Way back in Spring I was inspired by an Instagram buddy to start our very own family pumpkin growing competition. We had never grown pumpkins before but our hopes were high as we each chose a seed, piled some soil into a pot and crossed our fingers. When the plants had sprouted a bit we went in search for the perfect pumpkin patch. We chose a spot where our septic tank ejected its clean water, thus meaning we never had to water them! I wasn't sure what I was expecting but the plants were more than happy in their spot and soon put on some serious growth. In fact the growth was so successful that we quickly lost track of whose pumpkin was whose, so that by the end we all declared ourselves winners!
Some were harvested earlier than others meaning they had to be eated quickly as their skins weren't hard enough for storing. The rest we harvested last week and we're hoping they'll last a few months, though if I see any on the turn I'll be whipping up some pumpkin soup for the freezer. I'm so impressed with our haul and they will definitely be on the growing list for next year. We tried some butternut squash alongside them but they didn't do as well. The plant seemed to develop some sort of disease, dying off before the squashes had time to develop properly. But it's another veg we'll persevere with next year!
Did you grow pumpkins or squashes this year? How did you get on?