growing notes...

She grows best at temperatures around 25 degrees:
Any cooler and its too hard for her to set down roots;
Any warmer and she tends to wilt;
Temperate warmth is usually enough to make her flourish.

Any cooler and its too hard for her set down roots,
But once established she tends to spread herself out,
Evasively creeping into every available space,
Until there's nowhere left for you to hide.

Once established she tends to spread herself out,
And will spend time searching for sun to make you smile.
Left in the shade she will produce lots of greenery but no fruit,
However, her leaves are pretty and edible.

She will spend her time searching for sun to make you smile,
And she will tolerate a bit of compost and even a good dose of manure,
But too much shit will cause her to fray around the edges,
Making her bitter, sour and brittle.

She will tolerate compost and even a good dose of manure,
And the odd, persistent pest won't stop her advance,
Because she comes with her own, natural, defensive repellent,
That will dissuade even the most insidious predator.

The odd, persistent pest won't stop her advance,
However, she sometimes needs to be protected from the wind.
Too much watering will result in wet, cold feet,

Making her go-to-seed early and bolt.


© 2011 Lenni Morkel-Kingsbury