Give 'em Pumpkin

 Let's give 'em  pumpkin to talk about ...

 We've been talking about our pumpkins all season. More about that in a moment. First, here's the result with our best pumpkin (of eighth) placed on our south brick steps as seasonal decoration.

 But the season began as one of mystery. What was growing there? Last year we had a Jack 'O Lantern and after Tom carved it I saved seeds for this year. Trouble is, I thought I had mislabeled the envelopes and perhaps it was a zucchini that had  sprouted.

 We dug a new garden plot this year, just for gourds. I planted zucchini on purpose but I didn't want the whole area to be "nothing but". So when I first spotted this, it was a 'what-is-it' moment ...

07/19

 I shared this picture asking if anyone knew what we were growing. Could it be some birdhouse gourd? Maybe a watermelon? One suggested it was a round zucchini (which I have never heard of). Others said the seed I saved, from a grocery store pumpkin and likely a hybrid, was liable to produce anything under the sun. We fondly named it our Frankenmelon.

07/24

 The melon, unconcerned with what we were calling it, simply grew. The summer sun was ample and I'd drag a hose to the new garden plot regularly and soak the soil.

08/05 

 The first hint of pumpkin came in early August as an orange blush began to spread across the gourd. The sides, too, began to indent into punkenish stripes. It became apparent that I hadn't mislabeled the seeds after all.

08/09 

 Soon its true personality began to show. As the orange shade began to deepen, the true character of this gourd was revealed day by day.

08/19

 And then it was ripe, just one full month after I first spotted the fruit. Last weekend (09/27) we picked several of the pumpkins to give away. This, the largest, we kept and placed it on our steps.
 Pumpkin pie would be good but it is too easy with canned pumpkin. And, I understand that there are special "pie pumpkins" grown especially for that purpose. So this one will serve its purpose as decoration for Halloween. At least we didn't have to lay a round zucchini on our steps.