The pumpkins are planted!!

[Christy Carol]

Even though I don't have pictures yet I wanted to start my thread since this is our makeshift garden section too.

Today I planted 5 hills of Hercules (up to 25 pounds, good for jack's), 5 hills of Early Sweet Sugar Pie's (around 6-8 pounds, good for carving and making pies) and 3 hills of Jack Be Little's (these are the little mini pumpkins Around 3 inches across by 2 inches high. I still want to put in some white skin pumpkins but haven't found the seeds yet. That might have to wait until next year.

I am right on track for a harvest starting around the first of October thru the first few weeks.

But this is the first time I have planted pumpkins since I moved and the first time without my dad's help. I am staying optimistic but I wont get too excited until I see that first orange ball in the backyard!

I'll take pictures as soon as I see sprouts!

[Twinkle]

Christy...I am impressed...Love to see those pumpkins growing bringing us into the holidays.
:c35:

[DoubleA]

How cool, I hope they go well for you. I planted our big max pumpkins a little while back and they are doing pretty well so far. We need pics when they start to get busy :)

[Christy Carol]

Thank you Twinkle! I'll be posting pictures soon.

And I hope so too 2A. I normally plant Big Max but went with the Hercules this year just to see what happens. They aren't expected to get as big but I don't need 100 lb pumpkins anymore!! LOL!!

Our climate isn't the best for pumpkins but my dad and I used to get some really nice ones. I am gonna try to make him proud this year but I bet I get put to shame since he was the pumpkin king!!

[Goldie]

I can't wait to see pictures! I bet you have some great pumpkins this year!

[Christy Carol]

I sure hope so! We are expecting some rain starting tomorrow so that should help things along. A nice, steady rain right at first plant is always a good thing

[ElfSpirit]

I can just imagine those beautiful, round, orange pumpkins come Halloween! :c39:

[lightitup]

I am not planting pumpkins this year so will you share?

[Christy Carol]

You bet! I wonder how well they will ship?? :h6:

[Christy Carol]

It is ON! I went out to the pumpkin patch tonight to check on it after two days of rain. Imagine my excitement when I saw buds sticking out of the ground! I was cheering and got all excited.

Until I saw a few of the leaves, plucked off and laying on the ground. My excitement quickly turned to ANGER! The *&^%$#@ squirrels have been in my pumpkin patch! And have barely even let the buds break ground! Oh man, you talk about eating me alive. They are why we haven't had a garden in two years, they were eating everything. But I never imagined pumpkins! And on top of that they are digging in the mounds!!!!!

So I just got back from the dollar store where I bought 3 cans of black pepper and 3 pair of knee high stockings. I made some monstrous black pepper bombs! I am gonna tie them up to the fence and every where else I can find to stick them.

Tomorrow I am going to the garden supply store and I will get even bigger weapons then. They will NOT destroy my patch this year.

*sigh*

I will take pictures tomorrow and post them. You might see a couple of choking squirrels in the background too.

[Twinkle]

Christy...that would really infurriate me also. Have you tried planting moth balls with the seeds. Like one hole seed, next hole mothballs. I've heard some say this really works.
Save the pumpkins is what I say in any way you can.
:77:

[Christy Carol]

You cant use moth balls with fruit bearing plants. The toxins in the moth balls can cross into the fruit and then you cant eat them. I have heard of people using them in their flower gardens and they do work there!

My parents have a sonic noise maker they use and it has really worked for them. I'm gonna look for one tomorrow or atleast some sort of spray or sprinkle to put out. If nothing else I am gonna build wire cages to cover them with until they get up big enough to survive. Then at first sign of pumpkins I will have to cover the fruit.

I guess I should have planted tomatoes. Thats all they wanted to eat two years ago. Didn't really touch anything else except the jalapeño peppers and that only happened once!

[YodaPHX]

DO you eat the pumpkins Christy?
If not why not use the moth balls.
If you do eat them leave one hill without any moth balls and hope they don't discover the hidden un portected treat.

