It ’s late summer , and even though I ’ve never been to your garden , I can predict this : it ’s full of courgette .
If there ’s one thing we can adhere over as northern gardeners , it ’s our power to grow zucchini and summer squash in cornucopia . Every class it ’s the same — we implant those ejaculate , then wait for what seems like an interminable amount of fourth dimension . Then the germ sprout … slowly , haphazardly . Then they idly stretch out into good - sized plants . lastly , one twenty-four hours , the first babe squash appear , perhaps an inch long , and we cheer . At last !
Three days later , we have zucchini and summer squash coming out our ears and for a while we thrive in the abundance . Zucchini staff of life ! Summer mash soup ! Zucchini lasagna . Roasted yellow squash . Zucchini bread again . Zucchini lasagna again . And again . And again .
Golden Egg summer squash (Daniel Johnson / Fox Hill Photo)
By now we ’re contacting kinsperson and friends . “ Hey , can you use any zucchini ? How about sixteen yellow summertime crush ? ”
When our friends and family stop answering text messages , we begin contacting mere acquaintances . “ Hey , I stick out behind you in the post situation the other sidereal day , and you looked like the sort of human who exhaust intellectual nourishment . Could I occupy you in some zucchini ? ”
When all else fail , we sneakily go forth bags of zucchini and summertime mash on protagonist ’ porches or hive up in the back of their pick - up trucks . “ Hey , by the mode , ” we ’ll text them afterward , “ I ‘ squashed ’ your motortruck . desire you do n’t beware ! ”
Eventually , we eat , preserve , part , or give away all that courgette . Eventually autumn arrives , giving us freedom from zucchini until next summer rolls around .
And then we joyously get out the ejaculate catalog to buy more seed so we can do it all again .
If you ’re at that degree in the summer squash cycles/second , let me tell you what ’s overflowing in my garden right now :
stripy , pale yellow , mysterious green , prosperous egg - shaped - this is a splendid quartet of garden treasure and I hope they overflow in your garden next summertime !
Samantha Johnsonis the author of several books , includingVegetable horticulture for Beginners : Learn to produce Anything No Matter Where You Live(New Shoe Press , 2023).She write oft about ducky , gardening and farm life .
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Four seasonal payoff full of growing gratuity and featured garden — compose and edited by local northern horticulture pros just for you .
