Garden 05 Oct 2006 03:20 pm

first pumpkin

Josh and I had a bunch of volunteer pumpkin plants this year, courtesy of last year’s jack-o-lanterns, and we just let them go to see what they’d do. Become huge and produce pumpkins, that’s what they do. If we don’t lose any to rot and squirrels, we’ll have about a half-dozen of our own squashes to carve for Halloween. Some are orange now; some are still green. I brought the first one in to cure today — maybe a little early, but it was in a dampish, cooler spot and I was a bit concerned about the rot potential there.

It’s very satisfying to watch these guys grow. Next year I’d like to tear up the front lawn and plant it with great big ornamental squash — maybe have some Galeux d’Eysines in the mix.

In other garden news, I’m chitting a whole lot of fava beans for green manure. Every year I mean to do this; finally this year I’m getting around to it. Gives me hope for the other umpteen things I mean to do every year.

Comments (4)

4 Responses to “first pumpkin”

  1. on 05 Oct 2006 at 3:40 pm 1.Rechercher said …

    Well, cool, I’m already looking forward to the pics of the carved pumpkins. Hmmm, a pic of pumpkins on the vine might be cool too. :)

  2. on 05 Oct 2006 at 4:21 pm 2.Cam Sculpin said …

    Too bad I hate taking pictures, then, huh? :) Josh will probably get one of the jack-o-lanterns, to go with the 2005, 2004, 2003, and 2002 galleries.

  3. on 05 Oct 2006 at 4:39 pm 3.oddangel said …

    I’m chitting a whole lot of fava beans for green manure

    What do you mean by “chitting?” I’ve heard of people planting fava beans during the fall to help lock in nitrogen (I think that’s the reason) but I’ve never heard the term chitting before.

  4. on 05 Oct 2006 at 5:33 pm 4.Cam Sculpin said …

    It’s a fancy word for “pre-sprouting”. Steve Solomon explains:

    While sprouting, the seed first puts down a root to insure it has a moisture supply. Only then does it make a shoot and head for the light. Seeds usually need to be kept moist only until they are putting down their first root. The time required for this to happen depends on the species, the vigor of the particular batch of seed, soil temperature, and weather. Suppose you bring your seeds to the point where they have started making a root before you put them into the soil? This is chitting.

    The idea is that you get the seed sprouted under nearly ideal conditions; when the root has emerged, you plant the seeds root side down. It should help the little plant get a head start and avoid the problem of drying out. It’s also handy if you’re using oldish seed, as I am; you can take a look at the germination rate and use that information to help you decide how much seed to plant.

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