[Christy Carol]

Yeah, I plan on making pies out of the middle sized ones. And the larger ones I will save the seeds for next year (the ones we don't roast). Plus I have animals that don't need to be exposed and I plan on giving some away and I cant say what others might do with them.

And I wish it would work like that but the toxins one hill can transfer to another due to rain and such. I'm going to Tractor Supply and Home Depot today and find something that wont hurt us. I do know moth balls are good for fire ants!! We got them in our outside a/c unit a few years ago. We sprinkled some around it and Voilà! They left!

[number4son]

I'm excited. Your pumpkin planting does for Halloween what Christmas In July does for Christmas. Just a wee taste to whet my appetite.

[Auntie Mistletoe]

My pumpkin never grew in my mom's garden. Squirrels.

I managed to grow a small one once, but never had room for a patch. We tried to grow five at a time max.

I'll be looking forward to seeing the picks and agree with what #4 said, Pumpkins do speak of Halloween and Thanksgiving for me.

[Christy Carol]

YAY!! I am glad you are excited for me! #4 you are close enough I can ship one to ya. Call it a Christy ala pumpkin! LOL!!

The pics will come tomorrow, I got too busy today to get out there. But we went to the co-op and got some sprinkles to put on the plants (glad to hear even the great white north has problems too Auntie but you didn't have to send them down here!). The man there told me if that didn't work we needed to buy fox urine and hang it around the garden. A fox is the squirrels predator and if we used it they would not come into the yard. I am hoping the sprinkles work because the urine in the heat is...well....nasty!

[Auntie Mistletoe]

Fox Urine - eek! That must have a rather musky odor. Isn't it crazy all the help there is to save gardens from squirrels. Suddenly Chip and Dale don't seem quite so cute.

Our latest problem around here (not in my backyard) has been with deer coming onto people's property to dine on their plants and cedar trees.

If he's black, brown or red - the squirrel might have come from here or here from there.

The easiest way to tell is if he's carrying a small Canadian Flag with him. Ha Ha.

[Christy Carol]

We have deer too. They hop right over our fence and I am worried about them too when the fruit actually starts developing. I'll have to get Tom to go, uhm, how do I say this politely? Well if the fox is the squirrels predator, man is the same to a deer. So by him doing what he does the deer wont come around.

Its crazy but it works. If you start having problems you might get your hubby outside after a nice, refresing TALL glass of tea! Hehehehe!!

[Auntie Mistletoe]

I hear you loud and clear dear-deer. :c71:

[number4son]

If you start having problems you might get your hubby outside after a nice, refresing TALL glass of tea! Hehehehe!!Why, whatever for?

[YodaPHX]

Boy I'd be more than happy to hang around your property and be on deer patrol for you. Some fresh jerkey sounds yummy right about now. I'm polishing the rifles now, just say the word.

[Christy Carol]

Why, whatever for?


LOL!! Dont even make me go there!

Yoda, you would probably be in luck. Tom is feeding the deer in the back of our property and we normally see a doe and a little one everyone morning. Papa cant be too far. As the weather gets hotter and drier we will start seeing more around here too.

[number4son]

I thought Yoda wanted to hang around your property as a member of the Tea Disposal Unit.

[Auntie Mistletoe]

La Tea Da


:c5:

[Christy Carol]

He can do that too. Variety will keep them confused!

[number4son]

Bring on the pumpkins! I'm ready for fall. You want to see creepy pumpkins? Read this article: http://blog.modernmechanix.com/mags/qf/c/PopularScience/1-1938/lrg_pumpkin_face.jpg

[Christy Carol]

Go to your nearest Hobby Lobby if you need a fall fix. They are in full Fall/Halloween/Thanksgiving mode. I spent an hour in there just looking at that stuff today.

That pumpkin is pretty cool but too creepy for me!! Something about that is just too weird for words.

[number4son]

No way! I see some in my area, so I need to check them out. Do guys go to these places?

