Unpumpkins so far

Unfortunately while I was traveling around France looking at their gardens, my sprinkler system was not performing as expected. I had carefully programmed my sprinkler so it would water my garden 3 times a week while we gone. I had aligned the sprinkler so it would get all the areas of my garden especially my competition pumpkins, which were doing pretty well when we left 6/25.

But, what I didn't calculate for, was our teenage son moving the sprinkler so he could mow the lawn while we were gone, and then carefully putting it back in place. The overlooked factor was which direction the sprinkler should be facing. In the law of averages, you have a 50/50 chance of getting something right or wrong. My garden fell into the 50% chance of getting it wrong. The sprinkler was replaced so it watered the grass and not the garden for at least 2 weeks while we were gone. So I came home to find a pretty well xeriscaped garden 3 weeks later.

Since then I've been diligently watering it and it seems to have made a pretty good recovery. The only problem is, I have wonderful vines and lots of male flowers but very few, if any, female blossoms and no pumpkins. I have one female blossom I'm still hoping will eventually open to be pollinated. One can always hope. Hey, I've got 3 months till Halloween, there's always hope. In the meantime, I have giant pumpkin vines that are attempting to take over my garden, see the attached picture.

The pumpkin plant that had been planted in the front yard dried up at the base and withered away to nothing. So that plant's out of the running despite neighbor Dave's attentions.

But, speaking of neighbor Dave, his pumpkin is doing fabulously, 65" in circumference the last time he measured it. So watch out! he's the biggest competition so far. See the attached picture of his pumpkin from this past week.

Send me your pictures and be sure to post comments so we can hear how everyone else is doing with their pumpkins. Also stay tuned to this blog and the MANA website for future details of when and where the final pumpkin festivities will be held.