Volunteer Pumpkins

This winter, I wanted to use my kitchen scraps to add nutrients to our garden-to-be. Without traditional composting methods or contraptions in place…I simply dug a hole in the ground, dumped in the goods, mashed it up a bit, and covered it with dirt. To avoid answering to casual onlookers regarding what I was burying, I would dig these holes at night – when it was good and dark.

Needless to say, this method posed some interesting adventures in our garden growth. One area in specific houses pumpkins. I planted just enough  seeds to max out the mound. However, quadruple the amount came up! And they came up not only in the pumpkin mound but also in carrot land, beet land, and random other places many feet away. I was stumped and amazed at these prolific pumpkins!

I tried to dig up the extras and give them away to friends and neighbors. All kept saying they would love to have pumpkins – but only when they were orange and picked. A few people rescued some, but still way too many. I transplanted quite a few to the alley. The rest (with the help of my sister) we plucked out like heartless gardeners.

So why all the pumpkins? A few of my initials thoughts: birds transplanting the seeds, rain washing them all over the garden, weird seeds, umm maybe I spilled some? After much thought I realized: It must have been one of my late night digs in the garden – to bury a rotten pumpkin! Really?

So this must also explain the onions and peppers popping up in random locations as well. Some real troopers these volunteer vegetables are!

What garden adventures have you had?

Unfortunately, no pics of the pumpkin disaster patch before transplantation took place. Just ask my Aunt Marit about it – she got quite a chuckle from the “growth”. Also, she said if I plant squash next to pumpkins they can cross-breed and make undesirable “squashkins”. Guess what…I think I’ll have a few of those!