Corn!

Our neighbor Jessica contacted me on Facebook a few days before our return to tell me that the corn was "like 9' tall!" I was eager to see how the gardens were all doing. Powdery mildew had invaded the pumpkin in both the foreclosure garden and the parkway garden and I had cut the infected leaves off before leaving on my trip.
When I got back I saw the corn was really 9' tall. Phil the real estate agent had obviously been by and moved his sign from the window now blocked by the corn to one with more visibility.
The day I left when I was mulching the garden I had seen a guy walk past a few times and then discreetly slip into the back driveway of the house. I remembered S saying that someone had been living back there but had figured he was re calling someone from before the foreclosure and gang takeover. I did see a door open into the back building later on that day. I will have to ask S. who it is. I don't want to interfere with his living arrangement. He's got to have permission from S. to be there anyway. We all get permission from S. whether asked for or not- he bestows his approval and thus it appears as if he had given approval. I tend to ask his opinion which then gives him a chance to approve or disapprove. As mayor this is his job.
I am at a loss with the pumpkin vines. last night I cut more infected leaves off. The cucumbers are looking a bit shabby but there are some massive green mortgage lifter tomatoes beginning to ripen. They really need a lot more support than the little poles I set up before I left. The powdery mildew pretty much killed all the pumpkin and squash plants that were crowding out the tomatoes in the parkway garden and now the tomatoes need more support. I'll have to figure that out. There are lots of green tomatoes. Maybe I should give up on staking them and just let them vine over the little raised bed. I feel so tired from our drive cross country drive and the unpacking and sorting that needs to be done that the thought of dealing with rogue vines is too much. I will need to ask Gonzalo what he thinks we should do.