There have been a few tendrils but none of them have reached the cage until today.
This little guy made it! And he’s got a friend right behind him!
For the kids out there, this is what a telephone cord looked like back when we were tethered to our phones in a different way, haha!
Am I the only one who thinks tendrils are about the most charming things you’ve ever seen?
The mirliton is in a south-facing patio bed that I built a few years ago. Here’s what it looks like today:
The mirliton is on the right, and there are two cherry tomato plants in the center. I planted those a few weeks ago, which is a little late, but they have a 65-day maturity time so they should be ripe before it gets too hot here.
In Phoenix, the summer months are way too hot for tomatoes. You can keep the plants green but they won’t produce. If you plant in the spring, you have to choose varieties with short harvest times. If you plant tomatoes in the fall, you also have to choose varieties with short harvest times so they will ripen before it gets too cold for them. For me personally, I don’t bother trying to grow large tomatoes – I stick to cherry tomatoes, yellow pears, orange sunbursts, etc.
Also in the bed is garlic that I planted in October, along with some winter flowers, lobelia and pansies. Before I planted the mirliton and tomatoes, the bed was full of garlic and flowers, including some monster-sized dianthus. I moved most of the flowers elsewhere but kept a few in the corner because I love looking at them so much.
As you can probably tell, I’m thrilled with the progress of the squash. New growth is always so hopeful and rejuvenating.
With that, I’ll leave you to your day and hope that it’s bright and full of growth.