Pumpkin time!

I have always wanted to have a pumpkin patch but have never had a yard to accommodate my needs to grow BIG pumpkins. Finally, finally, finally I was able have my very own pumpkin patch for the kids (OK for me!). Our pumpkin patch started last spring when Emma brought home a planted seed (a 100-pound pumpkin seed!YEAH!)from the Kuna Agricultural Fair. We planted it after it sprouted and decided that we need another plant or two being we do have four kiddos! SO...in went another plant, this one already started for us courtesy of Lowe's. Anyway as late spring arrived we noticed that there were some strange looking, yet familiar, plants sprouting around the front door. Low and behold MORE pumpkins! You see when you carve pumpkins in the front entry way and then hose off the remaining pulp and seeds, somehow, someway pumpkins get planted without you realizing it, so...more pumpkin plants to take care of! The boys ran over one unplanned seedling with their bikes. Nothing gets in the path of boys on bikes! The other we safely contained in a tacky, white garden fence so that maybe, just maybe, it would survive the boys! All summer and fall we have watched with amazement the life of a pumpkin plant. When the yellow flowers started falling off randomly, we had to google the darn things to find out what was going on. We learned that there are male and female flowers and the male flowers are only used to pollinate and then they fall off and die (hmmmmm...interesting!)Anyway, it was a great learning experience and the kids have had a wonderful time watching and learning. We harvested four pumpkins the other day and still have about 4-5 more that we are waiting on. If you have never planted pumpkins before, try it! Just prepare yourself for the jungle of vines that take over!