Fall is Here in Michigan..Time for Pumpkins and Squash

Our pumpkin vines got the powdery mildew early this year and began dying off sooner than usual. My DH picked the pumpkins although not completely orange. But as you can see from the photo, the pumpkins are getting orange.

Notice the two outer pumpkins lying on their sides. They do not have bottoms. Our kindergarten grandson brought it home from school last spring, so we planted it in the garden. These football shaped "pumpkins" are the result. We do not know the variety, but it certainly does not make good jack-o-lantern "punkins"!

If you look closely at the pumpkin on the left, you will see how my DH carved our granddaughter's name in it early in the season. As the pumpkin grows, the name stretches larger. It turned out very well this year.

Here is a close-up of Aubrey's pumpkin

Last year we had way too many pumpkins, so my DH removed some to allow the fruit to get the nutrients and grow bigger. Well, we just barely had five for our five grandkids. Guess he won't get so culling happy next year. Whew!

The Fall Garden

Yes, there really is a fall garden that produces food for your family until frost. Unfortunately the blight hit our tomatoes, so we have no tomatoes on the vine now. But you may be lucky to have some. Broccoli, lettuce, cabbage, radishes, onions are all doing well in the garden and will be good even in a light frost.

Our sweet corn has not developed fully this year. We blame it on the cool rainy season we have experienced this year. It is disappointing, but my DH already has plans for next year's planting.

The "Knucklehead" pumpkins are orange and ready. They have warts on them...even our grandkids commented on the warts. I think we all prefer non-wart "punkins" for next year. We don't know yet how hard they will be to carve. Earlier in the summer my DH carved each grandchild's name in a the pumpkin the child picked out. He used a dremel tool to cut the skin. The name grew as the pumpkin grew. It turned out beautifully. Unfortunately Ethan's pumpkin didn't quite grow as quickly as the rest. So naming them may be a bad thing because you can't switch the pumpkin for another. But Ethan took it in stride. We all laughed because the six month old baby granddaughter had the biggest pumpkin!!

THINK FALL CROPS NOW

My hubby was planting tiny little lettuce seeds into the sectioned flats this morning at coffee time. Yes, instead of talking to me, he was planting, and I was talking...LOL. He had to concentrate on picking up the seed with a tweezer and carefully placing it in the soil. In a couple of weeks, the plants will be ready to put in the garden for mid-September lettuce salads. He plans to put the broccoli plants in soon.

I usually just take for granted that the crops are ready to eat at the proper time during the season. Writing this blog makes me more aware of the timing that is necessary to hit the optimum growing times for the plants to get the best production. It is like preparing a meal. The meat, gravy, potatoes, biscuits, vegetables, and salad all have to be ready at the same time so they will be tasty. (It's also easier to put it all on the table at one time rather than hopping up to get an item when it is cooked, then the next, then the next, etc. I learned this in high school in Home Ec 101 !!!)

Gardening in the Southern states requires the same optimal timing so you don't bake your plants in the summer or frost them in the winter.

Perhaps I should have titled this post, Timing is Everything.....