Lonely Pumpkins

Only four big pumpkins in my pumpkin patch, but they are beauties! Here is the one I've got my eye on for a jack-o-lantern.

You can see black landscape fabric and brick pavers on the ground; that's what I used to keep down the weeds in my pumpkin and melon section. It's a nice, relatively easy solution, but it also means the vines aren't able to re-root in the surrounding soil as they grow. Next year I'll try it without the landscape material and see how it goes.

Vine Ripening

Pumpkins and melons are shaping up and filling out, becoming the beauties I knew they'd be when I first planted their seeds in the garden.

This shy Hercules pumpkin will be a star at the end of October when I turn him into a jack-o-lantern. Still growing even as he turns orange!

This petite watermelon has yellow flesh. Not sure how sweet it will be compared to the typical red-flesh ones but it is a cute little thing.

This melon is called "Moon and Stars" and also has yellow flesh. The leaves as well as the fruit are speckled with yellow moons and smaller stars. Really unusual and pretty plant to have. This one in particular is not very symmetrical, probably due to uneven pollination when it was just a little blossom, but it should turn out ok.

Life Goes On

Unforeseen circumstances kept me from the garden for the last two weeks, though I was able to do a harvest a few cucumbers, zucchini, and summer squash during that time.

Luckily everything is still doing well despite my neglect. Putting straw down between most of the plants earlier this summer kept the weeds at bay for the most part, and nothing seems to have dried up without watering.

The melons got a late start, so I don't expect them to reach maximum size/flavor this year, but they are looking great!

Mini-pumpkins are so cute tucked away in the shade. They'll be plentiful this year, and will be a nice deep orange color once they ripen fully.

My Hercules pumpkins are doing great! If all continues to go well, there should be four big ones for carving in October. Two of them we were able to turn on their ends early enough in their growth so they will be nice and round, but the other two will be oblong side-lying pumpkins. They just got too big too quickly, and I didn't want to risk damaging the vines by twisting them around.

My Aji Cristal hot peppers are thriving in the heat. Time to pick a peck or a bushel and freeze away, since I just don't have time to turn them all into jam right now!

I really love my tomatillos, they are such a neat fruit to watch grow and fill out their husks. I had absolutely no worries about them during the last few weeks; as a Mexican plant they can certainly handle a dry spell or two.

And of course, the zucchini is still prolific!

Baby Pumpkins

Pumpkins! These guys have it easy. I planted the seeds in low hills and laid landscaping fabric over the ground. No competition for water or space, and they are doing fantastic. First is a mini pumpkin... actually a gourd. They reach their mature size fast, which is no surprise because they are palm-sized. It will take a while for their rind to harden; they will also turn a deeper gold/orange color.

This little champ is of the Hercules variety. I plan for him to be huge and require more than one candle to light up the inside.