I was out in the herb garden/bulb/annual bed area of our front yard when I got a surprise. Hidden under a juniper bush that we affectionately call the “alien” was this:
Now, I knew there was an errant vine in that bed, which had probably sprouted from a seed in the compost. But other than admiring how it was twining around one of my Adirondack chairs, I hadn’t paid it any attention. I certainly wasn’t expecting it to put out any fruit.
The truth is that I had been neglecting this part of my front yard due to the extreme temperatures and drought conditions we’ve been under for the last month and a half. It seemed easier to just let the garden go altogether and clear out the damage when it gets a little cooler (even this weekend, it is in the 90s). I think this just goes to show that some things thrive more under well-intentioned neglect than care and attention. At least, this seems to be the rule of thumb for pretty much everything I plant (whether intentionally or not).
I’ll definitely keep an eye on this cantaloupe and see if it fares better than my other volunteers. At last check, it was still mostly green but definitely shading toward ripe. I’m getting excited thinking about this unexpected gift of garden-fresh cantaloupe!
Tagged: Cantaloupe, Photos
That is a good looking cantelope!
We have had a zuchinni come up in our compost pile the last two years. And by the time we find the zuchinni under the huge leaves, they have been too huge to be used.
It looks like you are going to be successful with your volunteer surprise!
I was researching cantaloupe because until today we had a mysterious fruit growing in our vegetable garden! It’s funny that we had the same situation, and from the same source!