This spring I planted half a dozen acorn and half a dozen spaghetti squash seedlings that I duly nurtured on my windowsill for a couple of weeks before transplanting them into the garden.

Sadly, only one of the acorn sprouts has embraced it’s job of growing me some squash and has begun taking over the garden.

On the upside, I’m thrilled to report it has at last sprouted some “girl flowers” and been pollinated (I didn’t leave that to chance) resulting in two little squash-in-progress. I feel like an expectant mother.

I suspect the failure of the four other surviving squash is my fault. I left the only two spaghetti squash that weathered the transplant a little to close together for too long. Same with the two acorn squash.

Apparently squash like a little leg room,but I didn’t have the heart to “kill” one of them until too late. By the time I made the untenable choice of which sibling to murder, I fear it was too far along in the season. I now have only runt plants with tiny flowers to show for my pacifist approach.

Let’s just say it’s a very good thing I don’t actually have to rely on my gardening skills to eat, or I’d be very hungry come winter.