Trying to stem the tide…or tie the stem
My pumpkin is weeping. It’s been weeping for a week.
What appears to be a ‘crown pumpkin’ self-seeded in the small strip of lawn between the curb and the curb garden. The vine traveled the length of the box, flowered, and eventually produced a small, green pumpkin. Generally speaking, pumpkins start out as small, shiny-green fruits. As they grow the fruit turns a duller green, than yellow and finally orange.
This one remained green. I chalked it up to its late-season arrival and assumed it would remain green ever after. Unceremoniously, I snapped it from the vine, dug out the remaining plant, and added it to the compost pile.
Then the strangest thing happened. Clear fluid dribbled out of the top of the stem. I assumed it would stop in an hour or so, but by the next day the pumpkin sat in a puddle of slime. I turned the pumpkin upside down over a bowl and left it. The next time I checked, the bowl was full!
The pumpkin remains firm and healthy, but the stem continues to weep. I found a strand of raffia and tied it around the peduncle. Still it weeps.
It’s a mystery. Any guesses?
The Weeping Pumpkin Mystery
Gardening Nirvana 
It’s a melancholic pumpkin …….. it didn’t get carved like the others and is very, very sad …….it misses Frank and Shelley ……. that’s three guesses – am I allowed three?
And I saw what you did there, just throwing ‘peduncle’ out like we all use it every day …..
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LOL…I’m laughing and laughing, Pauline. Thanks for that.
You have the best sense of humour.
No limit on guesses. All yours make perfect sense.
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🙂
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I think the pumpkin is weeping with joy – because it’s loving your blog like the rest of us! Truly – your “dress-ups” have been amazing and the pumpkin carving was a rare treat for us largely Halloween-deprived Aussies. Your blog is true information and entertainment. As for a horticultural answer for why your pumpkin is weeping – I’m sadly of no help – would love to know though! A mystery indeed …
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I’ve missed you! Welcome back to the fold.
Thank you for loving my blog. Gosh, that makes a blogger feel grand. I’m glad you enjoyed the ‘dress-ups’ and the carvings. We are a bit over the top with Halloween around here, but we do have a lot of fun. It’s late now on Halloween night and the fun is over. We gave out candy to…wait for it…over 300 trick-or-treaters. Crazy!
I hope you’re enjoying your budding spring weather as we ease our way into fall.
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Ooohhh . . . another mystery! 🙂
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I tell you, we gardeners are full of them. 🙂
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Mmmmm, someone at Ask.com says it’s because it was harvested b4 it was ready but I like Pauline’s story better 😀 She kills me.
I’m wondering if it’s going to have something scary bust out of it, just when you’re getting up close trying to investigate….”Bllllaaaaahhh”! Just like in the movie Alien. Happy Halloween 😉
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I agree, Pauline’s guesses are highly entertaining. I’m sure your Ask.com response is spot on, though. I’m just surprised it lasted so long. I should slice it open and harvest the seeds…assuming they are viable. Now I wish I had left it to grow. Lessons learned.
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300 trick or treaters!!!! I am gobsmacked!
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Crazy, isn’t it!?
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It’s kind of like when the kids pulled leaves off the jasmine vines. It oozed white liquid and I told them the plant was bleeding lust like we did if something got pulled off of us. I wanted to teach kindness to plant life. I think the pumpkin wasn’t ready and it’s crying or bleeding whichever way you want to look at it. I’m a strange creature that believes every living thing has feelings. Not good for a gardener. I apologize when I have to kill a bug in the house. Yes, I talk to the plants too. You knew that though. I had no trick or treaters and you got 300! I’m coming to your house next year! 🙂
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I feel badly that I harvested the pumpkin to early, and I can totally relate to your feelings about killing bugs. I’ve always been teased about not killing bugs, but honestly, I feel the opposite should be true. I try as best I can to live and let live. This is also why I became a vegetarian.
As for trick or treaters, it seems to be all or nothing from what I’m hearing. Interesting.
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My intent was not to make you feel bad. Just explain that incidents like that were for me a teaching opportunity with the kids. I’ve seen so many that didn’t realize plants were indeed living things. We have all had our mishaps. I’m probably at the front of the line.
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I’m so far behind on comments this week.
I know you would never make anyone feel bad. Please don’t give it another thought.
I think, globally,that everyone could put more thought into the feelings of others, be it plant, animal or human being.
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I still have 45 blogs to read so your not alone. 😦
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Oh! That makes me feel much better.
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