Homesteading: A Woman's Journey

Pumpkins & Squash

I am so excited.  This weekend as I looked over our garden, I found several pumpkins.  I have a single pumpkin plant that survived the weather.  On the plant, there is a nearly full-size sugar baby pie pumpkin.  I have more on various vines still growing with more blooms yet to produce.  If these survive and continue to produce, we will have fresh pumpkin for making the pies for the holidays.

My butternut squash has taken on a life of it's own.  It  seems that every 3-4 days, I have a new batch of squash to pick from the last 2 producing plants.  The vines are stretching out over 6 feet long.  I have never had a squash plant that has produced such long vines.  We have all enjoyed the butternut squash.  This was my first year growing it in quite a long time.  I primarily grew it to give the kids.  Micah loves it.  I puree it up and mix in a little of his formula to thin it down some.   This is a variety of squash that many people use in place of pumpkin for making the pies.  The color and flavor is very similar.

The zucchini and yellow squash are still producing, but are beginning to slow down.  I have done fairly well with them once the hot weather was no longer an issue.  Next year I am going to start the seeds early and plant only the plants instead of direct planting the seeds in the spring.  In late July, I will start more seeds for the squash and a few other plants to translplant about Labor Day weekend for the fall garden.  It seems that in our area, the plants do wonderful in the cooler months.  There are some that will do well in the intense heat, those will continue to be grown then.  Everything else will be planted as transplants in the spring and again in the early fall.  It will be fun to see how the new planting schedule will affect our garden's harvest amounts.

I still have sweet potatoes growing.  I don't plan to dig them up until closer to Thanksgiving.  This is my first year with them also.  I plants a few that I had bought at the store & sprouted.  I cut up the potatoes to allow 2-3 sprouts per piece, then planted them late July.

Hello!

06:46, Tuesday, September 16, 2008 .. Posted by Anonymous

Wow! You had a lot in your garden:) We are now planting for the fall. We have lettuce, brocolli, and cabbage. We are hoping to grow squash next season:)

Blessings,

Renee at littlehousebiggarden