Quite by accident I discovered the secret to pumpkin growing. Extra seedlings plus huge piles of unused composting dung equals pumpkins.
Then I learned don't count your pumpkins before they begin to swell. The rampant vines are loaded with embryonic pumpkins, but only a small number of them actually set and start to grow.
This one is still too small to be officially counted. It has gotten further than most though. It has potential.
This one is swelling. Once they get going, they practically double in size on a daily basis. This one gets counted. It is pumpkin number six.
The twins, pumpkins two and three are on the same vine and only one leaf node apart. They are approaching the size and wartyness of pumpkin number one.
My pumpkins amuse me. My dung piles amaze me.
My weeds entertain me and bring in the bees that give me pumpkins. I can't be sure because I don't pay enough attention, but of all the bees I do see buzzing around there are very few or even no honeybees. I have tons of bumble bees.
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5 comments:
I love pumpkins of all kinds.
Fall is here, almost. lol
Ha. We are going back to summer this week. It going to make it up to 80 degrees.
I have seen a grand total of 2 honeybees this summer and even my count of bumble bees is much lower than previous summers.
One simple trick I found to help keep punkins and melons from aborting is to drip, or even just pour, a gallon or two of water near the base of a vine that shows droopy leaves as compared to its neighbor vines. A pinhole in a gallon jug's bottom is my favorite way, and I carried it along when I went to check on the melons. I think a deer or rabbit got the only melon vines that started this year, volunteers like yours. I'm still learning.
Love your photos!
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