Sep 22, 2009

A Willing Volunteer

Every year, we carve our pumpkins out on the front walkway. It's usually as far as we get before the kids get so excited they can't wait to start. Almost every year, in the late summer a little pumpkin plant pops up voluntarily from a tiny left-behind seed from our carving extravaganza! We usually let the plant grow and it almost always sprouts a few small pumpkins that kind of fizzle out and never really make it to Halloween. Even the year that the plant covered the whole walkway and we had to play hopscotch over the vines to get in the house, we still didn't get a decent punkin.

This year is no exception. The wee plant at the walkway has a few golf ball sized pumpkins that are already turning yellow.

BUT!!!!!

This year, we had a surprise. After said pumpkins are carved and they've served their purpose as halloween decorations, "da boys" take them to the edge of the garden and being boys, pulverize them and blow them up with firecrackers (kidding!), leaving the remains to be carted off by a cute forest animal to eat over the winter (awww).

This year, we had another volunteer pumpkin plant come up there and let me tell you, what it's sister plant lacks at the walkway, this baby makes up for! It is HUGE! AND the best part is that it has 5 beautiful pumpkins growing nice and fat and round. I think that we may have some awesome punkins to carve up in a few weeks. The kids go to check on them every day; making sure that they're still growing and thriving. They are so excited.




8 comments:

heidi said...

WOW! That's some big pumpkin patch you're growing by accident! LOL

Kelli W said...

How fun! I never thought about just throwing the seeds in the backyard and seeing what happens! Those are going to be some fun pumpkins to carve...can't wait to see them!

Mindy said...

LOVE IT!!!! I would love to see that pupkin plant.

~LL~ said...

Love it! I love the feeling of seeing pumpkins all around. It is such a comforting thing for me!

Liz {Learning To Juggle} said...

How cool!!! if the ground gets really wet you can put some cardboard under the pumpkins, it helps keep them from rotting.

I was so excited the year I had a successful pumpkin plant!! Might just have to plant one again this year (Maybe even try for a volunteer :)

Marilyn (A Lot of Loves) said...

I love your pumpkins. Just like Kelli, I also never thought a stray seed would grow a patch of pumpkins. I think I might try it this year just to see what happens.

Shannon said...

How exciting! I keep telling myself that I'm going to plant some pumpkins but I'm afraid they'll take over my teeny tiny yard.

Laura said...

We have a big plant too. And it is totally voluntary. Unfortunately, it is like the one by your front walk and only had teeny tiny pumpkins on it. And for some reason it has begun to rot, so I have to pull it out this week. :( Boo, hiss! I was hoping it would make it. Maybe next year.