It may seem a little premature to be talking about Halloween but it really is the thing that triggered a new interest for me. Around Halloween about six or seven years ago I decided I would try and carve Scooby-Doo on a pumpkin. It was a little more advanced then my usual triangle eyes with a jagged mouthed Jack-O-Lantern.
The kids that came to our house loved my Scooby-Doo pumpkin so the next year I thought I would try something else so I did Dori from Finding Nemo and the response was great! Not only did we have the same kids coming back to look at the pumpkins, but they were bringing their parents up to see them too! Thus a tradition was born.
Every year kids would come back to see the pumpkins and the parents came up right behind them.
About four years ago I was in Michaels and discovered that they sold fake pumpkins that you can carve, so I bought one to try and was very happy with the results. You can carve it like a normal pumpkin, but can keep it year after year.
So now every year, I carve one or two real pumpkins and then carve at least one fake one.
Now what does all of this have to do with discovering my green thumb? Well this year I thought I would take it one step further and grow my own pumpkins this year. Little did I know that would spark something in me that I didn't know existed. My green thumb!
I have never been good with plants, so I wasn't sure how I would do or even how to start. I decided I would buy some different types of Pumpkin seeds and see how they did. That way I would know what kind to grow next year. I also bought two pumpkin plants that were already started so I could see which way I liked best.
On the May long weekend I built a garden and planted my pumpkins and have been watching them grow! After about a month they have spread and there flowers are even starting to bloom!
Taking care of this pumpkin patch has been so much fun for me, I love going out and watering them, and I even enjoying weeding. I have already made plans for expanding my garden next year and adding more vegetables. I have even taken some pots and planted some flowers around our deck.
I am still learning, planting one garden has in no way made me an expert, but I look forward to learning more and planting more in the future!
Just for fun, if you are looking for some fun pumpkin carving ideas I suggest checking out Zombie Pumpkins! They have fantastic patterns of some well know characters both lovable and scary.
