Odd Garden Specimens

I went out to pick from my hay bale garden last week.  Apparently I had missed a cucumber for several days (or maybe weeks).  This extraordinarily large cuke measured over a foot long and was about 3 inches or more in diameter.  Sadly, when they grow this large they are no longer good for consumption because they are too seedy and "woody." Also shown in this photo is another cuke that looks like something from another planet.  I have done some research and it looks like my garden has become infected with Cucumber Mosaic Virus (CMV). 

My yellow crookneck squash have completely died and my cukes are misshappen and pale.  The disease is spread by aphids, which I have certainly been battling this summer.  My tomatoes appear to be okay at the moment, however they too are succeptable to this virus.  Oh well, so is the life of a farmer.