Late last November, when the Halloween pumpkin on the porch had gotten
soft, I decided to just bury it. Dig a deep hole, plunk it in, and
cover it up. Cheap composting. No carry-away trash, and no pile
turning and aerating effort. I forgot all about it.
As of this spring I have an awesome pumpkin patch at that very spot.
After thinning the fifty or so sprouts that came out of the buried
pumpkin, I have a square yard or two of vibrant vines. Now, it's in a
pretty shady place, so I can't hope for much, but the flowers are
plentiful, and the greenery is lush.
Pumpkin planting would be a marvelous post-Halloween project for kids,
but I've never heard it done before.
I've been a bit surprised not yet to have seen any pumpkins trying to
form on my vines. Are Halloween pumpkins sterile? Perhaps they need
sun to fruit out properly? Fortunately, there seems to be an abundance
of recipes for pumpkin blossoms.
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