The Great Pumpkin

I, like Linus from The Peanuts, would be willing to sit in the pumpkin patch waiting for The Great Pumpkin to arrive for a very long time. That is because I love pumpkins. I love their colors, their taste, their shapes. Maybe it's because they remind me of my favorite season - autumn. And this year we are growing our own pumpkins and I couldn't be more excited. Here are our first two pumpkin babies. Yesterday they were the size of a lemon - today an apple - what growers!

My pumpkins want to spread out and cover a large area but because I am square foot gardening they are growing up. Everyone that sees them asks, a little perplexed, "Will they be able to hang on when they get bigger?" And even though this is my first time I'm pretty sure they will. At least that's what Mel Bartholomew has promised! And I promise to keep you updated!

Here are some fun facts about the pumpkin:

The pumpkin is the state fruit of New Hampshire.

Pumpkins that are still small and green may be eaten in the same way as squash or zucchini!

Pumpkins originated in North America. The oldest evidence of pumpkin-related seeds dating between 7000 and 5500 B.C., were found in Mexico.

In September 2007, Joe Jutras (of Rhode Island) obtained the title of world’s largest pumpkin with a cream-colored, 1,689-pound (766.12-kilogram) fruit. He is currently said to be working on producing a giant orange pumpkin, as orange pumpkins tend to be smaller and have thinner shells but are more desirable in appearance.