I picked my first pumpkin today, 8/27.

quiltbea 8/27/2011, 1:37 pm

I tried New England Pie pumpkin this year because my family loves pumpkin pies. The vines are thick and heavy with fruits here and there, but today, 8/27, I picked my first one.

I picked my first pumpkin today, 8/27. 08-27-11

I picked my first pumpkin today, 8/27. 08-27-11

They don't grow as big as Halloween varieties but the flavor is supposed to be nice and sweet especially for pumpkin desserts. I understand I have to let it stay outside to cure for a week or 10 days so we can't cook it yet.

If you plan to grow any in your SFG bed, I would suggest putting one plant in the center of 9 squares, then allowing the vine to grow beyond the bed into the yard beyond. The leaves are larger and they vine a lot more than Sugar Baby watermelons.

I picked my first pumpkin today, 8/27. 07-30-14

I picked my first pumpkin today, 8/27. 07-30-14

These are 3 plants I planted in my community garden rows so you can see they need lots of space.

NHGardener 8/27/2011, 2:19 pm

quiltbea, did you get any watermelons this year? I planted 2 sugar baby watermelons, but they didn't even get to bud phase. They may have gotten overcome with neighboring cucumber vines tho, which seemed to crowd them a little.

My potatoes turned out to be just little guys (dug some up this morning).

I'm a little disappointed overall. It doesn't seem like my garden was ready for summer to end. I really have to do the hoops next spring, and will have to get more info about that over the winter. It was a nice hot summer too, so that makes me even a little more disappointed that more didn't flourish. I got some nice eggplants, but there are still babies and buds on those that will probably not become adult sized.

**camprn** 8/27/2011, 2:49 pm

I love pie pumpkins. All of mine died this spring. They are so good and yummy as pie or stuffed. Hmm... fall is right around the corner. Yum!!

quiltbea 8/27/2011, 2:53 pm

NHGardener.....I have 5 Sugar Baby watermelon on the vine and growing.

I picked my first pumpkin today, 8/27. 07-30-15

Here's one of them a couple weeks ago on a piece of white insulation foam.

As for eggplant, I got one so far and I was amazed that a hornworm got to the 2nd that was nearly big enough to harvest. A few very tiny ones are growing as I write but our nites don't get warm enough. Eggplant likes over 60F* nites and we've been having many in the 50s. That's why next year I'm putting all my eggplant in one bed where I can control the temps easier with plastic covers.

Better luck next year with your watermelon. I have some from seedlings and some from seed sown directly in the bed and they are about the same sizes.

NHGardener 8/27/2011, 3:10 pm

Wow, quiltbea. I have no idea why my watermelons never grew. I had them in the front row of the whole garden, one per 2 squares. Behind them were the cukes, behind them the squash, behind them the peas. Peas did great, cukes did well, squash was fair, I think there was a vine borer issue. But those watermelons, even being in the front, well they did get shaded by the cuke vines, but still.

Did you hoop them? Huh. :scratching head:

Did you fertilize your watermelons in any way?

quiltbea 8/27/2011, 4:05 pm

I did add compost tea to my watermelons and other crops at least twice last month but none this month.

My own garden compost wrapped in burlap and hung suspended in a barrel of water is my compost tea.

NHGardener 8/27/2011, 5:11 pm

Maybe next summer I'll brew some of that tea.

I've also seen people with worm trays, they use those red wigglers at the bait shop, supposed to leave good compost material and you stick the box in the basement in the winter and they do their thing with composted materials.

shannon1 8/28/2011, 1:37 am

Congrats on your pumpkin harvest. I can't wait to hear how it tastes. I picked my first pumpkin today, 8/27. 211713

quiltbea 8/28/2011, 9:24 am

NH....I have a worm condo in my bathroom but bought my red wigglers online. It doesn't smell and I get to use up my kitchen scraps and shredded newspaper. This is my 2nd year. It provides lovely compost but the amounts aren't as high as I'd like so I use this compost for enriching new planting holes in the spring only.

I picked my first pumpkin today, 8/27. 12-01-10

I picked my first pumpkin today, 8/27. 12-01-10

My worm condo last December.

NHGardener 8/28/2011, 9:27 am

Wow! Where did you get your condo from?

The worm farm I saw was just in a small plastic storage bin, with drainage holes into another plastic storage bin, holes punched in lid for air.

Yours is prettier tho. Smile

**camprn** 8/28/2011, 9:30 am

You can make your own, if you would like, if you prefer a less expensive version. It isn't as pretty tho. Very Happy

Wiggler Hilton

NHGardener 8/28/2011, 9:53 am

Ha! I love the Wiggler Hilton.

The one I saw a few weeks back was a really simple version of that - flattish rubbermaid tray w/holes in lid and holes in bottom (hmm. now how did they keep the worms from falling thru...) inside another flattish rubbermaid tray, and that's it. I love the spigot - is there really that much liquid that accumulates to run thru a spigot? wow.

quiltbea 8/28/2011, 9:58 am

Mine is called Can-o-Worms and I love it because I knew there was no way I could make my own. In my photo I only have 'one floor' in use with two others in the garage for when my herd gets a lot bigger.

http://www.abundantearth.com/store/canoworms.html

Click on the addy above to find one online. I got mine elsewhere and paid $135 for it but no shipping charge. They also answer many questions for newbie worm ranchers. The worms used are red wigglers, also known as redworms.

I picked my first pumpkin today, 8/27. 12-01-11

I picked my first pumpkin today, 8/27. 12-01-11

The worms head for cover when the newspaper bedding is uncovered each time I add more kitchen scraps.

I picked my first pumpkin today, 8/27. 03_clo10

A closeup of some red wigglers.

NHGardener 8/28/2011, 10:19 am

Oooh! They're perdy! Smile

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