#pumpkinasks

[pumpkin-patch]

Tell me about your companion herbs!

The main pests I deal with are aphids, whiteflies, caterpillars, and leaf footed bugs, so I'm going to scatter some basil, coriander, oregano and marigolds in there because those are supposed to help repel those and/or attract insects that will kill them for me. Such as one of nature's most horrific concepts, the parasitic wasp. Plus more pollinators never hurts.

The patch in July is going to be way too hot and bright for optimal herb conditions, so these things are going to bolt instantly, but in this case that's actually what I want. Honestly I'm not sure to what degree this actually works for pest control, but even if it doesn't, I get some free herb seeds, maybe.

[pumpkinmetaphor]

What are your Noir headcanons

She's a spoilt princess. Kyoya is like your dad who didn't want the dog but now the dog is the only person he respects in this house. Kaoru makes Noir little outfits but Kyoya is her favourite. She likes olives off the pizza. She has her own bed but still sneaks into Kyoya's half the time and he lets her as long as no one is looking. A photo of Noir like this with Kyoya and Kaoru is Kaoru's wallpaper on his phone once they're together.

[pumpkin-patch]

I know a seed sprouts whichever way you plant it but wouldn't planting it the best way around give it a head start?

Maybe, but the kind of head start we're talking about doesn't really significantly affect the size, number, or earliness of pumpkins it'll grow, which is generally the part we care about.

It's true that favorable seed orientation can benefit emergence. In other words, if you planted two seeds "rightside up" and "upside down", I think you'd have a decent chance of seeing the RSU one break the surface slightly sooner. (Now I kinda want to do an experiment).

And in the very early seedling stage, a head start of even a single day above ground does result in a visible size advantage, so it'll seem like that one is way more robust. This is where it's easy to make the leap and figure that that one always will be more robust, and at the same magnitude compared to the other one, but it doesn't work like that. The advantage quickly gets lost as the plants mature. By the time the plants are flowering/fruiting, you wouldn't be able to tell which is which.

(Think of the way you could easily spot the size and developmental difference between a newborn and a 1-year-old kid, but that difference would be indiscernible if you looked at them at ages 40 and 41.)

The main reason I'm sure it doesn't make a noteworthy impact on health or yield is that I've looked at a bunch of production recommendation sheets for commercial growers, and none of them have mentioned seed orientation. People whose livelihood depends on producing as large and high quality a crop as possible would take care to plant their seeds just so if it was worth it.

[pumpkin-patch]

It's so great to see you back on my dash friend!

Thanks! Looks like I'm gonna be gardening vicariously this season since I never did get the oomph to start. How's yours coming along?

[pumpkin-patch]

Is there anything that can be done when the base of a vine starts rotting out but the trailing ends are still green and apparently thriving?

Oh no! Well I've seen them be surprisingly resilient downstream from huge damage, but you might do well to encourage all the secondary rooting you can before things get worse. I doubt secondary vines can 100% take over if the main root system is effectively cut off by rot, but I have to think any amount of extra help might extend your window a little.

Try digging some shallow trenching to lay the main vine in, or at least mound up some extra soil along it, and keep it moist if it's not already.

Sorry about your rot! Any idea what the trouble is?

[pumpkinmetaphor]

What are your favorite kind of aus and would you ever write one for KyoKao?

Hmmmmmm it's hard to say what my favourite aus are because my favourites are just ones that are done well. It's easier to say that I'm not usually a supernatural, sci-fi, or coffee shop au person, but even those can be good with the right execution.

Personally, I have a few au ideas for KyoKao. Specifically I have a Pride and Prejudice esque au and a The Bachelor au. I will realistically not write them, but they're funny to tinker around with the notion of.

[pumpkinmetaphor]

(also on a plane) who do you think is more likely to get sick? my money's on honey because he'd probably eat too many sweets

Hani is a good bet. I'd say Tamaki just because he takes to the bed like a Victorian lady with tremors if he so much as has hay fever.

[pumpkin-patch]

Last week my annual guerrilla pumpkin patch got sprayed with weedkiller. Today I finally had the heart to work on it again and the first thing I saw after I finished was that you were posting again.

It's a sign. Pumpkin Patch 2024 here we come 🧡🧡🧡

We can do it 💪 So sorry about the weed killer! Did it do much damage?