Three little pumpkins set out to see the world, and then there were two ...

The littlest pumpkin got tired of the overcrowding and begged to move out so we allowed him to leave the security of the greenhouse. We created a unique pot environment for him...a hard-boiled egg with the shell slightly cracked in the bottom of a large clay pot. The two who left home earlier this month survived the 3+ inches of rain we received over the weekend. Since, like the three little pigs, each of the siblings has a different home to grow in, we're waiting to see who'll grow up the strongest...stay tuned.

Growing Up

So, two of the quintuplets have now fled the safety of their first home -- the green house. One has found a home in what we call our hot tub garden, the other is in our antique seeder/discer -- the two of many inventive ways we garden in spite of way too much water, and way too many deer.

We're still looking for homes for the other three -- all in the search for the best way to grow the pumpkin that will win this contest.

Stay tuned.

First born and sibling

A first born followed by a sibling. Wow!

Our quintuplets have arrived

Yesterday, there were three shoots -- one still had a seed pod hanging on to its sprout but by 4:00 this afternoon, all five have pushed their way up and out towards the sunshine. I'm leaving the children analogy for Dan to write about, but I must admit I almost think of these little plants as my children...and I'm looking forward to watching them grow.

One of my seeds has sprung...one lonely sprout, hope to see more with the warm weather this weekend!

This week on Desperate Housepumpkins

What's happening on Hysteria Lane this week?

MONDAY - Obscenely-wealthy protagonist Orangia Steamy-Pile meets with lawyers to open her deceased husband's safe-deposit box, only to discover a secret birth certificate that proves Squash is her long lost twin sister’s second-cousin twice removed’s next door neighbor’s former college roommate. Meanwhile, Gourd declares his undying love for Orangia.

TUESDAY - Distracted during a heated arguement with Butternut over shipping Fennel off to military school, Sprout loses control of the car just as they round “Spinal Fracture Point”, plunging into a rocky ravine.

WEDNESDAY - Having tricked Mash out of his majority shareholding, Oregano is finally in a position to mount a hostile takeover of International Pie & Cider Inc.

THURSDAY - While being placed under arrest by the Patchville police for the Contessa’s murder, Cuke faints into Carat’s arms, slipping into unconscious labour.

FRIDAY - On her deathbed, Tuliptua confesses that she herself is the Contessa’s murderer, dramatically revealing that the phony Prince's body is hidden in the boathouse.

From Laurel - Two pumpkin pics for our Pumpkin Growers gallery…

The Pumpkin Seed Hand-off

Our illustrious leader returned from Brandon, and scheduled the seed hand-off. MPI's Pumpkin Growers, 21 strong and growing, met at the water cooler at 11:45 a.m., April 28. Shortly after the hand-off Scott sent an email with a "link to a site that has a lot of good information about growing pumpkins (for those of us who have never done so)".

http://www.informeddemocracy.com/pumpkin/growing.html

Last night Dan visited garden centres for the first time in many years...and will plant his seeds today. I handed my seeds off to my husband, who has the green thumb in our family. He'll plant them today as well.

And then the waiting begins for the first signs of life to push up through the soil.