(Canadian) Thanksgiving weekend brought snow on the highest peak visible from my part of the valley for the first time this fall - perfect timing!
Results from my squash pit experiment -
I dug eight squash pits and filled them up over last winter/this spring - half with paper trash and half with vegetable scraps/grass clipping/leaves etc. Pits 1,3,6 and 8 were the paper pits, and pits 2,4,5 and 7 were the
organic waste pits. They all received the same watering over the summer. Unfortunately, two of the paper pit squashes (pits 1 and 3) were accidentally destroyed when a well-meaning but not too careful person mowed over the squash seedlings. All pits were planted with spaghetti squash seeds saved from the previous year, and were thinned to one plant each.
(My weight measurements are clearly rounded, but they are equally rounded)
Harvest weights
Pit 1 = 0 lb
Pit 2 = 6lb/2 squash = 3lb/squash average
Pit 3 = 0lb
Pit 4 = 7.5 lbs/3 squash = 2.5lb/squash
Pit 5 = 7 lbs/3lbs = 2.33lb/squash
Pit 6 = 10lbs/3squash = 3.33lb/squash
Pit 7 - 19.5 lbs/ 4 squash = 4.87lb/squash (included one mini monster)
Pit 8 = 12 lbs/5 squash = 2.4lb/squash
Organic waste pits totals = 40lbs/12squash = 3.33lb/squash
Paper waste pits totals = 22lbs/8 squash = 2.75lbs/squash
Harvest totals from two previous years, squash planted in regular garden beds = first year = 14.5lb/5 squash = 2.9lb/squash 2nd year 6.25/3squash = 2.08lb/squash = 20.75lb/8 squash = 2.6lbs/squash over two years.
Conclusions - it's a bit unfair to judge the paper waste pits on the basis of only two pits. Even if i do, they are marginally better then "regular" planting. The organic waste pits seem greatly superior to both from this data, increasing production weight by more then 20 percent. (My math sense can fail, so if this seems incorrect to you, it probably is.) But obviously, the organic pits were making bigger fruit, and the paper pits were making more smaller fruit.
If I were interested in more spaghetti squash next year, I would run this experiment a second time, to give the paper pits a better chance. However, I'm a bit tired of these squash, and because of the mildew problems I've been having, I'm considering switching to summer squash or cucumbers in the place of winter squash next year.
This growing year is done. We've had frost a few times, and while there are still some runner beans and one "Matt's wild cherry" tomato plant alive out there, along with a sunflower and a tiny number of lettuce, there is very little more to do before the winter comes. I will mulch as much as possible, drag the beans down off their
trellis, and start planning for next year.
Year-end inventory of perennial plants in yards: (24 identified on possession of yard)
Your average north american yard grass
Cedars
A vine growing on some of the cedars
Pine
Yew
Juniper
An evergreen tree
Dandelions
Scouring Rushes
Yucca
Virginia creeper (much less now then when I started three summers ago)
Periwinkle
Sumac
moss
another kind of moss
What I call puffball mushrooms
Mullein
White Clover
Oregon Grape
Black Currant
Hen and Chicks
Madame Lemoine Lilac
Green Onion
Johnny Jump Up
Stonecrop
Snapdragon (I lost most of these this fall to kittens, but I hope some seeds are in the soil)
Red currant
Saskatoon/Serviceberry
Hybrid Roses (I think one or two should make it through the winter, but they're not looking to great at the moment, all dried up for some reason. I water them!)
Orange
Hawkweed (this is an invasive that if the town noticed would be a required removal. I only have a little bit.)
Pineapple weed
Gloriosa daisy
Victoria rhubarb (this did not do well this year, so I transplanted them to a hopefully better spot, and hopefully, they will survive the winter there)
Strawberry (I'm down to one plant)
Speedwell
Comfrey
Nigra Hollyhock
Catmint
= 38 (please point it out to me if I've counted something twice!) = 58%+ increase of species since starting project
I also have some herbs that I'm hopeful will overwinter, such as sage and thyme.
Sadly, the water bill has rocketed upwards this summer after some success in cutting back last year. The person responsible for everything that is still lawn refuses to not water the lawn. So the goal of cutting back on water use essentially went out the window. Yes, this makes me somewhat angry, but I also know the ultimate solution is to keep expanding the space occupied by non-grass species. I have a tentative plan to start planting herb/flowers in the front yard next spring.
Thanks for following me again this season, and I hope to be back with further garden drivel next spring!