This is actually an easy one.

Yes. And Yes.

Sorry little guy.

A better question is: How far is too far, to make a melon a death star?

The great thing about friends, and archived Facebook events, is that it makes this one an easy one too. Would you believe that it only takes six months?

Back in September last year, I went to a pair of friends’ housewarming party. And my contribution? A watermelon and a house plant. The former I selected from Stults Farm in Cranbury (I also got one for myself, pictured above), and the latter I plucked from my kitchen counter collection.

This is how the counter looks today. Time for a little plant plug tidying and planting, I believe.

Currently in stock are spider plants, purple hearts, and philodendrons (lots, some, and a few, respectively). Ready also, with some foreplanning, could be Tradescantia zebrina and a few others.

Anyone want a spider plant or purple heart???

I have plenty of pots waiting for new houseplants too (thank you periodic rummage sale attendance). I’ll make bringing the plants and pots together a weekend or coming week activity. This may also mean creating some more shelf space in my apartment, but as with something good to eat, with plants, we can always find more room.

As for the watermelon, I can say that two weeks does not a death star make. My friends ate theirs two weeks after the party, and it was still good. I’m not sure why I didn’t eat mine right away – maybe I had another melon at the same time from another farm – but at some point, maybe four weeks in, I did become interested in seeing how long it could last. Yes, the dark side of food curiosity.

The next Star Wars movie will be out in December, says the internet. But for a fresh, juicy, local watermelon, the wait is not so long. In Jersey and similar climes, we can start searching in mid-July: it’s coming soon to a farm stand, for you and me.