Greetings fellow organic garden enthusiasts.  Well this has been both the best of times and the worst of times for my arbour project – actually for the season on the whole but that’s for a future blog.  For those that have not been reading my organic garden reports, here’s a Reader’s Digest recap. The garden center where I purchased my plants mislabeled the seedlings so I accidentally bought Sicilian zucchini planets instead of the everyday garden variety zucchini. Not a good mistake if you’ve never grown them before as I’ve learned (and written about).  I am sure that the Sicilian zucchini’s are incredible fare but you need some sort of degree to grow them as they started to take over my garden in almost a maniacal fashion. After trying the suggestions from my research (that included a call to Martha Stewart’s radio show) I decided to build an arbour for it to grow in/on. That pretty much catches us up to where we are now and, I am sad to report, that my arbour has been in trouble.

The bamboo I decided to reuse from the teepee experiment slowly fell off the arbour one by one. I was trying my best to make this a zero waste project but I’ve had to store them for use in a future project. I had to use more scrap wood along the top but luckily the very handy person who helped me construct the arbour had plenty on hand. I have no idea why or how scrap wood becomes so plentiful but I’ve learned it certainly comes in handy – waste not, want not.  Unfortunately (the worse of times), I lost a few of the tentacles of the Sicilian zucchini plant. They had created a basket like weave through the slats of my fence and sadly the trauma of being moved killed them. Luckily (the best of times), the move did not kill all of the plants as I first thought as some tentacles thrived and continued to grow up the sides of the arbour. 

I am shocked that this worked because this plant has a mind if it’s own and does not like to be moved or tamed. I sometimes have thought that it might be easier to have livestock in my little suburban backyard rather than this zucchini plant.  Overall it seems that the measures taken to try and restrain this garden dictator have worked although I would label the arbour project a work in progress still.  Shockingly, in all this foliage, there is not even one little zucchini so far and I fear all my efforts throughout the summer may be for naught. Well I learned a lot actually so if nothing else I’m wiser. 

If this season has taught me anything it was to have fun with your organic garden (regardless of what it yields) while it lasts.  As I start to feel a bit of a chill in the air here in Southern Ontario, I’m reminded we’re nearing the end of the season all too quick.  As frustrating as it has been, I know I will look back and miss (but never forget) my summer-long battle with my Sicilian zucchini when my backyard is snow covered.

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