baby pumpkin

Baby pumpkins are forming! We'll see if they set.

pumpkins on the doorsteps

When Skippy and I walked around the neighborhood yesterday, I brought my camera and took pictures of the pumpkins. I just love seeing pumpkins on doorsteps. One of the houses we walked by had big bunches of onions drying in the doorway too. All the fruits of the season - and its been a really great season for growing vegetables.



I will have to add a photo of my pumpkins on my doorsteps. Soon.

Long Island cheese pumpkin

The stem of my big early Long Island cheese pumpkin was broken off completely today when I went to my community plot. This pumpkin set fruit midway up on my fence and the weight of it was more than the vine could hold. The stem broke part way through a couple weeks ago. It looks like its nearly ripe. Its mostly beige colored, with only a few areas of greenish tint. Very early for a pumpkin. I'll keep it on my kitchen counter for a month before I use it and I think it will fully ripen. This is supposed to be a very good tasting pumpkin.

I was pleased to notice today that the vines at the edges of my pumpkin patch are looking very dense and lots of small pumpkins are setting. The center of the patch looks bad. I guess that's just because the oldest leaves aren't so healthy any more. I also picked a fully ripe ad bright orange Baby Pam pumpkin today. Several more are ripening on the vines.

broken pumpkin stem

My big Long Island Cheese pumpkin stem broke, but not all the way off. It was growing half way up on my fence and, as the weight increased, it sunk lower. (I should have given it a support, but forgot.) Finally, the weight pulled the pumpkin all the way to the ground, but the vine couldn't stretch quite that far. It has partially broken. I don't dare touch it. It seems to me there may be enough intact stem for it to ripen. I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

Its a nice big pumpkin and very early in the season. Even if it doesn't make it, there is still plenty of time for others to set and ripen.

pumpkin on the counter

I suppose this is an unusual photo for summer.

Its a pumpkin I grew in my garden last year. I've enjoyed having its nice bright orange color on my counter all winter and spring. Its a Jarrahdale, a blue/gray pumpkin that ripened to orange midwinter. A really good keeper. This pumpkin is finally getting spots and so today I'm putting it out to the compost bin. :( I have a couple of new Jarrahdale plants in my garden that are growing fast in the heat. I'm looking forward to more of these.