[Christy Carol]

Oh goodness yes!! I live at Hobby Lobby! They are alot more than just a hobby shop, they are more like a home store. I bought the majority of my Christmas gifts there last year.

I did take pictures of the plants but they have already gotten larger so I'll redo them tomorrow afternoon.

[Auntie Mistletoe]

:60: Can you take pictures of men shopping in the Hobby Lobby for #4 to see?

Hey, maybe the growing pumpkins are scaring Roscoe - is the green stuff growing all crazy?

[number4son]

You don't need to take pictures of guys shopping in HL. I will trust you. But if I'm the only guy in there...

[Christy Carol]

I saw men there last week. Not alot but they were shopping.

Auntie, he might be now. The plants are really getting large! Unfortunately I have two hills that didn't produce. They plants budded but they have since died. Not really sure why but thats not bad, 2 out of 13.

And I promise I have pictures to post and I will take updated ones this weekend after I do some weeding!

[number4son]

Bring on the pictures or else just post pics of last year. I need pumpkins.

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d145/dandsf480/ThanksgivingSnow.jpg

[YodaPHX]

I flew over Christys house and took some pictures for her.
http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h166/YodaPHX/Other/Pumpkins.jpg

[Auntie Mistletoe]

:76: Now, you have me wishing for Fall, but I'm not rushing summer because we had a very long winter and I want to enjoy nature this way a little longer.

Too bad about the two hills, still you'll have plenty left and by Halloween you should have a display like Yoda showed all carved up.

I'll have to toss you my dad's Pumpkin Soup Recipe.

[Christy Carol]

WOW!! Yoda, I better get in that backyard! Things sure changed overnight!

Auntie I am trying not to rush fall either but these triple digits are killing me! And yes PLEASE send the recipe! I would love to try it out.

[Christy Carol]

Ok, so I finally got some current pictures!!

The first ones here are the Hercules pumpkins. They could get up to 25 pounds but I've never had one that big!

http://i146.photobucket.com/albums/r241/Christy_Tom/100_1245.jpg

And next are the Early Sweet Sugar Pies. These are the 7-10 pounders
http://i146.photobucket.com/albums/r241/Christy_Tom/100_1246.jpg

And last but not least, the Jack Be Little's. They will only be a pound or 2.
http://i146.photobucket.com/albums/r241/Christy_Tom/100_1247.jpg

So needless to say my backyard has gone to the pumpkins! 11 hills all together and everything is growing right on schedule. I will be seeing blooms in a week or two.

[number4son]

Like an expecting parent, I will be looking forward to those pics.

[Christy Carol]

Me too! I cant wait for the first blooms!

Funny, I just hoed around these things Saturday and look at the grass. Guess that means we have alot of good fertilizer in those rows.

[Christy Carol]

I have the beginning of blooms!!!!

None on the Hercules yet but the other two are looking good! Just think, if these turn out to be female blooms I will be seeing baby pumpkins in just a few weeks!!

[Twinkle]

Whoo hoo...can't wait to see some pics of your baby pumpkins.
Looks like things are coming along fine.

[number4son]

I checked the internet and there are several pumpkin farms very close by. I will have to check them out this fall. I am really looking forward to the cider and all the orange and brown surroundings. http://www.waldenfarm.biz/

[Christy Carol]

Our closest one doesnt have a website but it looks just like that link you posted. I plan on going to it this fall. They have a corn maze and everything. I plan on taking a ton of pictures!!

[number4son]

A corn maze is kind of redundant, isn't it?

[Christy Carol]

Only you would come up with that!

I went out tonight to hoe the pumpkins and its really amazing how fast the plants are growing. They have put out their little feelers and the buds are getting larger. The vines are really starting to run and tonight was probably the last time I'll be able to hoe around them. From now on I'll have to hand pull the weeds because the vines are now starting to wrap around everything and I sure don't want to chop them.

[Christy Carol]

We have had blooms on for a week now, the rain really caused them to bud out. They are all bright orange now.

