Yesterday I spent part of the afternoon picking the remaining pumpkins and squash. Maybe I’m weird, but I always feel sort of bad for all the little squash that don’t make it.
If only they had another month to grow, or if the weather was warmer… they’d all have a chance to reach their full potential. 
These were the last of them. I’m hoping that once I place the greenish orange pumpkins on the porch they’ll ripen in time for Halloween. If not, I suppose I’ll just cut them in half and give them to the chickens to munch on.
Do you remember me telling you I planted 1 seed potato beneath each pumpkin mound?
Well I did. And even though I didn’t get a chance to harvest the potatoes yesterday {these ones popped through the soil as I was pulling up the spent pumpkin vines} I plan on harvesting the rest of our spuds today. {I see a bear and a duck, what do you see?}
And then I’ll spend the rest of my garden time clearing the area of weeds and other random plants that sowed themselves into our pumpkin patch this year.
Gardening is fun, even if you forget to rotate your crops and end up with a small harvest.
Life is good.
~Mavis
Susan says
Yes! Winnie-the-Pooh side profile and a duck! 🙂
Cecily says
Nice squash haul Mavis, you did good. I feel the same way about those baby squash but you can still use them. I treat those little undeveloped winter squash like summer squash. I use them in stir fry or shredded as a substitute for zucchini in muffins. If they still have a flower attached those become tempura stuffed squash blossoms. Sooo yummy!
mildred lane says
I like the idea of planting potatoes under the pumpkin hills….Taking advantage of all space..
Laura says
How do you manage the potatoes that way? I thought they had to be buried as they grew. That’s why I don’t try potatoes, too much trouble. If you can just plant them and forget about covering them again, great!
Peggy Stenglein says
Laura ~ Potatoes are so easy to grow. Really, they’ll grow in anything! My dad used to hill them up with hay!! We had tons of potatoes every fall!
Heidi P says
Every year I learn new things from my garden. It’s a great hobby for sure.
It makes me sad to clean out the garden. It’s so beautiful and then bare. I guess it’s time to start planning out next years garden.
Peggy Stenglein says
I have a question. Do you plant the sweet potatoes to utilize more space or are the beneficial for each other? I have gardened since I was a kid with my mom, and never heard of this. We always grew tons, and I mean literally tons of potatoes, so maybe that’s why, they had a field all of their own, my dad was an ‘off the boat Irishman’…we ate potatoes every single day, except the days my mom made the rest of us rice in addition to the potatoes, but my dad…every single day! Anyway, I think that’s a very interesting way to plant, and my girls both love to grow pumpkins and potatoes!! Just wondering, thanks!!
Mavis Butterfield says
This was my first year trying this. I had some extra seed potatoes and thought I would give it a go.
jam says
Mavis what do you do with all the weeds you pull up? do you ever compost weeds?
Mavis Butterfield says
I either compost them or toss them on a large pile I have towards the back fence.
Femme Ménage says
Mavis, my garden says thank you! Thanks for sharing your tips.
mildred lane says
I made the pumpkin-oatmeal dish. It is good but I would like to have had something chewey in it, like nuts or maybe apples. But I will try it again later. thanks
Dorothy Reinhardt says
Your wheel barrel full of pumpkins is so beautiful!