I GREW PUMPKINS!

[Marty]

I'm so excited I can't stand it. As my husband says I"m worse than a little kid. This is the very first time I have ever really grown anything. I"ve tried flowers and plants and always manged to kill them before they even had a chance. I've been procrastinating for years about having my very own little pumpkin patch and this summer I finally did it. I dumped a lot of manure in the spot and tilled it in and then just dumped the seeds in. I had no expectations whatsoever but was shocked when they actually started to grow. Couldn't believe my eyes. They weren't supposed to be ready until October according to the seed package but for some reason, they were ready to harvest the last week of August. So I harvested them and am keeping them in the house in the air condition and in the dark so they will hopefully keep for the next weeks. They aren't very big, between small and medium sizes but that's ok! To date I have 17 and looks like I have more still coming up in the patch. I LOVE FALL!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v_s2kyCAVOY

 

[chandab]

congrats! Cute little pumpkins, I hope they last for you.

 

[Debby - LB]

Wow look at that you did good!!

 

[2minis4us]

Cool Marty ! We did that too one year. Planted where the manure pile was, it was a blast watching them grow !

 

[Danielle_E.]

Marty, the small ones are perfect for pumpkin pies!

 

[Danielle_E.]

Marty, the small ones are perfect for pumpkin pies!

Or you can make pumpkin/butternut squash soup and serve the soup in the hollowed out pumpkin. One for each person.

 

[dixie_belle]

I was late getting my pumpkins planted. They are flowering now. I was wondering why not all the flowers are making pumpkins. Well, the internet is a wonderful thing!! It seems that the first flowers are the male flowers. These are followed by the female flowers which last only one day. The bees pollinate the female flowers which will wilt and fall off revealing......a pumpkin! Who knew? Fascinating. Sure enough, upon closer examination it is easy to tell which are the male flowers and which are the female ones. And I actually have some very small, maybe 1 inch, green pumpkins there already. I waited to plant until all my spring veggies had been harvested and it's a good thing I did because the pumpkin plants have taken over the entire garden. But my research shows I can train the plants to grow up structures so I may build some kind of something, not sure what, so that next year the plants will not be so invasive. You can actually train them to grow up the side of your barn and have the pumpkins on the roof. Now I'd love to see a picture of that!!! Anyway, I"m hoping I can have some ripen before the cold weather sets in. Gonna have to think about where to plant them next year.

 

[Minimor]

My pumpkin patch didn't amount to much this year because it is a new garden spot and I haven't added any fertilizer yet. Will haul a bunch of manure to put on it this fall and hopefully the vines will do better next year!

Congrats on your pumpkin success Marty!!!