Pumpkins popping up in the strangest of places!

15 years ago

A few weeks back we noticed that we had a large furry leafy plant growing in our front garden, we thought eh, just another weed, but it looked cool so we left it. My uncle visiting the other morning pointed out that our cool looking weed was infact a pumpkin. It turns out that after Halloween last year we left the pumpkins in the garden to "return to the earth" or something. Now we have pumpkins growing amongst the peonies, various other plants and across the lawn towards our neighbour's house. We think it's a cool idea to see if they will fruit. The garden is facing the west-X-northwest so it gets some sun in the afternoon. Is there anything I need to do to it to see it fruit? Thanks beforehand.

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Comments (6)

Macmex
15 years ago
You probably don't have to do a thing. Just let it grow!

I was slow on planting summer squash this year and low and behold one popped up in our compost pile. It's bearing now, which is great for us!

George
Tahlequah, OK
ktdid28
15 years ago
Last year I had a volunteer from a rotted pumpkin grow & it took over everything! It was HUGE & really neat to watch it grow every day, back & forth through the fence & across my parking pad. I ended up getting 12 pumpkins from the ONE vine. You may have to hand fertilize your female flowers if you don't have many bees, though. Enjoy! It's lots of fun!
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weirdtrev
15 years ago
Wow 12 from one vine. That's impressive! Those are great pictures I always enjoy pictures of pumpkins growing. Volunteer squash tend to do so much better, I wonder why that is.
ktdid28
15 years ago
Thanks weirdtrev. They were not big guys by any means, but for my first pumpkin growing experience I was quite pleased. Funny, I wondered why later in the season the leaves kept turning yellow & dying and why the plants were COVERED with strange bugs. Then this year I found out they are called squash bugs were when my zukes, saffron squashes & fancy gourds were all dying. Wish I woulda killed em all last year now! Today I hand pollinated my first white pumpkin of the season... that vine is already taking over :)
Hollywog
15 years ago
Pumpkins have always been my favorite plant, and I have found that the unintentional volunteers always gave the best results. I haven't had much success planting them where I want them. Always got great vines and no fruit that way, even with hand pollination. But when I just tossed the kids leftover halloween pumpkins over the back fence--viola!--the vines took off on their own and I got pumpkins! Maybe that's because it's survival of the fittest for those few seeds that make it through winter to grow into a vine the next season! Good luck with your 'suprises'!
daphne16
15 years ago
Cool pics.
We never get any volunteers from our pumpkins even though we leave them in the front garden beds. Though the squirrels have actually stolen them.
Daphne