Nature wants to thrive and, if you're paying attention, you can be rewarded by lending a helping hand.
While I was preparing supper, I chopped into a butternut squash and discovered that the seeds had begun to sprout! This particular squash wanted to survive so I figured, why not plant these seeds? Worst case scenario, I spend a little time and the seeds don't sprout. Best case scenario, I am rewarded with more delicious butternut squash.
When we finally got around to repotting our tomatoes and nasturtiums, I grabbed a throw-away 6-pack, tossed in some soil and sunk two seeds into each cell. Truthfully, I didn't really expect anything to come of the plantings but figured it was worth a shot anyway.
One hot May afternoon, I headed outside to water the plants. I was running on auto-pilot, hustling through my chores when I spotted something out of the corner of my eye. The squash had sprouted and were donning thick green leaves already.
Not only that, I had planted two seeds per cell to increase my odds and all but one had two successful sprouts. This little squash was bound and determined to continue propagating!
Flashback: When I was in grade one we were given a foam cup filled with soil and a bean. We each got to write our names on the cup and push the bean into the soil with our tiny fingers and cover the hole up with soil. Each day we would eagerly run to the window sill to check on our magic beans.
One by one they began to emerge from the soil, except mine! That bean never did grow and my teacher looked at me and said, "I guess you just don't have a green thumb" and left it at that. I was heartbroken and thought I would never have an affinity for growing.
Another year, we were given a small pine tree for Earth Day. I brought it home and planted it in one of my moms empty pots. I kept forgetting to water the little sapling and eventually it dried up. I was disheartened at this failure but chalked it up to my not-so-green thumb and moved on.
Naturally, when I saw that these tiny squash plants had pushed up through the soil and were growing beautifully I was ecstatic. But where in the world was I going to plant them? We were already managing potted tomatoes and nasturtiums in my parents small backyard. Squash love to spread out and I just didn't have the room for this little success story.
Thankfully, Matt's mom was willing to adopt them. She had been clearing gravel from around a dead tree in her yard and was looking to repurpose the garden bed. Being garden savvy, she managed to scoop up some free wood chips for mulch and she planted them up!
When we had stopped in for a visit in early July we were able to see that the butternut squash were growing strong. They had found a happy home and lots of space to spread out and flourish. While they continue to grow, I will be dreaming up the delicious meals I will be preparing with the fruit of that labour!
Have you ever had happy surprise additions to your garden? If so, please share in the comments below.
