Tuesday, July 22, 2014

Attack of the mutant flora

We compost. All the peach peeling, egg shells, asparagus stems, and other rot-worthy stuff, we toss in
an enamel bucket on the back deck and every few days I take it outside the back fence and dump it into the composter situated under our pear tree.
Each fall we take compost as dark as chewing tobacco and spread it over the garden. The pile usually gets warm enough during the decomposition process to kill most seeds, but every now and then seeds make it through.
We didn't think winter would ever end. Spring was slow in coming but once it arrived, growing things thrived.
We planted sunflowers, but we had one that volunteered (that's what my grandmother called it) to come up a few rows away. 
It finally bloomed this week and I snapped this photograph of my great nephew Jordan standing beside it. Jordan is almost four feet tall so you can look at this picture and do the math yourself.
I've never seen one quite this tall. The flower is as big as a dinner plate. Too bad an heirloom tomato seed didn't survive and grow a tomato as big as a beachball :)

17 comments:

  1. Blood hell that is one tall sunflower

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    1. It's the tallest one I've ever seen :)

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  2. WOW... that is a very tall flower, very impressive, great picture ;-)

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  3. Hi Rick, Wow jumbo flower... But really a beach ball size tomato would be really a prize.
    I have seen really funny things come up out of a compost pile before... But this one was really special, as I love sunflowers!
    Blessings, Roxy

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    1. I love sunflowers too. We have a row of regular sized one that are planted nearby. Soon they'll be blooming too.

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  4. I just love the look on Jordan's face - as if any second some-one might shout "Timber!!".
    The photo also has a very Jack-in the-beanstalk-ish feel to it, doesn't it?
    Ms Soup.

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    Replies
    1. That thought occurred to me too Ms. Soup. Hope all is well with you in the land down under.

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  5. Whoa... now that's a sunflower. Great photo of the great nephew alongside!

    Have to admit, first thing that popped into my mind was the old sixties novelty song "The Eggplant That Ate Chicago". That sunflower could do a lot of damage if it ever got really hungry! :)

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    1. I've never heard that song. I'm off to YouTube to see if I can find it.

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  6. Wow..., must be all that coffee grinds you toss out in the compost. That sunflower is on steroid.
    Jordan looks proud of the giant sunflower.
    JB

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    1. Jordan loves all things from our garden. He helps us plant and tend each year :)

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  7. Good lord that thing has to be at least 10 feet tall!! It's the Shaquille Oneal of sunflowers.

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  8. Holy Sunflower Batman! For some reason I'm thinking a great Sunday column idea could be in this post! That's impressive!

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  10. The picture looks like Jack and the Beanstalk...only this would be a pumpkin stalk! Nature just decided to make you smile a little more this year!

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