But tonight I went and checked closer and I found two little pumpkins!! They aren't much bigger than a cherry tomato but I am keeping my fingers crossed.

While this rain helped with the growing of the plants it will really hurt the development of actual pumpkins. Its about to get too wet and with 10 days of rain forecasted I am not expecting the crop I was hoping for. If I'd had any idea August would have been this way I would have planted in June.

[Twinkle]

I'm sure the pumpkins will be ready by halloween. It's like watching little babies grow..Lol.
834953

[Christy Carol]

It is and I am like a proud moma! I cant wait to see what they look like!

[number4son]

Once one of them starts getting big, put it in a milk jug or something so it grows into a cube, just for fun.

[Christy Carol]

That would be funny! And would make a nice Jack too!

[YodaPHX]

About a 90 minute drive north in Prescott there is a large public pumpkin patch that I go to every year. I love going. It's the only chance I have out here to see actual signs of fall. They have a huge pumpkin patch that you just wander through and pick your pumpkins. They also have all the fall goodies, fresh apple cider that they squeze right in front of you, carmel apples and one of my favorites pumpkin pie. There's always a hayride to go on and you can order your fresh turkey for thanksgiving. I've never bought the turkey cause then it's another 90 minute drive to pick it up.

[Christy Carol]

I just checked on the pumpkin patch and I think the only thing we are raising are mosquitoes. Man, they swarmed me like crazy. Just what I needed, 20,000 bites on my legs.

Anyway, between slapping them off I was able to find alot of new pumpkins! They are so cute. Still very yellow but a few are a little bigger than golf balls now. I would have taken pictures but I had to get out of the yard. I'll try earlier tomorrow.

[Christy Carol]

Here are a few I could photograph before the skeeters took me off

http://i146.photobucket.com/albums/r241/Christy_Tom/100_1274.jpg

http://i146.photobucket.com/albums/r241/Christy_Tom/100_1276.jpg


http://i146.photobucket.com/albums/r241/Christy_Tom/100_1277.jpg

[number4son]

My boss brought his new baby in today and it was cuter than your pumpkins, but just by a little. Those are great.

[Christy Carol]

Ok, I'll give ya that. Thanks!!

[YodaPHX]

Those are so cute.
I can't wait to carve them up!!!!

[Christy Carol]

Funny what a few days will do. That green one is alot larger now. In fact it turned more round than oval.

The first Hercules showed up today! I cant wait to see how big its gonna get.

[Christy Carol]

And I pulled my first pumpkin today!!!

He is a Jack Be Little and he weighs just shy of 2 pounds. If you look at 8/19 he is the top picture. Can ya believe he got so big so fast?

He's not quite bright orange yet because he needed sun, which we have had none of here lately but I'm gonna help him out on that with a plant light. Tonight I am a proud mama and when I know he is healthy I will show ya a picture of my first born.

[Christy Carol]

Here are the first two!! They are Jack Be Littles. The one on the left I pulled tonight. The one on the right is the one I pulled Saturday that I was a little concerned about. You can see he is doing just fine!

http://i146.photobucket.com/albums/r241/Christy_Tom/100_1287.jpg

[number4son]

So they be little even if you leave them on the vine?

[Christy Carol]

Oh yeah, these guys will. These are those little ones you see in the produce bins at your supermarket to make centerpieces out of. The vines will start pulling away and if you don't pull them they will rot.

The biggest ones I planted this year are just now about the size of golf balls or smaller. So thats about right on schedule. They will grow pretty quick over the next few weeks and be ready about 2 weeks before Halloween. Next year I will plant those around the same time but hold off on the Jack Be Littles for a few weeks. I've never raised those before and didn't realize they had a shorter growing season.

[Christy Carol]

So it looks like the rain has taken its toll. Its not gonna be a good pumpkin year. There are around 6-8 more little bitty ones and 3 mid-sized ones but no Hercules at all. The 3 mid-sized ones are gonna get ripe before they turn orange and I'm not sure the little ones will mature either.

