Earlier this spring, I was at Lowes with my youngest sister and my nephew and I saw a packet of seeds for Atlantic Giant pumpkins. I’ve always wanted to try to grow a ginormous pumpkin, but I just don’t have that kind of space in my garden. Those vines can grow everywhere and won’t be contained to one raised bed.
So, I grabbed the packet of five seeds and said to my sister, “Will you grow these in your garden?” “Hey”, I said to my nephew-who-is-five, “how would you like to grow a pumpkin that is as big as you are?”
My sister responded, “Sure!” My nephew thought it would be fun and laughed at the idea of it.
I felt a little evil about it, knowing how big the vine would get, but brushed those thoughts aside.
How exciting this would be! My sister would have the sprawling pumpkin vines all over and I would get to occasionally visit “my” pumpkins and see how big they were getting. I realized that we wouldn’t grow any record breaking sized pumpkins, but we should get some big ones. And I keep saying “we” because after all, I bought the seeds!
Yes, I was all smug about how she would have the big pumpkin vine to contend with and I would have my nice neat vegetable garden with the freshly mulched paths, everything weeded, all the plants more or less staying in their own raised beds. I like some vegetation to spill out along the sides of the beds, but not so much that they block a path through the garden. That picture above is of the pumpkin vines about 3 weeks ago in my sister’s garden, freely growing wherever they wanted to grow, heading out toward her lawn.
Did I mention I planted a two hills of spaghetti squash in my own garden?
When I ordered the seeds for spaghetti squash last winter, I was only thinking that I love spaghetti squash and decided I should grow some. I gave no thought to what size vine it would be. I knew it would be a bigger vine, but I thought I could keep it in one raised bed.
I was wrong. I have as many spaghetti squash vines taking over my garden as my sister has pumpkin vines taking over her garden.
Now I go out to my garden and I think about my sister’s pumpkins and realize that what goes around, comes around.
Next year I might just give in and grow my own pumpkins.
That’s what happens when you try to get sneaky. Are there any pumpkins growing on the vines?
have you seen michelle’s “big pumpkin” at mygrandpasgarden.com? it’s kinda scary
The kids will have fun watching the pumpkins grow and I hope they’ll be shared with Aunt Carol! But as for a trade in field crops for next year… somehow it doesn’t seem likely that your nephew will get excited about growing spaghetti squash.
Annie at the Transplantable Rose
PS What kinds of recipes do you use for the spaghetti squash?
Last year I planted pumpkins. They got some kind of squash bug, a flat white thing. They destroyed all the pumpkins, even though I did all I could do to keep them away. I didn’t grow any this year. We might go to the apple orchard again to get them out of their field. (Do you think the youngest sister will get suspicious now when you ask her to plant something, after reading this blog?)
Kathy, the older sister.
Thanks for sharing your story. It was fun to read. 🙂 When my boys were little we tried to grow pumpkins, but weren’t too successful at that. Greetings from Germany, Andrea
Personally, I think a little untidiness in the name of productivity is a good thing. : )
I am always suspicious of too tidy gardens. Nature just doesn’t work that way.
–Robin (Bumblebee)
My pumpkin plants got dug up and eaten last year by something, before I had my new and improved veggie garden, more heavily fortified. But you should see my watermelon vine. Good lord, its out of control. Can’t wait to see what size pumpkins “you” end up with.
I’d love to be able to grow pumpkin. I try every so often, but I think it’s too cold or wet here. So the plants just sit and sulk. I love the way the vines look, very exotic with thier big yellow flowers.