We've Moved
What's Decomposing - Pumpkins
The 75 pound pumpkin that I grew this year is decomposing nicely in the compost bin. When I first tossed it into the bin, I debated whether or not I should smash it up into little pieces. I decided not to and just placed my pumpkins in the compost bin like eggs in a nest.
After about 2 months, they have all turned to mush. Hopefully the birds and squirrels will dig out all the seeds so that I don't have volunteer pumpkins where ever I use the compost.
75 Pound Pumpkin
Well, I didn't break the 100 lb mark but I'm very happy with my first Great Pumpkin Season. 75 pounds is a good start and I also grew another one that was about 40 pounds. I learned a few things about myself and growing big pumpkins along the way so I'll be ready for next growing season.
The most important thing that I learned was that I have no free time and I need to think smaller. Plant less things in the garden and focus more attention on them. I was spread too thin this year and couldn't keep up with my weeding and trimming and other garden chores.
Next year, I won't have pumpkin vines growing into the neighbor's yard and I won't have tomatoes that clog up the paths between my raised beds. And I won't have thorny Blackberry plants growing next to the pumpkin vines so that I can't pull off the extra pumpkin flowers that are wasting the pumpkin energy that should be going into my 100 lb pumpkins! Next year will be different.
Oh, who am I kidding? Where's my Burpee catalog? Next year's garden will be bigger and better than ever! :)
Where Are You Great Pumpkin?
My pumpkin patch definitely did well this year. Because of a lack of free time, I decided to just let pumpkin flowers bloom all over the place and didn't stop them. If I had limited it to say one pumpkin per plant, I would have had bigger pumpkins. Originally the goal was to have a 100 pound pumpkin but oh well. There's never enough time to get things down. Now at least I have more for the kids to paint or make Jack-O-Lanterns with.
Even without any special attention (other than lots of manure when planting) I'll probably get one or two 50 pound pumpkins. 
The vines really took over the entire area and even grew up the side of a nearby 12 foot rhodo. 
The last picture shows the vines that grew up a tree and over the fence into my neighbor's yard. So far he hasn't complained but I plan on pulling the vines down before he notices the big pumpkin in his bushes. Ooops!
