We bought some decorative pumpkins last year, they lasted many months but eventually leaving them outside the freezes started to turn them mushy. So we tossed them onto the lawn and let the wild animals have what is left of the rotting pumpkin. Well it would seem those seeds have survived the winter and are now growing. I did not expect this, but I am always happy to have pleasant surprises.
Besides just tossing a pumpkin out there, I have no idea how those seeds got started. I guess all the mush makes for good fertilizer for the seeds to start. I wonder if the seeds need a cold period to germinate. That would explain it, as the winter they went through was quite cold and may have triggered their growth. Funny it did not come up until August, half way through our growing season. But some plants are like that.. late starters.
So far its pretty small, only two flowers are on it. But hoping it grows out and forms some pumpkins. May take awhile for that to happen, but I will keep an eye on them.
It may be a squash, but it makes more sense the pumpkins we tossed dropped their seeds right where they are growing. I used an app that can look at leaves and flowers, it says it may be a squash. But the pumpkin flowers and the squash flowers look quite similar to me.
Will need to be careful not to mow it over, its right where I usually cut the grass. Will also have to pull up weeds around it to keep the native plants at bay, this time of year they are quite vigorous.
These look like male flowers, but hoping once it produces more it will make some females and then grow fruit. I believe the females will form little pods under the flowers base, and this is what forms the pumpkin. Similar to how my cantaloupes form their fruit.
Its funny that a Hive pumpkin contest is going on right now:
I was not planning on growing one, but sometimes it just happens I guess. I am always open to it, especially when a plant just pops up on its own… lol
Maybe I will have something by October 31st when the contest ends. That would be cool. No idea how long pumpkins usually take to grow from flower to fruit. And its been awhile since I have grown one, so if it is what I think it is should be a cool experience.
So in the mean time I will go check on this plant along with the others around here, and I hope the best for it. Maybe I will give it some fertilizer along the way, but for now I will just keep checking it for pests and give it the occasional watering. I know my melons are preyed on my aphids so I may need to add the pumpkins as well to my regimen of treating. I look for ants and when I find them usually their aphids are near as well.
We didn't have much time for a garden this year but did get some volunteer onions from last year's garden which we kept an eye on and watered a bit. Volunteer plants are kind of fun to see how they do!
Oh that is cool. I am always curious which plants will come back the next year. That is cool onions came back for you.
We have wild onions that just grow all over the area. But I should try out growing some cultivated kinds.
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STOPSadly the entirety of my little crop of pumpkins succumbed to slugs and snails this year. Most frustrating.
Oh damn that really sucks. Have you tried to use a form of slug and snail killer? I use Bonide Captain Jack's Bug & Slug Killer and it works really well if you follow the directions on the bottle.
I don't really like using the pellets but I did put down a few. Trouble is, we've had so much rain this year it has been great for slug production (!) so there's been even more of them to contend with than usual.
A great job! Halloween is here ☺️
@tipu curate
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Hah thanks, yep autumn is gonna be here before we know it.
An App? That App has to be an interesting one
PlantNet.. its on android and also you can use their website.
https://plantnet.org/en/
Its really great, once you have it on your phone you will be checking every plant around you to figure out what it is.. a great app.
Ohhh nice, it’s indeed a great App and a must have.
The fruit of this plant is very good for consumption and the arbor leaves can be used for cooking as well as the fruit which still has seeds.
I love this plant and I also grow it behind my house👍
Yeah looking forward to see what forms on the vine. That is cool you got some of your own.
Yes, my brother, thank you very much for the reply to your comment. I hope your day is always blessed and happy❤️🙏
What kind of app looks at leaves?
I’m shocked
PlantNet
https://plantnet.org/en/
Its really great. You can take pictures offline and then check them with you have a internet connection. Or you can check them onsite with internet.
Makes sense!
Thinking about it, I don't think I've ever seen a pumpkin planted... I only usually see them in restaurants already prepared or in photos and movies. There are so many fruits and vegetables in our ecosystem and even with so much lifespan, many of them I've never seen in nature.
Ah yeah I guess the pumpkin fruit looks a lot cooler than the vine or flower so most just know about that. But its all important indeed.
Got it, thanks for explaining! Cheers!
yassss pumpkin pure, pumpkin spice it's going to be amazing!
Hah it should be quite the experience growing them.
What an awesome surprise!
!pimp
It sure is.. life is full of them.
Don't you love it when you get free plants?
Our Seminole squash are like this, we planted them once and when an animal eats into one we leave it and next summer we get new plants, watch for the female flower and have some squash sex, my husband does this. lol Squash sex is what I call it when he takes the male part out of the male flower and rubs it on the female part in the female flower.
Hah I sure do, really cool that it came back like that.
Lol yep I know about people that help pollinate by hand. I have yet to try it myself but I hear it can be very successful.
It works and is easy to do, you need to do it early in the morning before the female flower closes, just grab the male part below the pollen on the stem and gently pinch off, hold it by the bottom, and rub it in the center of the female flower.
I didn't know there was a pumpkin growing challenge! Cool. Do you eat them as well? Australians eat a lot of pumpkin!
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Hah yeah I forgot who mentioned it to me.. but one of my followers told me about it during one of my previous garden posts.
I have never ate pumpkin as far as I know, but would like to try it. The ones I have growing may just be an ornamental variety and not the best for eating.. Or maybe they are all good to eat.. idk lol
Oh thats cool, I should probably try to eat some.
Best of luck! Although, it wasn't your intention to join, hopefully you get to grow a nice one right for the contest. I'm quite amazed how Hive social platform is becoming more and more linked to the outside world 😅 Will follow this contest, thanks for sharing :)
Thanks.. it is funny how that just works out like that sometimes.
Really glad my garden and homestead posts are liked so much, doing the hive poll a month or so ago really helped show that is most of my followers interest in what I do.
Nice, yeah I need to keep a close eye on it now I have something growing for the contest.
For a city dweller like me, gardening or homesteading is like "rocket science" to me, lol
So I really find it interesting and educational as well :)
Soon it will be Halloween!!!
Looking forward to the pumpkins, @solominer !
!BBH
Sure will be, hopefully mine form in time.
Ah thanks for the tokens.
@solominer! @silversaver888 likes your content! so I just sent 1 BBH to your account on behalf of @silversaver888. (13/20)
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The pumpkin plants that grow in this yard look very lush, even though it is not intentional that you plant, of course you need to monitor them so that they can grow normally and have a lot of fruit.
The type of pumpkin plant is indeed very easy to grow, in my backyard we have also kept pumpkin plants, because my land needs to be tripped, I have to throw it away because it has spread everywhere.
Very good job my brother.
Ah glad they look good. Yeah I will keep an eye on them and give them water and nutrients when they need it.
Lol yeah I can see them overgrowing an area. Hopefully they wont take over the lawn here.
thank you
Indeed, pumpkin and cucumber plants are very easy to grow as in our place pumpkin seeds that have been picked up the flesh we usually just throw away and a few weeks it thrives like a pumpkin that grows where you are now brother @solominer
Que lindas plantas de abóbora, temos aqui por casa também!! Obrigado por compartilhar suas fotos das suas plantações.
Pumpkins are indeed loaded with a lot of nutritional benefits and I enjoy eating it as well.
Yours is starting off real good and I do hope it grows well so you can have a taste of it.😊