That was easy!
The pumpkins are in. They’re lush, plentiful and thriving. In case you’re wondering about my mad gardening skills, you can sum them up in one word: compost.
I didn’t add compost to make them grow; instead they grew in the compost. I’m new to composting, and like any convert, I can’t say enough about the process (fun) and the end results (see photos, below).
When my nifty, thrifty, spinning composter reached capacity, I searched for alternatives. I re-purposed an old Rubbermaid bin, once used for children’s toys. I tossed in the straw left over from our Halloween party, then dry leaves, grass clippings and kitchen waste. I popped on the lid, drilled holes in the bottom for air circulation and drainage, and called it a day. Turning the compost was the biggest challenge. It was hard to get leverage in a narrow, small bin but I managed. About a month ago, I removed the lid and saw this: tiny pumpkin sprouts. Awe-some!!!
Figuring I would transplant the seedlings when the weather warmed up, I simply returned the lid. I left it open just a crack for more light.
Then this happened:
Now all I have to do is figure out what to do with all those pumpkin seeds I saved from last year! Any takers?
Have you found any surprises in your garden this year?
I’m so glad your composting worked out. We did not have as much luck, unfortunately. We went to a information meeting put on by the city of San Jose, where they told us all about either worm bin composting, or larger, garden scrap composting. We opted for the worm bin compost. I picked up two worm bins from the city of San Jose, and bought some worms with a neighbor, and halfed them. I put the wet newspaper in with it, and put the food scraps in, and then the worms. I kept it moist, but the worms look like they escaped through the large holes that were drilled in the bins. It was a lot of work to set up a small compost pail inside, and dump it regularly into the bins, and even with picking up two bins, the worms didn’t seem like they needed as much scraps as we put in, but it could have been because they escaped!?! Don’t know. It was an experiment, and I will perhaps start again at some point, but not in the really near future. My youngest daughter was the one driving it, after having attended science camp, but she really wanted me to do all the work, and reap the benefits of the great dirt for planting.
On another related note, do you have any time in the future to come by the house and look at some flowers that are growing around some of our birch trees that are needed to get uprooted and replanted. They are, I assume, bulbs, since they come up every year (sorry, I’m new to this gardening thing), and I would like to move them to a more suitable place. Wouldn’t mind picking your brain about some of our flower placements from the previous owners.
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Darlene, I’m happy to stop by and of course love that you asked. I can never get enough garden talk! I’m finishing up a large client project this week, and will finally have some breathing room. I’ll check in with you then.
I too have a worm bin (my friend Liz brought me starter worms), but I’ve kept them separate from the other compost. One of the tips she gave me was to make the food scraps small. Mine is set up in an old trug (the handle broke). I set it up on a heavy duty bucket, drilled tiny holes in the bottom, added the worms, then food scraps and later added a layer of straw, so if it gets too wet, they can move up to dryer “ground” as needed. I dip my hand in every few weeks, and see lots of healthy red worms. I add water as needed, then empty the ‘worm tea’ that flows out of the small holes into the garden.
I have a nice kitchen compost collector, a gift from a friend. I empty it every few days (or as needed).
For me it isn’t work, but a pleasure. It might be that your daughter outgrew the interest and for you it just feels like a chore.
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What great success with your compost and pumpkins! Would like to give your composting method a try in the coming months. We had a surprise with some tomato plants sprouting this summer in the veggie plot we had grown them in last summer – I mustn’t have cleaned the plot out too well and left a few tomatoes in the soil. Their seeds survived and gave us a small amount of lovely tomatoes again this past season. So much for crop rotation! Really enjoy your blog!
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Thanks so much for your kind words and comments. I’m often amazed at what re-seeds the following year. In my experience, they tend to be hearty and healthy, too. I love fresh tomatoes and we grow them every year, but I’ve never had them come back. Lucky you! I’m so glad they did.
I think some seeds travel in the wind, or are dropped by a bird. Nature is really something.
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Wow, great job!
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Nature gets all the credit!
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🙂
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OOooooh, I SO want to see them when they’re grown up! Try to get one as big as The Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown. You can submit if to World’s Book of Records.
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Oh wouldn’t that be fun. We grew four large ones last year, but nothing close to a record. It was still great fun. The biggest one was 64 pounds (29 kilos). Those grand pumpkins are amazing, and of course we would love it if Linus would stop by.
Thanks for commenting Gjeo!
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29 Kilos!!! That is a big pumpkin. Pumpkin pie for the rest of your life! 🙂
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LOL!
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Look at you grow! 😀 Well that was a bit of easy gardening. Too bad nature isn’t always that complicit. How far ahead do you think you are compared to when you usually plant them? GJ’s right, maybe you’ll have some monster one? Hey, how’s the gourds drying? Are you going to be a birdie landlord?
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No kidding! Easy peasy. Now if only my seeds out front would make a show of things.
I usually plant them in May and they are well established now so probably six weeks ahead. I wonder if I’ll have any pumpkin flowers by the time you visit.
The gourds are really slow to dry out. I put them up on the top of the entertainment center where it is warm and dry but they are still bright green. They didn’t rot though, so I may be a landlord next year. Thanks for remembering! ♥you♥
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Oh boy….next year? WOW, One must be a patient gardener to give those a go. I hope the birds will appreciate their digs. 😀
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I was going to plant them again this year as they were kind of fun, but maybe not. It’s a long, long wait.
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Hi! That is such a happy accident! Pumpkins do love you so we shouldn’t be surprised. When we used our own compost last year, it resulted in rogue violas and lovely tomatoes. What a shame we’ve no room for the compost, I won’t get any surprise plants now.🎃
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Rogue violas! I love that.
Compost does require a lot of room, which was part of the appeal of the rotating bin I bought last year. It just didn’t hold very much.
I know some gardeners simply pile debris at the end of the season in a corner of the garden and turn it now and again, then reuse the space the following season. Would something like that work for you, or is it that you’ve already filled the space.
Thanks for your nice comment on the pumpkins…and for the cute emoticon, too. Right back atcha! 🎃
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We removed the compost area to make way for the greenhouse and don’t have room for the same set up. We partitioned off two square ish sections next to each other and threw the waste into one square. To turn it we forked the top layer of that (which wasn’t quite ready) to the bottom of the adjacent square until we got down to some compost. We basically did that back and forth – hard work but lots of compost as we used a large area of the garden. I hadn’t thought a smaller compost area would be worth it somehow but I DO like the idea of a wormery but just haven’t done anything about it yet!
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Oh a wormery is a great idea. Much smaller space. They’re hard workers and they ask for so little! Banana peel anyone?
Turning compost is hard work. It’s amazing how heavy it gets.
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Wormery it is on the wish list then!
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WordPress is acting up today. I wrote a long reply and it seems to have disappeared.
I love the idea of a wormery. They take up a lot less room, but produce that delicious worm tea that plants love.
Compost lifting is hard work. It’s amazing how heavy it gets.
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Hi, I received your longer reply too – I often lose my writing somewhere in the depths of WordPress! Thanks for worm encouragement. Errr worm tea. Definitely one for the plants…or enemies haha!
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Oh for a bigger garden! 🌹🌻🌺🌲🌳.
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Look at you ‘grow’ I love it! ♥
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