Its way too late in the season for the big ones to make so I guess I'll have to settle for the smaller ones. Who would have ever thought we would have a cool, wet growing season?

[Twinkle]

Awhhh...Christy, I feel so sad for those little pumpkins. The little plants are so vulnerable to our unpredictable weather..
At least you have a few babies to save.
8372

[Christy Carol]

Yup, I can be proud of those atleast. Dumb weather, it makes me happy but makes the pumpkins oh so sad.

[DoubleA]

One of my Pumpkins this year

[Christy Carol]

What kind is that one 2A? He's really cute!

[DoubleA]

That one was from a little while back its one of the monster ones, it is looking pretty good now, need to take a new pic. My jack minis are finally showing themselves, I hope they turn out as good as yours, its hard to beat them in cuteness.

[Christy Carol]

Funny we are reverse in how ours are getting ripe! Probably has to do with the planting. And you must get a new picture! I am dying to see what he looks like now.

I think I am growing watermelons instead of pumpkins. My 3 large ones are green striped.

[number4son]

So, what does that mean for your local pumpkin farm? Are they suffering as well?

[Christy Carol]

I have not heard specifically about pumpkins but I have heard that farmers here are 6 weeks behind in general for a successful harvest. You know that has to hit their pocketbooks hard.

But who knew we would have this weird weather? I would have never believed it just a few weeks before it moved in. While I am glad for myself that its been cooler, weather and nicer I know it gonna seriously hurt alot of other folks that aren't just planting pumpkins for fun.

[DoubleA]

The thing that sucked this year out here were the heirloom tomatoes, other varieties did just fine but hardly any of the other ones.
Christy I never have luck with melons, my neighbor brought over this huge one yesterday and I was starting to celebrate because I finally got my first tiny one to harvest in 2 years5432

[Christy Carol]

I never have either but that would be my luck this year, a bumper crop of watermelons that someone at the seed company mis-labeled as pumpkins! I don't give a hoot, I am still carving them up!

[Christy Carol]

I did read a funny thing today. It said if your pumpkins don't turn orange before they pull loose from the stem, still carve them.

Just call them Frank-O_Lanterns!!!

[number4son]

Are they as big, just yellow?

[Christy Carol]

They are big, but green!

[Christy Carol]

My poor pumpkins, they just aren't gonna be successful this year. Some of the vines are dying and some have contracted powdery mildew. I went to move one a few nights ago and it pulled right off the vine. Its green and a little larger than a grapefruit. One Jack Be Little had rotted but the others are still ok. The one green one is starting to turn orange and one I thought was a medium sized pumpkin must be a Hercules after all because it has gotten huge but its green.

I think all the good though will be removed this weekend after Ike dumps on us. I am pretty sure that will be the end of them all. :-(

[Christy Carol]

We didn't get as much rain as predicted so all faired well! The medium pumpkin is almost completely orange but the Herc is still dark green. I pulled back all the leaves so it should start turning this week.

[Twinkle]

Can't wait to see the pumpkin.
5432

[number4son]

Those pumpkins grow up faster than kids do. Seems like it was just yesterday...

[Christy Carol]

I know, I hate its about over. Next year I will plant early. I am sure we will have a long hot summer and I'll have pumpkins in August but I learned alot this year with all the rain, cool days and clouds.

I pull a few leaves back away from the Herc and he is already turning orange! So I'll have alteast one big one this year. There are some others Hercs making but I cant see them getting big by Halloween.

[number4son]

How late will they keep growing? Maybe they can be part of your Thanksgiving harvest display.

[Christy Carol]

Until they either pull off the vine or the vine dies. Or first frost but I have a feeling the vines would die first. No telling when we will get a frost this year.

[Christy Carol]

Better late than never! The Hercules pumpkins have taken off!! The first one is almost completely orange and will be pulled within a week. And now all the other vines are covered in pumpkins. There are two that ran up the fence and are hanging mid-air! We tried to count how many are out there now and we couldn't. I know I saw at least 6. Time will tell how they turn out.

