Halloween in July

13 years ago

I seem to have accidentally turned into a pumpkin farmer. It started last Halloween, when I tossed the insides of our jack-o-lantern into the compost bin. I wondered whether some pumpkin plants might sprout from the seeds, but I doubted that we'd get any actual, decent-sized pumpkins from them. I figured that although our yard is underwater all winter, it's usually as dry as a desert all summer, so any pumpkin seedlings we might get would likely die.

Well, I was wrong! Including about the "dry as a desert" thing. Our next-door neighbors bought an above-ground pool last month, and for some bizarre reason, they've taken to dumping their entire pool upside-down about once a week. All the water goes directly into our yard. The pumpkin plants love this, although I do have to prop the actual pumpkin fruits up on pieces of broken concrete to keep them out of the water, or else they rot. Anyway, the main result is that I have my first full-sized, fully ripe pumpkin in mid-July, and three more large ones that may also be ripe before the end of the month. All the pictures below were taken this month; most are from one to two weeks ago.

The white flowers are yarrow, and the yellow flowers are hairy gumplants and rosillas:

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The yellow flowers in the foreground are black-eyed Susans; the shrubs are golden currant and blue elderberry:

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Me, ready to clip the first ripe pumpkin yesterday:

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The non-pumpkin parts of the yard:

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Boston enjoying the flood:

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Comments (8)

sautesmom Sacramento
13 years ago
Looks beautiful!

Make sure you leave it on the vine as long as possible--the minute you cut it off, it will be more likely to start rotting, and you won't have it for October.

Carla in Sac
queerbychoice
Original Author
13 years ago
Thanks! I already clipped that one - I can't imagine it would last until October anyway, especially with the yard so wet. We should have plenty more between now and October, and we really only need one in October.

Of course, now the question becomes: What will I do with all the ones that are ready before October?
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gobluedjm 9/18 CA
13 years ago
I just love Boston. Beautiful coat of fur.
You could try selling them or just take them to your coworkers that have kids or neighborhood kids.

I think it's actually illegal for them to 'use your yard as drainage'. But I am glad as least something is thriving.
borderbarb
13 years ago
The look on Boston's face is too wonderful! Aaah, nothing like cool, muddy water.

Re: what to do with extra pumpkins. Do you know anyone who keeps compost worms? They LOVE pumkins.
queerbychoice
Original Author
13 years ago
The neighbors who are using our yard as drainage live in the same duplex as us and have the same landlady, so I'm pretty sure that makes it perfectly legal. We could complain to the landlady, of course, but she lives hours and hours away and doesn't seem to want to be bothered about it.

We just love Boston too! Boston is our only gardening dog, because our other dog, Ganymede, says that dirt is icky and going outside is no fun.
kristincarol
13 years ago
You can eat any pumpkin and I'd be cooking and freezing pumpkin pulp if I was you.

Also, the dog might like it. Mine like cooked hard squash.
hosenemesis
13 years ago
Wow, your "dry" streambed looks like it is really getting some use. If they do this all year, you can grow water lilies!
Renee
queerbychoice
Original Author
13 years ago
Nope, no water lilies - the ditch still runs dry for at least two days each week. (In the summer, that is. It's never dry in the winter.)

I only wish it functioned like any sort of streambed. Since it doesn't drain, it's really more like an intermittent pond. But at least the pumpkins like it. I'm sure glad something does!