Tar Kakdi vs Bacteria Wilt

 

The Tar Kakdi is a light green snake melon (Cucumis melo) that is very similar to an Armenian cucumber. The variety is picked very immature when the fruit is still young and only an inch or two in diameter. At this stage the fruit is not just tender, yet crisp – but much better than a regular Armenian cucumber. With all this being said, growing the Tar Kakdi presented a challenge for me in 2023.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The plants started off very well and the fruits grew at a good pace. The length of the fruit was amazing and the "cool" factor was very high. Why not make things better? To ensure that my plants did well I added compost. That is where my primary mistake took place. The compost was not the expensive compost that one would pay a premium for, but city compost – with plenty of bad bacteria and disease.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It was not long after putting a layer of compost on the plants that the disease began. It started with just a little bit of wilt, but quickly made its way around the garden until all of the plants were hit by it. Sometimes we have good ideas and sometimes we don’t. Sometimes you get what you pay for. And sometimes you get less than you pay for – even if it is free.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Paesana di Soleto, Part 2

Those who have been growing a specific variety or type of crop for a number of years can sometimes be surprised when something different happens. For me, it had to do with disease and pest issues. I was anticipating that something would go wrong – that the plants would get diseased or have some other issue. Though I did utilize some preventative methods (i.e. – spraying with Sonata biofungicide) the majority of the benefits that came to the plants originated from the fava plants that I used as a cover crop between seasons.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Overall, I loved looking at the incredible fruit and flowers. I could not get enough of the abundance and beauty that the Paesana provided. Often, when actors, artists or athletes get to the top of their career, they become the recipient of public accolades. For the gardener, the farmer or any grower, the process and the result are the reward. The privileged blessing of seeing soil and seed bring forth a bounteous harvest, experiencing the miracle of life and its stages, realizing the potential that a crop can achieve. This is all that anyone who plants a seed could desire.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

With all that being said, some seasons cannot be long enough. While I deeply enjoyed the time with my Paesana di Soleto crop, it felt like only a moment before they were harvested and gone. Like a good meal, the parting with a relative or a good friend – parting with an especially good crop can be hard, even when the harvest is bountiful. Would I grow the Minunceddha Paesana di Soleto again? Yes I would!