You take the good, you take the bad, you take ‘em both and there you have: The facts of life, The facts of life…

What do Natalie, Jo, Tootie, Blair, and Mrs. Garrett have to do with zucchini? Not a whole lot, but I found myself humming The Facts of Life theme song in my garden recently. It’s catchy in the way most 80s TV theme songs were*, and it was relevant to my work that morning.

You see, I was pollinating zucchini. It’s not that I don’t trust the bees to do it, it’s that… Well, OK–I wasn’t entirely sure that I trusted the bees, and I really wanted to feel useful. I planted two types of summer squash seedlings last month: One yellow and one green. I had to fight the urge to plant more, but considering what I’ve learned about my tomatoes, and taking into account how many people have told me that I’m going to be up to my ears in zucchini, I decided to start slow.  Continue reading →