We staked the squash and cucumber plants about a week ago and they have doubled in size since then. I find that tomato cages, though quite useless for tomatoes, are perfect for squash and cucumbers. This is my version of square foot gardening where everything grows up so there is space for more plants. It is also easier to find the produce when it is dangling in the middle of a cage instead of sprawled all over the yard (not that I've ever let that happen). Anyway, we should have yellow squash ready in just a few days! The cucumbers seem to be taking their time.

Cucumbers:

• Longfellow
• Fanfare
• Lemon Cucumber
• Chinese Yellow

Squash:

• Black Beauty Zucchini
• Lemon Squash
• Early Golden Crookneck
• Early Prolific Straitneck
• Golden Zucchini

I started these indoors in mid-May, from seeds I got from Baker Creek. Fortunately, these kinds of seeds germinate and grow rather quickly, since I started them and planted them out later than normal. They don't seem to do well when the weather gets really hot, which unfortunately has already happened this year. The temperature was 95 today with a heat index of 102. Believe me, it felt like 102! Hopefully we will get one good crop before the plants wilt.