But I pulled the first Sugar tonight, he is the medium sized one. And all the little jack vines have died or are dying so I think what I have of them will be all I will get. But if the weather holds out I might end up with enough Hercules to fill Yoda's order after!

Here is what we have so far.

http://i146.photobucket.com/albums/r241/Christy_Tom/100_1317.jpg


http://i146.photobucket.com/albums/r241/Christy_Tom/100_1316.jpg

[Twinkle]

Christy...Oh my goodness, they are beautiful. You done good buttercup! Lovely little babies.
3457293

[mother christmas]

What wonderful little pumpkins.

[Christy Carol]

Thank you both!! Tom and I both decided they were the most fun to grow. They would hide under the huge leaves and it took some digging to find them. The blooms on pumpkins are bright orange also so for the longest we just thought we were seeing blooms. It was sorta like finding Easter eggs! Now the big ones, you cant help but see them laying around out there!

[number4son]

So wet seasons yield yellow pumpkins, I see. Still, they are adorable. Now to launch them Yoda's way. Put lights on them and as they cross the Pheonix sky, the locals will think they're UFOs.

[Christy Carol]

yeah, somewhat yellow. One little guy is very orange but they are actually all darker than they appear. The flash didn't do them justice. I took some without the flash, I'll post them.

[Christy Carol]

http://i146.photobucket.com/albums/r241/Christy_Tom/100_1314.jpg


Better?

[savingstar]

wow tey look great i'm so jealous

[Christy Carol]

Thank you! I bet you guys have perfect pumpkin growing weather over there. You should try it next year!

On a side note, I checked out the pumpkins at Kroger today. They came from Michigan!!!

[YodaPHX]

Oh Christy, I'm getting excited about our interstate pumpkin toss.
How's you work on the catapolt comming?

[number4son]

Oh Christy, I'm getting excited about our interstate pumpkin toss.
How's you work on the catapolt comming?Check this out: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jiXevGEIMdk

[Christy Carol]

Oh Christy, I'm getting excited about our interstate pumpkin toss.
How's you work on the catapolt comming?

The bigger question is how is your catchers mitt coming?

[Christy Carol]

Check this out: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jiXevGEIMdk


What a waste of pumpkins! They are to be loved and cared for!

[WSugerfoot2]

The pumpkins look great!!!!

I think i'm going to grow some pumpkins next year....I love to garden, but I do mostly flowers and tomatos, but I think i'm going to dig up a corner of my yard for pumpkins and have that be the kids job.

[Christy Carol]

I am pulling the first Hercules tomorrow. I cant wait to post a picture for you guys!

[number4son]

What a waste of pumpkins! They are to be loved and cared for!
That's how you should get your pumpkins over to Yoda. It's his job to catch them.

[Christy Carol]

Here he is!! My first born!! I am one proud moma right now! He was plucked at 3:23 this afternoon and weighed in at a very healthy 18 pounds even.

Everyone welcome *Hercules*!!!


Moments before he was pulled
http://i146.photobucket.com/albums/r241/Christy_Tom/100_1318.jpg


Here he is!!!
http://i146.photobucket.com/albums/r241/Christy_Tom/100_1325.jpg


Mollie meeting Herc for the first time off the vine
http://i146.photobucket.com/albums/r241/Christy_Tom/100_1328.jpg

[number4son]

That's amazing! And in such short time, too.

[YodaPHX]

Today while driving to a meeting near the football stadium I noticed a pumpkin flying over head. Christy you need to tell me when your going to shoot them over. I wasn't able to catch it. Aim about 10 more miles north to hit my house.

[Christy Carol]

Sorry about that! It was a practice shot. Ok, let me grab a pen and made the adjustment...


10 mile north...

[number4son]

Slap a Cowboys sticker on it while you're at it.

[Christy Carol]

Ooooooh!!

[number4son]

He'll probably mark it, "Return to Sender."

[DoubleA]

sigh, lol