Not Quite Done in the Garden - Yet

I picked a few tomatoes from the garden yesterday and saw the cucumber has new and pretty flowers. Since October is in close pursuit, and the goblins will arrive soon after the first frost, I doubt I'm getting any more cukes this year.

In truth, we didn't get a whole lot earlier in the year. The cucumber was a purchase from the Asotin greenhouse sale that the FFA holds every year. (I think it's the FFA.) I got a steep discount on the plant. It was the last one they had this season and scraggly, with just one little leaf.

Mr. Landris charged two bucks for each of the pepper plants I was also buying, looked at the cucumber, and sighed.

"We'll only charge you a dollar for the cucumber, since it might not make it."

I nodded, handed him a ten, and told him to keep the change. Firm rule on charity sales and auctions -  I over pay, cheerfully because the money goes to causes I believe in. Don't believe me? Bid against me at a charity auction. Someone will be paying above retail for the item. I'm annoying like that.

Anyway, I carried the plants two blocks down the street, slipped into the back yard, and put them in the my once portable greenhouse. Early June is no time to plant cucumbers. The nights are much too cool yet.

Three weeks later, I planted the little guy. He was up to three leaves and I felt unduly optimistic. The cucumber never really bushed out, not like the cantaloupe and the watermelon (this was an experimental year because I was bored with the normal choices.) One long vine was all that developed, but in July we got the first cuke.

The deer got the next two and that seemed to set the ratio for the entire summer.

Now, the nights are getting nippy. For those of you who have raised cucumbers, you understand they are the wimps of the garden. A hint of frost and they swoon.

Except not this little guy. The runt of the litter, he's game for more. Cucumbers can be hard to transplant but I might try and buy this one some time by getting him back into the greenhouse.

Who knows, maybe it'll work. If it doesn't, it won't be from a lack of trying.

Links from Here and There

I interviewed Tim Tays a couple months ago about his book, Wannabe Distance God. Earlier this week, LetsRun.com ran a review and interview with Tim and named him their second Blue Collar Runner.

Sometimes I wonder what happens at large schools on the East Coast. Having grown up part-time in Maryland, I've got some good guesses. In this case, it certainly looks like the school was acting vindictively. Legally Blind Runner Allowed Back On School Team .

Over at JillWillRun, a tutorial on her garden. I do my own small garden and share with the neighbors. My process is mostly benign neglect and seems to work. Certainly the deer enjoyed it as the poor tomatoes retreated into their cages. Any protruding branches got nubbed at the wire. The habanero peppers were safe though.

Lauren Fleshman has a training journal coming out in a month or two. I'm going to get one to look it over - I handed out a couple of run-of-the-mill logs to a pair of my runners this year. Lauren was one of the few people that I sent a copy of Finishing Kick to, even though she told me she wouldn't have time to read it as a new mom and pro athlete. Okie-dokie, someday she will have time.

I need to get ready for the Inland Empire Klassic meet today over in Lewiston. I'll have some articles on it tomorrow over at InlandXC.com but probably not all the races. They kind of drag on until the middle of the afternoon and I need to be on the work site by 2PM. Don't think I'll get to varsity boys.