2015: Grow Your Own Pkins

[jadewik]

Throwing out the call for pumpkin fanatics again-- are you growing any pumpkins for Halloween 2015?

We started a backyard garden and I have a couple pumpkin pie vines and I'm trying to grow a "giant" this year.... I have no idea what I'll do with it if successful... lately, I've had no time to design or carve pumpkins or do much of anything else.

Will have to take and post photos later. Right now, the vines are about a foot long.... and growing fast. We'll see how this goes... I'm surprised they haven't fried in the 110°F weather we've been having. But, no... big, bold leaves. I can't wait to see what grows. I'm also excited for the bee that keeps checking on the garden. That means the flowers should get pollinated.

We also have some summer squash, watermelon, zucchini, bell peppers, beets, carrots, corn and sunflowers growing. We'll see how it pans out.

Happy farming!

[Murfreesboro]

Sounds like you've got a great garden!

I was saying in another thread that I had one pumpkin last fall that got soft before I could carve it, so I put it out in my backyard. This spring, all that was left of it was the stem and some seeds, so I threw dirt on them. They are growing, for sure, but so far I haven't seen any blossoms mature. I think something in my backyard is nibbling them off before they have a chance to bloom. I see the buds, but then, no flowers, or only parts of flowers.

[Andybev01]

4 year drought = no garden.

They have issued some pretty stark rules.

In addition to restricted watering times and duration, you are now only allowed 2 days per week and, it's based on if you have an odd or even address.

[Murfreesboro]

Man, that's tough, not to be able even to attempt a garden.

[MauEvig]

I wouldn't mind sending some of our rain your way Andy. We've had too much of it. But as a result, my garden has flourished. It's been one of the rainiest summers here where I live from what I have heard.

Definitely growing pumpkins, the vines of the pumpkins and gourds took over the garden. I've already got the little jack be littles growing.

We have some other stuff growing in there as well. I promised the little neighbor boys they could pick out a pumpkin for Halloween; especially if there's a successful crop of them.

[SIEFKA]

We did a Halloween hall decoration thing at my University last fall our hall ended winning the best hall I put a lot of effort in and made a lot of the decorations. I remember my room was full of cardboard and paper etc. I wanted to make sure I made it great for Halloween! That being said I grew pumpkins two falls ago and I would love to do the same thing again but instead grow them at my University. Now I know that I am a little behind since it is early July and there is a certain time for growing where you live. So instead of starting right from scratch I'm going to go to the local garden place and buy them already started. I would love to get as many pumpkins as I can to fill up a whole hallway and then my idea is to carve them all then put Christmas lights underneath each one to light them up. I will have to buy more pumpkins later on once its the season especially you can find deals like buy one get one free. So hopefully since I work at a golf course I can get the day off on tuesday since its supposed to rain and then see if I can buy the pumpkin plants, and plant them at my University.

[Murfreesboro]

Good luck, Siefka. That sounds like an ambitious plan.

[SIEFKA]

Thank you! Yeah it rained today and I was let out of work early and I had time to do it today but I will most likely try tomorrow if it rains. The hard part is that my university is 40 min away and that is quite the drive for planting pumpkins so we will see what tomorrow brings.

[Kolchak]

I just go to Kroger!

[Murfreesboro]

Siefka, where on your university grounds would you plant the pumpkins? Most colleges/universities have grounds crews. You'd probably have to get permission to plant anything.

[NeverMore]

4 year drought = no garden.

They have issued some pretty stark rules.

In addition to restricted watering times and duration, you are now only allowed 2 days per week and, it's based on if you have an odd or even address.

I quit watering my yard two years ago. Was going to run irrigation but didn't see the point, knowing the drought was coming. I did set up a drip system though, so I have four zones that get water daily, to keep various plants and shrubs alive. Nice thing about drip is it only puts water where it's needed. As of now, this is allowed here. I plan on putting some pumpkins in the ground where the drip already is and see what comes up, even though pumpkins need a lot of that liquid gold. I probably should get on that.

[Andybev01]

Aww Nevermore, now I have to narc on you to the water Gestapo.

[MauEvig]

Siefka were you growing the pumpkins at home or on your University?

I think Murf has a point there. I'm so glad I commute to college. Dorm life is a "been there done that" sort of thing; don't have any interest in it myself. I did that when I was at Alfred. Going back on it I'd probably do the Community College thing; like Jadewik mentioned in another thread. Technically that's what I did with GCC and what I'm doing now with Dabney. In my younger years I was too prideful to want to go to a community college. Then I paid for it...in debt.

There's hardly anything to my garden except for pumpkin vines. If anyone wants to grow these, keep in mind that they can and will take over your garden. Still it looks like a good year for pumpkins at least on my end.

Here's one of the big ones next to a jack be little:


Here's another one:



And I'm going to have tons of jack be littles:



I feel bad for those of y'all who can't grow 'em. If only you lived near by; if I had a good crop I'd be wiling to share the wealth.

[Murfreesboro]

I sure wish I could figure out what's eating the blossoms off of mine! They want to make fruit, but some critter or other won't let them.

Yours look great, though, Mau!

[NeverMore]

Aww Nevermore, now I have to narc on you to the water Gestapo.

Yeah? You tell on me, I tell everyone you wear Spongebob Squarepants PJs.