A Pumpkin In My Compost

By David Marsden @anxiousgardener

I’ve taken an obvious break from blogging recently but I wanted to quickly show you a pumpkin plant because … well, have a look.

It’s content, isn’t it?  I didn’t have space in the veg beds so rather than throw away six gift plants, I planted them in a compost bin.

I watered on first planting but haven’t bothered since (it’s a long traipse out here with a watering can).  Slugs had a field day with five but one proved that he won’t be messed with by the slimy folk; and easily grabs The-Biggest-Pumpkin-Plant-I’ve-Ever-Grown crown (cardboard, baking-foil over-lay, as yet unmade).  Aren’t you meant to take off all the flowers bar one?  To grow the best, biggest pumpkin?  Perhaps, but I’m just enjoying the spectacle of a plant relishing its site and showing off … (if sucking all the goodness out of my lovely, precious compost).

I wonder how big it will grow?  The bin is 1.6 metres wide, 2.4 metres deep and 90cm high; the compost a year old.  No wonder it is so thuggishly happy and already swamps two bins.  It’s a shame that I’m not too keen on actually eating pumpkins.  They’re palpable, I suppose, and Jim continues to buy them despite my lack of enthusiasm.

I far prefer his Halloween endeavours to his pumpkin soup/curry/surprise (extra pumpkin).  Maybe I will remove all the fruit except one and nurture the largest, scariest, carved and illuminated pumpkin imaginable for our window on 31st October (though I dare say I’ll be eating the innards for weeks afterwards, sadly).

oooOOOooo

So yes, it’s all been quiet on the blogging front but I have been busy.   Painting our new house, planning works with our builder, toiling in our garden, enjoying a holiday (which might merit a post, might not) and I’ve also received several interesting proposals via the blog too.   One of those was writing an article for Capital Gardens: if you missed my plug on Facebook and Twitter, you can read it here.

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