Last year was my first time planting pumpkins. I saved the seeds from a sugar pumpkin I bought at the store the year before. Well, a pesky woodchuck (aka groundhog) snacked on my plants eating most of the leaves off while it was still fairly young. It came back for a second helping after it grew back!
Finally, the vines were on their way but it was really late in the season. I wasn't taking chances - I got a fruit but not a bunch of male flowers around when I needed them (typical, huh? LOL). Knowing pumpkins are from the same family as summer squash (cucurbit) I used a male flower from the squash to pollinate my baby pumpkin. If I got just ONE pumpkin I was going to be ecstatic. I didn't even think about genetics.
I nurtured my baby, covering the plant when the nights got cold and we might get frost. In October it got enough orange that I could take it from the vine and let it finish ripening where it was safe. I kept it as a decoration for awhile then I finally cut it open to make pumpkin puree for pies and bread and I saved the seeds to plant new ones the next year.
And here they are... aren't they so cute? I'm having pretty good luck with these. I've got another one that started on the vine. I'm thinking if they taste about the same as the sugar pumpkins this may be the way to go!
2 comments:
These are too cute!!!
You have to let us know what they taste like.
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