…because Petersik Pumpkin Farmer is the new guy in town. Well, Accidental Pumpkin Farmer I should say. Yep — I grew a pumpkin without even trying. Personally, I’m amused by the whole thing. Sherry’s a bit less enthusiastic about our surprise fruit. Here’s how it happened:
Remember those pumpkins we painted last year? When they were past their prime I absentmindedly tossed them into one of our DIY compost bins. It turns out that a nutrient-rich compost pile is a great place for a pumpkin seed to sprout. If your goal is to grow pumpkins, that’s perfect — but if your goal is to maintain a tidy compost bin, I wouldn’t recommend it.
I didn’t realize I was on the path to pumpkin growing until this spring, when I used some of that compost in our edible garden. Mystery sprouts popped up beside each of my plantings. After pulling those “weeds” a few times, we eventually removed what were actually pumpkin seedlings trying to take root next to our basil and bell peppers.
Then one day I noticed a larger version of that “weed” emerging from the compost bin. That’s when everything clicked and I realized what I had done. Sherry was annoyed that our compost had been compromised, but I was too excited about the accidental pumpkin project to care. She agreed to let me see what would happen, especially since we still had a second bin we could use without pumpkin interference.
What grew was an impressive vine. I don’t have many photos of it — I honestly never expected it to succeed — but you can catch a glimpse of its broad leaves peeking behind me in one of our videos. Those big leaves were unmistakably pumpkin.
I thought it was a neat plant. The vine twined around the fence, produced large leaves and even opened a few blossoms during the day. Seeing those blossoms made me optimistic that we’d have some impressive pumpkins by fall.
Then it suddenly died. I’m not sure why. I didn’t give it any special care all summer, and after we returned from a short trip all that remained was a shriveled brown ghost of the vigorous vine it had been. It was disappointing.
Fortunately the story has a happy ending. As I pulled the dead vine away from the fence the other day I discovered this:
It’s not going to win any county-fair ribbons, but I’m proudly sharing that my accidental experiment produced at least one small, charming white pumpkin. It’s well-shaped and unblemished — a cute little fellow, really. I’m tempted to plant its seeds intentionally next season so the legacy can continue, after Sherry has had her decorative fun with it, of course.
Do any of you grow pumpkins intentionally? If so, I’d welcome tips if I decide to try again. Given how this started, it feels like pumpkins might be easier to grow than I expected.