I raised many varieties of pumpkins, squashes, cucumbers and winter squashes from seeds this year and it seems I did a bad job of labeling....
Pumpkins: New England Pie, Long Island Cheese, Baby Pam, Galeaux, Orange Giant, and Rouge vif d'Etampes
Winter squash: Lakota, Buttercup, Waltham Butternut, Delicata
The giant pumpkins I gave my parents grew into yellow summer squash, cucumbers ended up in the middle of the pumpkin bed, and giant 80 pound pumpkins are now hanging from my parents' little mesh garden fence.
I can't think of how this happened!!! I wrote a label for each. Maybe it was that late night transplanting. Or the rushed 2nd re-potting. Next year - next year....
Photos of the giant (70 kg!!) pumpkins are below (I think). They have an unusual squashy stem and color is bright orange/yellow. They're about 10 lbs in weight(my guess) so far. They were meant to be planted in my parents' front yard to sprawl where they wanted, but ended up on the fine mesh deer fence of the vegetable garden and are pulling it down as they gain weight. The prolific vines have made a beautiful wall of green at the front of the garden. My parents need to part the leaves to enter. It feels kind of like Alice in Wonderland walking into another world. So far there are about 2 big pumpkins and 5 or 8 smaller ones forming. I am wondering how big they will get!!!
12 comments:
You have such a beautiful variety of squash and pumpkins! Love the pictures.
Wow! Love the pics. So many pumpkins!
What a brilliant collection of squash and pumpkins. One of my favourite veggies to grow.
I thought I was a careful label-maker too this year. And then I picked the "unusual round cucumber" and realized afterward that it was a cantaloupe (doh!).
Well even mixed up they all look great! I wish I had more luck with squashes but we struggle with powdery mildew and bacterial wilt. Mine all look pathetic not green and vigorous like yours.
If you want to get giant pumpkins, you have to cut off all of the pumpkins but one, and then it will get huge. Make sure to wait until you are sure that it is pollinated and will grow well tho! I had a 70lb-er last year, not huge but pretty good.
What a great mix, you always do really well with pumpkins, ours started good but many of the small fruits died from blossom end damage, shame. Next year I will have to make a contraption to get them off the floor I think.
Marian (London UK)
Please pardon my LOL'ing when I read your post. Blame the garden gnomes if you have any. I don't but I still blame them because the same thing happened to me this year. Somewhere between trying to prep the soil and wait out the never ending cold, then rain ,and even more rain, potting, and repotting I ahemmmm I mean the gnomes must have swapped a few things. My crookneck is in a jumble with the pattypan and so on and so forth. I even have a volunteer round green squash that is similar to a zuchinni in color but shaped like a softball. I don't know where it came from as I've never had this type of squash but my experience is if it likes where it's growing leave it and enjoy the harvest. I'm wishing now I would have put in some delicata and jarradale. Alas, Like you I'm already thinking Next Year.
Kathy,
I wonder if the mix up happened at the seed supplier?
I had the same problem this year, but because I was only growing 4 zuchinis (2 types), and 1 pumpkin
variety, the fact that I also got a butternut squash and a
3rd type of summer squash makes me stongly suspect my supplier
had a mix up somewhere and/or poor polination controls.
Ah well, the squashes were all yummy so far!
Leah
Wow -- that's a wonderful array of pumpkins and squash! Next year I'm planning to grow a lot more of them. I love decorating with fresh gourds for the fall, but I have a lot to learn when it comes to cooking with them!
I do a weekly garden roundup and would really love to have you drop by and check it out.
What a nice collection of squash and pumpkins. Thanks for sharing
Hello there. I have been watching your journal for a while now. This is a beautiful post. Cucurbits are my favorite plants. What lovely squash and pumpkins you have growing. I love the variety. Am looking forward to reading and seeing the progress.
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